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Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

I'm very inconsistent with motivation, primarily because of my job eating all my time and then giving me big chunks of time off (I'm a secondary school teacher).

What helps me "get stuff done"
1. Go in with a plan - if you know what colours you want, then you'll be quicker and more confident while painting.
2. Make a process - decide the best order to paint your stuff in.
3. Stick to a faction - I find I'm better and more productive if I hammer out an entire force, rather than jumping around. I do "palette cleanse" of individual models or small groups in between, and I've had success treating an entire board game's worth of models as an "army", but my greatest productivity is doing whole army projects.
4. Paint to a standard that you're happy with, but don't feel you have to push yourself on troopers - I can paint to a decent standard, but it's a lot of effort. However, I can paint to "good tabletop" with relatively little effort, and I enjoy painting that way a lot more than "pushing myself" every time. I think a fully painted army to "good tabletop" looks far better than a few scattered units at a higher standard. I know some will find their "comfortable standard" is higher than mine, but unclenching about this was a big help to me in enjoying painting more.

These days I've got a small kid and I get very limited time to work, so I'm extremely productive in the time I get. I've found I prefer painting models or reading to almost any other hobby now that my time is limited!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2024/04/14 19:18:52


   
Made in us
Yellin' Yoof





Michigan, southeast

For me it's just momentum.
So I usually start with either A: something that I've been wanting to do, OR, B: Something that is literally easy to do.

So for example, I can do a quick drybrush of a piece to get me to sit down and start picking up a brush. That usually rolls into "hey I need to base paint these parts of these other minis", which in turn leads me to do more and more.

The other key factor is timing: if you are not into planning out your day, like me, then have whatever time you generally sit down to do your hobby stuff be either at the end of the day or at a part of the day where you have flexibility to continue to work if you want to. I hate having to stop when I'm on a roll.

40K - Old Skool Orks, Space Marines: Unique Chapter and Blood Angels, Eldar
WHFB - High & Dark Elves, Empire, Orcs & Goblins, Tzeentch Daemons, Hordes of Chaos, Skeletons, Dwarves
 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






You make your own fun. Momentum is definitely part of it, but it has to come from within. Self-criticism, honest self-assessment.

The thing about 40k is that no one person can grasp the fullness of it.

My 95th Praetorian Rifles.

SW Successors

Dwarfs
 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






More an observation than a tip? But painting both Epic and 28mm scale Heresy Dark Angels, I found doing the dinky stuff first really encouraging.

For instance, I’ve painted 8 Epic scale Kratos, and have now rolled round to my 28mm Kratos. Doing it this way around? I know where I want my spot colours to be, and what ones I’m gonna use. Which has sped up the 28mm Kratos, as I find myself with greater confidence it is gonna look decent when I’m done.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/04/16 22:31:52


   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Just realised another one.

Of Course It Looks Crap When It’s Not Finished.

I say this looking at the Contemptor I’ve been painting this afternoon. It’s very nearly done, with just a wash to the metallics and a top coat red. But, without those steps? It does look a bit bobbins at the moment.

But, as this is the eighth such model I’ve done (and my 12th Heresy Era Dreadnought. So far) I know those two remaining steps are going to make it pop.

The wash will deepend the metallics and bring back the sculpted definition. And the top coat red, where I use “Pure Red” from Army Painter really balances the overall darkness of the Dark Angels scheme.

So…don’t lose heart because part way through it’s looking like an unconvincing mish-mash of colours. Provided you’ve thinned your paints and avoided detail obliteration, very few, if any, paint jobs can’t be tweaked back up.

   
Made in gb
Calculating Commissar






Reading, Berks

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Just realised another one.
Of Course It Looks Crap When It’s Not Finished.


That was also a tip we got from one of the Eavy Metal painters years back.Slightly different terminology, but the same feeling... If it looks right before you've finished... it's gone wrong.

   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Fireknife Shas'el





Leicester

Or you should stop.

Nothing worse than continuing to tinker wiith something that looked good and fething it up!

DS:80+S+GM+B+I+Pw40k08D+A++WD355R+T(M)DM+
 Zed wrote:
*All statements reflect my opinion at this moment. if some sort of pretty new model gets released (or if I change my mind at random) I reserve the right to jump on any bandwagon at will.
 
   
Made in nl
Stubborn Hammerer






Struggling about in Asmos territory.

Something I realised is, perhaps the type of mini you're painting is just not the form that feng shui's your senses.

Like, take for instance Tau.. they are very boxy/squarish, some people prefer that form, some don't.
Aeldari are more rounded and lavalampy (don't know how else to put it heh) which some prefer and some don't.
AOS humanoids are generally very cropped in detail, and tend to have very thin bits that some painters loathe, but some prefer, like.. not everyone likes to do cities units eyes (I sure don't) which puts a fair-hammer to the fun factor and keeps ringing that bell in your head that you're on a chore rather than relaxing with the hobby.

I think this may well be a huge factor in why we end up burned out with painting, and so experimenting with greatly varying armies is perhaps exactly the cure to the problem.


"Why would i be lying for Wechhudrs sake man.., i do not write fiction!"

 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Different models definitely require different approaches.

This is why I’ve been able to lazy blitz my Heresy Dark Angels. Whilst I’ve still put actual effort in, and it was required? A fully encase, black armoured warrior isn’t terribly hard to make look halfway decent.

Flip the required scheme to say, Imperial Fists? Whilst yellow isn’t the “child born outside of wedlock” it once was? It still requires more effort.

And I know when I soon move on to my Tyranids or Eldar? I need to learn a whole new lazy way. And it’ll involve a more conscientious approach to washes and contrast/contrast-a-like.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
In fact? On that? As I guess by now Journeyman Painter?

The important thing to learn is what your preferred paints and technique can’t do, and adapt from there.

And it needn’t be major diversions from your norm. Going from “bloody good going over the whole thing” wash to “wee bit here, dod there” washes is minor, but can pay serious dividends. Spesh for the lazy painter like wot I r.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/09/24 21:51:57


   
Made in nl
Stubborn Hammerer






Struggling about in Asmos territory.

Oh btw, another good tip for getting some enthousiasm back is to watch some technical guides on youtubes etc.
sometimes you come across a new technique or new look to something that just clicks and you'll have some invigoration to try it out.

"Why would i be lying for Wechhudrs sake man.., i do not write fiction!"

 
   
Made in us
Been Around the Block




New mexico

 Nevelon wrote:
On point number 5:

Sometimes it’s good to have other people to let down. One of the things that keeps me motivated and moving is my blog here. I’m OK with letting myself down, but am much less reluctant to let other people down. Even if none of the people who follow me would bat an eye if I dropped off the face of the earth for a couple weeks, I don’t want to potentially let them down. So keep up my pace.

Other thoughts:

Set goals, but make them achievable. It’s easy to give up on things that seem out of reach. It’s also OK to miss them. If you are not missing them, you should probably set them a little higher.


This is some good advice. I look at my model work as art for others to enjoy so it does motivate to have feedbacks from other enthusiasts and family. When I don't complete a model I feel i'm letting my fans (family atm) down and that I need to not only complete the model but to improve from my last.

Sigmar is all but lost here. 
   
 
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