Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I have a problem. I have an entire game room and a workstation with loads of paint brushes, tools, GW paints and everything else you can thing of, but I haven't painted for a few months (minus 1 commission job). I tell myself I will paint today but end up watching tv or playing video games instead. I have 6 armies. I have most of my CSM painted, 8k points of orks with only 3 models painted...and the others need a lot of painting as well. not to mention the large amounts of randoms ie. terrain, 6x4 game board overhaul and some primarchs. It really feels a little overwhelming. I love having a painted army and I love everyone's good feedback, plus they look great when you play.

So the question is, what did you do to get out of a painting dry spell?

I'm doing just that.
I have a Taurox and Scions on the bench, but I can't decide what scheme to do them in.
That's in addition to some Space Marines, and a pile of IG troops I've smoothed off and some tanks to spray.

So, I remembered my Scions beret heads needed doing to get some headless IG people upgraded to vets. It's the final bits they need, and the models will be done.
It's going slowly, but I'm getting the painting going again.

Pick something small that has a big impact, as that's what I'm doing. A dozen heads and I have a squad completed.

Dealing with a dry spell right now, can't seem to shake it. Just moved and have not set up a space where I can do it all the time.

In the past, focus has been on painting socially, i.e. going into a store and talking with other people to get through an uncreative patch. That generally gets me pumped up to do more myself.

I usually drop what I should paint and instead start with something I really would like to do, most times some interesting character model or MC or something like that. Once I'm back in I usually find much motivation for other things again.

It happens to all of us, and the best advice is not to force it. Try to paint when you aren't in the zone and whatever you paint will look bad.

The trick is to inspire yourself, and the best way to do with will vary from person to person. Some ideas:

If you're a gamer, write up some lists you'd like to run at various point levels, and build towards these only playing painted minis. The gaming and painting will hopefully promote each other, as you consider new units to play, paint them, and repeat this process.

Another way is to try something new. Pick a mini from any system or faction that takes your fancy and paint it purely for display, really trying to make it your best one yet.

Or what about a friendly painting competition between some friends, so you all work towards finishing off armies or squads?

Having a few holdouts/backups to switch to can be useful. Sometimes I get into a funk where I don't feel like painting an Infinity mini because of the detail so I'll break out something from Mars Attacks or maybe even sedition wars, the models just don't have as much detail and are a bit easier to cruise control if you know what I mean.

Another thing, you're metal/sprue-grey pile of shame may be sucking out your will to paint, heavily consider boxing up anything you aren't actively using or working on, and concentrate all of your finished models into one spot, a ''painted cheering section'' as I like to call it.

GrimDork, I actually have 3 display cases that I will walk past and look at. When I have company over I always show them off. I think you are right about the pile of shame. I just stripped a ton of Eldar that i received in a trade. There is a very large metal pile of them sitting on my work table. The main project that has been sitting on my desk is my imperial knight. (takes a lot of paint) I think maybe moving the pile of unpainted stuff out of my site may help. I have a problem as every hobbyist typically has. I KEEP BUYING MODELS. I have an unopened Glottkin I just bought, not to mention a Revenant Titan shipping from over seas. I think I may have an addiction. But I cant stand fielding Gray Hammer models....

Yeah I buy too many models too =/

I kept some of the Orks from the AoBR for just this problem.
I painted up 5 Ork models, just for something diferent. I'd only painted SM and Eldar by then, and Orks were just enough not-them.

I paint something easily like terrain or Spess Muhreens. I find that it helps me ease back into painting.

I find a blog helps. I set my goal of painting at least one mini a week, and updating my blog at the same rate. If I don’t get the mini for the week done, I still post. Helps keep me honest. I’d rather not do a shame post where I make excuses why I can’t make my quite easy goal.

On that note, I need to put some paint down...

A trick that works for me, since I'm more into gaming at least, is to plan my army before I buy any models. So when I start a new army I write a 500 point army that should work both as a hobby project and on the table before I buy the models needed. Then I try to paint it before buying anything more. I then progressively write bigger list as I finish painting the models, one batch at a time, occasionally tweaking the list to suit my needs. This helps in that it forces me to paint models before I can start playing any games.

Another thing that has helped immensely is to squeeze in an hour or so each day for painting and then try to get used to painting an hour every day. Since I go to work at 12 it leaves me some two hours each day for painting when I try to get at least one unit finished, and having a good audiobook playing in the background also helps.

You could try painting little by little. Often taking huge bursts of painting endeavour will just lead to being overwhelmed/bored of it again.

You could set easily achievable objectives. Paint 2 Space Marine sized miniatures a week for starters ( just an example. )

In the end your army will end up being fully painted faster than if you went all out for a week, painted 2 full units, and then got enough for it for 2 months again.

I´m currently having an assembly dry-spell, as I hate assembling miniatures but love painting them. I´ve decided to assemble one kit per day in order to have the whole army assembled by christmas, when me and the group from my hometown will engage in 2 glorious days full of 40K and beer. It only takes me like an hour off my day, which is nothing, and I make steady progress.

I also do this with painting, especially units. I often set a goal of painting a unit per week/ 2 weeks.

The need to assemble/paint models ebbs and flows. I keep my eyes peeled for good model deals at all times. So like quite a few of you folks out there, I can easily find myself with an army that is still only half assembled/painted.

For me the assembly part is easier than the painting part. I am more than happy enough with playing with Greyhammer models. Sure, I would like to get everything all painted up. But the demands upon my limited time available, pull me in all sorts of directions.

So here are some ways to motivate yourself to get your models finished and dressed for battle. First, cut them from the sprues and get them assembled first. If you are like me, then you feel that Greyhammer models are better to play with than Nohammer models.

Secondly, foster a friendly and good natured "ball-busting" environment where you play the majority of your games. We all hit dry spells of not wanting to put in the work towards a well painted and fully assembled army. Having some positive peer pressure from your local club members, can help give you the added push you need to get it done.

Next, try to have some background noise while you model. I like to listen to a particular music channel called Full Metal Jacket while I get my hobby done. Having the right music playing in the right theme sets your mind subconsciously for the job at hand.

Failing that, a program on TV can also have the same effect. At the very least, if you only work on the models during the commercial breaks, you will be getting more done than not attempting at all. I like to have Hockey and American Football for sports venues as some background ground noise at times. The TV producers always show a replay if it is a spectacular play.

Try to have a dedicated "assembly/painting" zone. I know that in some residencies that is not always possible. But try to set up a small space that is dedicated to your hobby alone. Even if it is only half of a small table in a corner of a room. The quicker and easier that you can get to your modelling/painting supplies, the faster you will be applying them to the models/bits. Let's face it, the easier it is to get started, the more inclined you will be to get started.

And lastly, but not least of of all, try to set the same hours on a daily/weekly basis. If all you have time to model is 1 hour before work/school on a daily basis. Then take that for what it's worth and use that hour of dedication. You will be surprised in what you can accomplish in an hour's time on a steady basis.

And if it is only a certain block of time each and every week, that is ok as well. Say you only got 4 hours on Sunday each week to paint. If you are "hitting the bench" the same time every week. You will have a unit or two done within the month. Consistency is the key.

Hope this helps everyone in finishing their projects. I feel as though by posting this it will help me finish mine as well. Good luck to you all.

I buy a new model. Some sort of HQ option, or a larger kit (a tank, an MC, something to that nature). I assemble and paint that sucker, and while I've still got the juices flowing from that one, I roll on to the infantry.

Just something to give myself a kick of motivation.

Personally, I've never been had much of a problem getting painting done. I just start watching a youtube video of battle reports, and sit with my brush in my hand. And sooner or latter i'm done.

I never have enough time to paint or model :(

I eagerly anticipate my late evenings, my hobby time

I do occasionally get bored of painting one faction, but I just switch to something else, and come back to it. I don't feel compelled to paint all 10 models in a squad, for instance, though there are times when the set I'm working on, I wish would just finish a little quicker lol.

Its tough to get inspired. I usually throw on a movie or some music when the mood strikes me, and go to town. You can also try getting some models different from what you're trying to paint (say IG if all you paint are Orkz) and just go crazy. Do stuff you wouldn't normally do and see if that gives you any ideas for your main force

I'm having the same problem as the OP, but my dry-spell is about a year long. I'm hoping to get back into things with a couple of Titans for my forces of Epic 40K. That way it only takes one or two impactful models (that are also not giant tasks as they are 6mm scale) to have a fully fieldable unit (as a hobbyist much more than a gamer, I won't play unpainted minis).

Things have been really hard for me over the years as I've never have a group to play with, other than the wife and a close buddy who's really not into 40K anymore. Used to paint and convert models like a fiend, but the last couple of years have frustratingly been filled with off and on dry-spells.

For me, well, it takes beer. If I have beer, models that need painted, and time, it will happen.

Nothing, I'm still in it Never was good at painting. Better at pencil drawings, charcoals, and writing.

I've had a few dry spells, most recently I was painting a bunch of figures for a friend and just after like the first squad and a couple of characters I didn't want to look at them anymore.

What I did was go back to some of my own figures and that got me back in the game but it also works the other way as well, Sometimes I paint something for a friends and because they want something so different from what I paint it was exciting and interesting and got me really into a painting frenzy!

As some others have said, my trick is to do something really small. Just a face, or basecoating a model, or a weapon. Something that will make the model that's been sitting on the shelf look different when you glance at it.

Another thing I find useful is to make sure that your paints are in a really easily accessible area. I live in a flat, so I can't leave mine out all of the time. Instead, I have the paints and brushes right at the front of my gaming cupboard, with unfinished models there too. That way there is no real effort involved in getting started again.

Hope this helps.

sometimes, re-organizing my hobby orner//painting area elps me. I dont know why, maybe I just HAVE to mess it back up again lol. It helps find stuff I forget it Had or just reminds me of ideas getting them percolating.

Sometimes painting something totally different than my norm gets me out of a rut. A fancy mini-diama for my GF or just a randome models i thought looked cool.

Another thing to try it to make a portable paint station and sit it in front you you while watching tv reruns or a movie you like but have seen a million times.

RIght now for me its both painting and construction stagnation. I need to roll an initiative check.....


I've been slowly getting more motivated to restart construction and painting but first I need new glue and paints!!
Not to mention for the semester to end already!!

I remembered my Scions beret heads needed doing to acquire some headless ig people upgraded to vets.

I love building and converting far better than painting... But if i happen to finish an impressively converted model, I find that noone really appreciates it until they see it painted! So that gets me motivated. But I've played with just primed models for months (now years)...

Right now there's only 2 models unpainted in my current CSM list. Nothing based tho.... and this has been a growing collection for a good 10 years now... never mind the drawer full of unpainted CSM models, or the hundreds of unprimed Orks!

Being overwhelmed tends to be the whole problem. The solution is actually simple -- you just need to trick yourself into thinking you have less to do.

Begin by tidying up, and put all your unpainted stuff away properly. Really pack that stuff up like you're moving house. Having it on your desk is just demoralizing.

It might seem counterproductive but packing it away will actually get it painted faster (or at very least you'll feel better while not painting it).

Then put one thing (or project) on your desk that you want to paint, and only one. Then try to spend 5 mins a day on it. You might not think 5 mins is enough, but it's better than nothing, and sometimes it's enough to force you though the annoying bits that are putting you off painting for longer. Try and stick at it, it's harder than it sounds.

I've been in this same place, tons and tons of stuff to paint, it's hard to start. I currently have several armies entirely unpainted, some unbuilt, and a huge BA force that still needs a lot of paint.

Anyway, playing games gets me motivated always. Listening to Podcasts (Independent characters!), and try to paint for 'just an hour' each night, or at least as often as possible. With that small goal of painting just an hour, I feel less anxiety about the giant pile of gray plastic hah.

Buy a 6 pack, drink it while watching a TV show, and do a bunch of the more mundane, easy stuff like basecoating and washing.

Termagants by Newcastle.