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Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Question for the day: do you consider yourself an artist?

I was helping my girlfriend do her makeup the other day (it's a bit of fun before the inevitable comes ) and she said, you'll do fine, you're an artist. It got me thinking, I've always considered myself a mini painter, but not an actual artist. So, to all miniature painters out there, do you consider yourselves artists when you paint?
   
Made in ca
Krazed Killa Kan




Claremont, ON

But of course. We are making pieces of art aren't we? The hobby as a whole is very artistic as it exercises our creativity not only with painting, but constructing and writing as well.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/08/22 16:32:27


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Made in fi
Basecoated Black





Finland

That is a very good question. I tend to define an artist as someone who are masters off their trade, and as I do not paint to such a high level I do not define myself as an artist, no. But that is only my view on the word..

If being self critical of ones work and strive to better it define an artist, then I too am an artist.
   
Made in us
Hellish Haemonculus






Boskydell, IL

When I paint, no. But when I model, yes. There's more room for creativity and expression in building my minis than in painting them.

Welcome to the Freakshow!

(Leadership-shenanigans for Eldar of all types.) 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

Yes, but only becomes Ive actually sold a few prints of some of my graphic design work recently.

CoALabaer wrote:
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Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan






Calling myself an artist is an insult to other artists. I put paint on models at a skill level I would barely put above paint by numbers. I try to get better and my paint by number like skills have dramatically improved but what I do is far from what could be considered art.

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Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan





SoCal

No, it's not an insult to other artists. You're just a very focused kind of artist, assuming you paint your miniatures well beyond base coats, wash, and drybrush.

Honestly, if you're taking any amount of extra effort beyond that factory grade painting prep, then yes, you're practicing a narrow form of art.

Funny thing is, painting miniatures to a high standard definitely helped when using glazing methods for acylic on canvas painting later on for me.

   
Made in gb
Towering Hierophant Bio-Titan





Bristol, England

Nope. I'm not sure we need the definition 'artist' these days as the spectrum of cteative arts is so broad that it really needs some more explanation to be of value.
I used to work as an 'artist' and always felt like my toy soldiers were a nice creative side project but never my 'true art'.
I do less art these days and see my model making/painting as exactly that.
I would define myself as a 'Maker' these days.

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Made in ca
Knight of the Inner Circle




Montreal, QC Canada

Not an Artist no as I consider that requires a lot more skill and dedication then I am doing.

I am making art, but it's a hobby more then a serious pursuit.

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Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

I probably should consider myself an artist, even at my tabletop level.

But I don’t.

If I was going to hang that title on myself, it would be for some of the pastel/charcoal works I did back in HS/early college. Or some of the fun things I do in the kitchen.

But I classify the hobby as just that; a hobby. Not art. It’s mostly a perspective thing, which is very subjective.

   
Made in no
Terrifying Doombull





Hefnaheim

No I dont consider myself an artis, would never see a reason for doing such a thing either
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






 Trondheim wrote:
No I dont consider myself an artis, would never see a reason for doing such a thing either


But what if, for the sake of argument, you transferred the skills you learned mini painting to a canvas piece? I'm just curious really about peoples definition of art as a medium. Especially when it comes to miniature work.
   
Made in no
Terrifying Doombull





Hefnaheim

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
 Trondheim wrote:
No I dont consider myself an artis, would never see a reason for doing such a thing either


But what if, for the sake of argument, you transferred the skills you learned mini painting to a canvas piece? I'm just curious really about peoples definition of art as a medium. Especially when it comes to miniature work.


I would not waste time painting a picture, I leave that for those whom see fit to spend their time doing so. I paint my armies because without paint they are worthless to me and would not justifiy their puchase or use on the table.
   
Made in us
Ultramarine Librarian with Freaky Familiar





Southern California, USA

Nah. An artist is someone who is trying to express himself/herself. I am just trying to clear my pile of bare grey.

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






Los Angeles

 Nevelon wrote:
I probably should consider myself an artist, even at my tabletop level.

But I don’t.


I am in the same boat. When I first went to answer the OP's question I immediately thought, "No way am I an artist or is anything I do with my miniatures art!" However, I do find others' miniatures-related work to merit the label "art" so it's just my perspective on my own work that makes the label of artist bothersome to me. Hm. Quite the predicament!

Art and artist are broad terms as others have said, but I think on even the most basic level what we do for our hobby can and should be considered artistic. Which I suppose makes us all artists, even if many of us aren't comfortable with that designation.

If someone wants to call what I do with a miniature "art" I'd be extremely flattered. If someone also called me an artist I'd feel uncomfortable and try to downplay the "art" behind the miniature because I don't identify my painting as an artistic endeavor.

Good question, OP. This has gotten me thinking about how I view my own work, which is definitely through a prism of pessimism.




   
Made in gb
Calculating Commissar




Frostgrave

I view it more like 3d coloring in, but I'm very much at the bottom end of the talent scale. Decent enough for tabletop but nothing to marvel at.
   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

I don't consider myself an artist. I'm a maker.

The artists I know all suffer from paralysing self-doubt and perfectionism. Nothing is ever "good enough" and they are constantly starting and doing-over all of their projects. Their results never live up to their expectations (it's like they never take into account the learning curves?)

I just do. The build is the learning experience. It may not be what I was aiming for, but it may also turn out BETTER.
(Maybe it's because I keep my expectations low, so it's not hard to exceed them?).

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in gb
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General




We'll find out soon enough eh.

I do now, after realising that the main reason I didn't when I was younger is I was self-conscious about models not being "proper grown-up stuff".

Then I saw some of the utter farce on display in modern art galleries and decided if someone who chucks a bunch of garbage on a bed in a plain white room can claim to be an artist, then you're bloody right people who choose to put the effort into their models can - what we do has more in common with what I always thought of as "art"(painting, sculpting etc) than most of that pish.

And I don't see that it being a hobby bars it from being considered art and us artists - someone who paints watercolours or sculpts busts purely for their own enjoyment is still considered an artist.

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Made in us
Ultramarine Master with Gauntlets of Macragge





Boston, MA

Completely. Some painters I know, my dad and some members of my game group among them, only consider themselves tp be painting pieces for games. The point is to have the models finished for the tabletop, and the quality they're going for is strictly "good enough" - not that this is bad or that the models don't look decent, but that's not where their focus lies.

On the other hand, I do consider myself an artist. I put hours and hours into painting and converting my minis, I research techniques on how to get better, and the fact that I get to put the models on the tabletop later is almost an afterthought. I'm also an artist for my dayjob though, so maybe giving myself that label for this stuff just comes easier to me.

Check out my Youtube channel!
 
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter






Artists? well in the same way as kids that can draw inside the lines are artists

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
 Scott-S6 wrote:
And yet another thread is hijacked for Unit to ask for the same advice, receive the same answers and make the same excuses.

Oh my god I'm becoming martel.
Send help!

 
   
Made in ca
Insect-Infested Nurgle Chaos Lord






...Is it ok to admit I got into Art because of 40k?

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When I'm editing alot, you know I have a gakload of homework to (not) do. 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Scotland

I do, just not a very good one.
   
Made in us
Stealthy Warhound Titan Princeps







 Jimsolo wrote:
When I paint, no. But when I model, yes. There's more room for creativity and expression in building my minis than in painting them.


This. It is one of the reasons I can't really seem to get into Privateer Press/warmachine. Just painting models that can't really be changed in any significant way feels like work, not art. There's some enjoyment in choosing the colors, but other than that, somebody in China could do it for me and I wouldn't care. On the other hand, making up a counts as army bringing together minis from many lines with characters and themes I created does feel like art.
   
Made in de
Primus





Palmerston North

Herzlos wrote:
I view it more like 3d coloring in, but I'm very much at the bottom end of the talent scale. Decent enough for tabletop but nothing to marvel at.


Most of the time I would think that I am doing the above, but other times I think I am making art.

It depends on the model and how much thought I have put into the colour scheme.

For example, if I am choosing colours to evoke a feeling (and I actually do it) then I would call that art. If the model just looks cool, then I would call that 3D colouring in.
   
Made in lt
Longtime Dakkanaut






Some time ago I went to the local arts store to buy some paints. Some local 'artists' that were hanging around at that time asked me what I was about to paint. I said 'miniatures'. They were genuinely surprised But yeah, since white spirit became my friend, I guess I can myself an artist

   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





Artist? Nope.

There are some modellers/painters who are artists, but most of us are not. Comparing most of us to artists would be like comparing an oil painting to a child's paint by numbers book.
   
Made in ca
Painting Within the Lines




Delta, BC, Canada

I am an artist of the starving variety.
   
Made in us
Stern Iron Priest with Thrall Bodyguard





Redondo Beach

i consider the concept artists and sculptors to be artists, as well as the guys who have really pushed the boundaries of mini painting to new levels...

myself, i am simply a professional painter...
more just advanced paint by numbers than art, really...

i do put artist on all of my official documents, ironically, since there is no other title i could legally use

more often than not, when people ask me what i do, and i say that i am a painter, they think i paint houses...
maybe very tiny houses...with gun ports

cheers
jah



Paint like ya got a pair!

Available for commissions.
 
   
Made in gb
Courageous Space Marine Captain






Glasgow, Scotland

Sure, I'm an artist. I paint. I go to an art supply store. Its a craft. I'm not a great artist, we're never going to see a Space Marine in the Louvre next to Mona Lisa, but its still an art form. I'm more of an artist than 90% of today's singers and "musicians"

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Made in us
Combat Jumping Ragik






Beyond the Beltway

No. I'd call myself a craftsman though.

As an aside, about the make-up thing... When I did paint judging for a local tournament ( for 3 years) I would often encounter armies painted to 2 different standards. Obviously painted by 2 different people. Invariably, the better painted minis were done by the wife/girlfriend, even though they, according to the husband/Boyfriend, were novices to painting miniatures. I figured that it was due to their experience 'painting' their own faces with cosmetics. And possibly nail polish application etc.


 
   
 
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