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I really only get to paint on Saturdays (I am stuck in work, but they don't mind).. If I am seriously dedicated, I can do 10 guys in a day (6 hours of time). I cannot paint at the house, too many pets/children/spousal claims on my time.

I need music though.. the hissing of the large Air Conditioners is too mind-numbing..

Back when I was single and gaming .. I would paint in front of the TV.. generally while some sports game was one.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:To get myself to paint I lose a lot of games. So each new unit gets me thinking, this is the one that will turn it around!

Isn't that how you get yourself into the situation where you have painted like 20 Penitent Engines?

I recant my earlier position.

Electroshock.

malfred wrote:

Kid_Kyoto wrote:To get myself to paint I lose a lot of games. So each new unit gets me thinking, this is the one that will turn it around!

Isn't that how you get yourself into the situation where you have painted like 20 Penitent Engines?

Of course. Maybe the problem is NOT ENOUGH Penitent Engines. You never know until you try!

I look around at all the P&M blogs on Dakka and the regard my inferior work with shame and discontent. Then an evil smile creeps across my face and I get to work.

You know, if it's such a pain to get yourself to paint, here's a suggestion:

Don't.

Maybe you'd be happier partaking of a different aspect of the hobby for a while. Somehting more suited to your tastes. It's not much of a hobby anymore when you have to force yourself to do it. Sounds more like auto asphyxia erotica, only without the erotica.

If I really like the models it's not a chore. I like PP because the units are small and fun and the big centrepieces can be done in an evening. I like painting orcs and orks because the models are made of win. I find basic ork boys to be great fun to paint, even after about 200 of them. what makes me sad is that I hurridly rebased them all with shadow grey before a tournament and it looks AWFUL. I have to go and do it again now.

My beastmen have killed me. I painted 40 of them. I have 50 left to paint. I just can't do it. My Dwarf army has 5 models done. For me, it's down to the models.
(I painted a bunch of crimson fists recently, and it was actually fun, I think I might be ill)

I have the occasional month where I just pack up painting altogether and consider it too annoying, but within 2 months I have usually unpacked everything and have paint flying. Things have been that way for a decade and I think that it will probably continue. I get bored until I see something that I want to try like a new model, painting technique or scale and suddenly it is interesting again. I am having an unusually long run of interest right now dating from foundation paints to washes to airbrushing to 15mm models.

I just sit down with the GF and paint. I paint my GW models, she her Cryx.

Although I end up helping her more then painting my models, so my armies never seem to get finished lol.

I throw on my grubby painting clothes and don't let myself take them off until the day is done meaning no going out, going to the store, getting the mail ect. Then I get to work:

I assemble, I spray, I fiddle with my airgun, I spray, I fiddle with my airgun more, I pain the other non base colors, I dip, I paint bases, I dip bases, I glue onto bases.

Of course my stuff looks horrible. But at least I can field it!

If I have to force myself to do it, more than likely, I'm not enjoying it. Perhaps you need a short break.

Alright, im onto the detailing and finishing stage of the squad. The drybrushing and lining stages were definitely the most mind numbing. It took a while, but this stage certainly is a lot less repetitive. I still fear the immense amount of time it will take for me to finish this army. (Assault on black reach mold lines. The best mold lines available.)

I don't do that to myself.

I was working on my IG about 3 years ago and just dying, painting the same guys over and over again, with no end in sight. Even painting 'special' figures didn't help, as it was the same paint scheme, forever.

I switched that month and painted up a deathwing army, and went back to Warmachine, and haven't looked back.

Now I'm working on AOBR, but I'm doing 10-12 figs at a time, and mixing it up with other models from other lines. I'll paint some orks, then work on some colonial brits, some random fantasy figures, a battletech mech, whatever. Like Malfred, I cannot--nor have any desire--to do some crazy horde army of a thousand dudes who are essentially all the same.

I believe the answer lies in assembly-line painting.

When I painted the bulk of my armies, I did things one step at a time, for as many models as possible.

That means, you do *all* of priming at once, *all* of the basecoating at once, *all* of the guns at once.

I used to have everything on the coffeetable, and just paint away while I "watched" (listened to) TV.

It's the only way to get through an army in a reasonable amount of time.

My life seems to come off the rails if I don't have a schedule, so I tend to pencil in painting time in my mental date book. Even if I don't end up painting, I always end up building terrain or putting together models.

I am also struggling with the enormity. I have over 100 SM to paint.
I honestly do not have a lot of time to paint with the craziness of work and home life with a new 6yo step-son and wife so the 30 min to an hour I can sneak off is like my little downtime and piece and quiet so that's my motivation.
I also make myself paint a boring tactical squad, then when I am done, I let myself painting something more fun like a dreadnought. Which looks really sweet so I am re-motivated to paint the next tac squad. rinse - repeat. hehe.

I do most of my painting at work. I do tech support, and you get a bunch of time while your waiting for people to finish telling you what's going on, or while they're trying to find the start button...

I look at the big box I have filled with still unassembled sprues of boyz(I havn't stopped them or anything, I just havn't gotten around to doing them yet, working on the lootas right now), think about how much money I wasted on all that, and for some strange reason, I feel ennervated to get right back to painting

I'm also going to be saving the really samey units for last(boyz), as by then, even if I'm tired of painting, any mistakes won't add up to as much, so less stress will be involved. Essentially, doing all the stuff that people look at first, while I'm still really motivated to paint for the sake of painting the best looking things I possibly can, and then the lesser things when I'm tired of it all. And, that also helps by being able to look at a shelf of really great looking units, knowing that you've got some great stuff done is enough to push you to do a little more.

6 pack of good stuff

PAINT NIGHT!!!

My gaming group, The Sprue Posse, gets together every week to paint after work. There are 6 of us in the group, and about 3 usually show up every week.

We are mean to each other. Come to paint night and set your brush or your glue down for 30 seconds and see what happens... "the first rule of paint night is don't stop painting!" someone will yell that at you.

In all seriousness. Painting with your gaming group is very productive. You can have pretty good gaming conversations while focusing on what you are doing, and when you need inspiration or an ego boost you can appeal to your friends. Having them all around gives me both motivation and distraction from monotony. I paint alone as well but I'm always sure to save the most tedious steps for 'paint night'.

If you can't get together with your regular friends, try going to your FLGS. Taking yourself out of your comfort zones (couch, computer chair, etc.) will keep you focused.

Also, I use the advice Darkness added. Pick a tourney, sign up for it, write your army list, then start painting. Put yourself in a position to have a timetable that you must stick to. That's a sure fire way to paint a lot. I painted 120 orks for vegas with that trick, and I painted 120 vostroyans in 6 weeks for a local rtt using that trick.

I listen to podcasts while I paint.

I keep my latest painted unit on display at my table when I paint. The satisfaction of seeing a full unit, based and painted is what pushes me to finish whatever I'm currently working on.

That, and cold Yuengling, now that you can finally buy it in Georgia.

Paint groups are fun. It's nice to have someone else to chat with and it's always cool to see what/how other people are doing things.

I watch movies why I paint and I don't let myself buy more minis until I have the stuff I own painted already.

I cant handle marathon painting sessions, no matter what kind of music or company I keep. For me its about stealing time really. I'll just spend 30 minutes and base coat 4 or 5 guys. Do the same thing a few hours later or the next night and just keep chopping wood a little bit each day until its done. I do usually take a saturday or sunday to sit down for a couple hours and hammer out my highlights and finishing touches for the unit in question but these sessions are far enough apart that I dont have to "make" myself do them.

Of course I dont get much painted this way so take it with a grain of salt

I really like those marines BTW they look great and your army painted to that standard will be sweet

I lisiten episodes of 40kradio, but generally i really enjoy painting. especially small details like rust and what not. It's really rewarding seeing the finished product if you've put alot of effort into.

By the way,
Your marines are beastly!
A full army of those is gonna look awesome!

I can't talk and paint. I end up making too many inappropriate jokes.

no sexy time unless you paint that last Guard Regiment?

The best way to find time to paint? How about piss off the wife so the only thing you can do without frosty glares is escape to your hobby area and paint. It works like a charm for me ...

I get my painting in in small blocks of time. With a pair of small boys underfoot, I can't really block out 2-3 hours at a time, so I get in 15-30 minutes in the morning, an hour or so at night after they go to bed, etc.

I've thought of getting a painting station so that I can port them around the house