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How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:01 am
by Lord Drakon
Hello fellow painters,

I have a problem to start painting. I find myself always with a lot of conversion ideas, most of the times some new ideas while working on a project. At the moment I try to focus on 1 list (Invasion Competition) but already have a lot of ideas about two other lists (Shade and Har Ganeth city guard list) while I try to paint it in a structural way, but can not stop to think to convert/build other unfinished models of the same list.

How do you guys (and girls) succeed to focus and paint your units ? All tips are welcome !

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:04 pm
by Daeron
I fail to keep a structure in between units. However, I am trying to work on bigger units at a time... So I don't end up with 10 Witch Elves and 10 RXBs, and 10 Executioners... And so end up with a bit of everything and nothing.
Last attempt is 30 spears and going strong. Next big batch will be 20 DRs.

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:06 pm
by direweasel
I don't have a problem with focusing on the painting. My problem is staying focused on one mini/project at a time. I probably have about 30 PARTLY finished models, of various types. I'll paint for a bit on a guy, and then get stuck trying to decide what shade of blue to use as a highlight on the cloak or something, so I'll move on to another mini for a bit and tinker with that until I come to a similar mental roadblock, and so on.

Other times I have a bunch of guys partly done, but I don't base them because I want to mix up a batch of a special mix to put down for the base, and don't want to do that on just one model. So I might have a half dozen or so guys that are 99% done, but not based or sealed because I want to finish them together.

Then other times I have to stop what I'm doing to work on a specific thing that comes up with a specific deadline, like a character I want to use for the next RPG session I run every Tuesday. So I'll set all my stuff aside and work on that guy, and then I go back to whatever 10 other things I was doing at the time.

I kind of figure it's how I maintain a mental balance, because I'm so focused other times, like at work and stuff. I figure I can be a little un-focused with my hobby stuff, because it's not worth stressing over. If you're stressing about hobby stuff, I kind of think that's missing the point, right?

Basically, I guess what it boils down to is I'm a complete mess. :)

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:13 pm
by Teowulff
Ha we all have our distractions! :?

Mine is that I don't think I'm good enough yet to paint my huge DE army.
Instead I'm painting everything else, Heroquest mini's, some loose chaos warriors, even the dwarf army of a friend.

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:58 pm
by direweasel
Teowulff wrote:Ha we all have our distractions! :?

Mine is that I don't think I'm good enough yet to paint my huge DE army.
Instead I'm painting everything else, Heroquest mini's, some loose chaos warriors, even the dwarf army of a friend.


There's definitely logic to that - paint other stuff you don't care as much about for practice and to refine techniques and learn from mistakes.

Another thing you can do that helps, is when you DO start painting dark elves, do rank and file minis. The temptation is to start with your favorite character, but don't. Start with a crossbowman or spearman or something. That way, if he/she sucks, put him in the middle or back of the unit, and work your way forward. :)

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:46 pm
by faeli-n
This forum ruins my painting... so many great ideas for schemes and conversions that I'm constantly changing my mind.

AT this time though, I only need to finish a few models (finishing touches on my Malekith, a magneted sorceress, and a frost phoenix) and I have a good, listed 4k Eternity King army. After that, I'm gonna focus on the painting.

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:42 am
by Phierlihy
Keep notes. It's fine to finish a model and then wander away to another project. But if you come back to a unit months later and can't remember what paints you used, it's very discouraging to have to try and figure it out for the next one.

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 4:52 am
by Makiwara
Take my opinion with a large grain of salt because it's been ten odd years since I've painted anything, however I have always found that a notepad and giving yourself a longer time to do anything is always helpful to me. I start collecting notes and ideas and snippets of fluff and whatnot about my units and models and I don't act until I have a thick cohesive idea down on paper. That way before I convert or build I have an idea on why the unit looks the way it does and a story to go along with it that means I don't immediately change my mind about them or try to change them, same thing with colour schemes, I let the ideas dictate the scheme so that by the time I paint I know why I'm painting them a certain colour and am not so tempted to immediately change it. It also means that I'm excited to get through whole units because I want to play with the models I've already begun telling a story for, I'm invested in getting them done.

Re: How to PAINT ?

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:30 am
by CitizenKhaine
I as a slow painter it takes me a while to get through a unit - so I do it in very small batches, 2-3 models at a time and have something interesting between each mini group. For example, paint 2-3 rank and file, then the musician, another few, then the champion and few more and then the banner bearer. Just a simple reward system :)
For large units I do a couple more before the command figures and sometimes an interesting sideline in between like a filler. I set the limit and reward before starting and stick to it.
Works for me :)