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Recently I've been been growing more and more reluctant to finish my armies. Every time I paint, I can only find the faults in my work and can never be satisfied with the way I paint something, and it's beginning to severely hinder my enjoyment of the hobby and I'm finding it difficult to find my own technique and style too. Does anyone else have the same problem when it comes to painting? And how do you overcome it and begin to improve your painting?

Feel free to use this as a general painting problems thread also

Batch paint a unit and then get it based. That's the key I've found. Once it's based it's done and you can move on.

Can you post some pictures up of your work, because I`m sure its not as bad as you make out ?

Sometimes a bit of constructive criticism works wonders

Oh yes, I know that feeling. Ends up basically everytime that way.
The way I deal with it.. vows.
I "vow" to just make the next one better. Which I also fail. But I just keep "vowing" to keep me going
In the end, it boils down to trying. I take satisfaction in the intermediate steps... A completely blocked in, solid basecoat already makes a miniature good to look at. Enjoy that.
Then try to apply the wash just as neatly. if it works, enjoy that!
Now if you feth up the highlights, you know what to work on.
Start in the beginning until it works, and then work on the next.
Also, look at your errors. Sometimes it is as simple as finally starting to pin your models correctly to the kork so you don't handle them anymore; using a good brush; getting clear water; just small steps will improve your overall painting.

Finishing units I struggle with too, I find a commission or competition gives me a purpose to get larger projects done that I wouldn't necessarily otherwise persevere with. Plus it imposes a time limit so i can't keep going over the ever so slightly not right line indefinitely. You could see if there are any painting competitions local to you, but having something to set a clear goal can definitely help.

 Sleix wrote:
Recently I've been been growing more and more reluctant to finish my armies. Every time I paint, I can only find the faults in my work and can never be satisfied with the way I paint something, and it's beginning to severely hinder my enjoyment of the hobby and I'm finding it difficult to find my own technique and style too. Does anyone else have the same problem when it comes to painting? And how do you overcome it and begin to improve your painting?

Feel free to use this as a general painting problems thread also

There are two ways to approach this problem:

1. Get over it. Do you want to play the game or not? If you want to play then who cares what the minis look like? Get them on the table and play.
2. Practice. If you want to improve it's so much easier to do it than it was in MY day. Back before the YouTubes and such. Watch and read how other people do it and apply those lessons to your own painting. But... get over it anyway. We're always our own worst critics and if you let your personal feelings keep you from finishing project then you're never going to finish projects.

Yeah OP I can understand that viewpoint quite well.
Think of it as if you had not clear-coated it yet, you are not done with the model until you are "happy".
Even then, you can still touch-up freely.

Just make clear step by step goals for each "phase" of painting:
1)Primed: Not too thick.
2) Block Paint: Got the overall base you want?
3)Touch-up: Paint over the various brush slips to neaten up painted areas.
4) Washes: No blobs, fills the cracks in the model with the detail you want?
5) Edge Highlights: Are the areas you want standing out how you like?
6) General cleanup-detail: Add those extra bits you think make the model nice.

You should be able to accept the state of the model at any point it is at, since it is work in progress.
Just pick a point to stop each squad at so that you at least have something playable.

I would suggest maybe paint a character model to the best of your ability to "prove" to yourself they can be done to a good standard and it is just a matter of time.
I would then follow-up with a squad and assembly line paint, I find my technique rapidly improves from squad to squad.
It is better to view the models as a squad: think of them as "the" model, them as a group is more of an impact than one lone model.
This is largely how many fantasy battle players paint: Full detail on front rank troops and other rows mainly detail on the tops.

Think then that a full army IS impressive and any slight gaffs are easily forgiven by anyone viewing them because they look awesome as an army.
Generally getting anything past primed is impressive in itself with most games I get to play with others.

The easiest way to improve your skill when you feel you've had a hard time to go 'level up' is to slow down. Quite simply, slow down.

When you're drybrushing, take more care to make sure almost nothing is coming off your brush so you won't leave any streaks.

Thin your washes and glazes using deminrealized water, and apply them in multiple layers, building up to the desired effect.

Take more care preparing your models, make sure to get rid of every mold line, fill in every gap with green stuff, especially on vehicles. Sand down the green stuff until its completely flush.

If you're doing blended highlights, build them up in more layers rather than the standard 2-3 highlights, give them 5-10. (Or go all-out and do 50-80 super-thinned highlights, like the show-winning painters do, Yes 80 highlight layers is not an exaggeration).

If you're doing weathering, be it paint chipping, dry-sponging, oil paint streaks, weathering powders. Take your time, build it up in subtle layers.

Thin you base coat so you apply your colours in 2-4 layers instead of smearing it on in just one go.


A lot of the 'crappiness' of a paint job comes quite simply from the urge of wanting to see something finished, i.e. rushing it. It's an urge that you have to fight, and you'll improve automatically.

If you just slow down, and take more care during every step of the painting process, I swear to you it will look better. The pitfall is generally wanting to speed up because you can't see the end result of all those subtle things you are doing. But at a certain point, the model will 'click' together and you'll be amazed at the end result, because a lot of the good looking paint jobs are just a buildup of a certain amount of layers. Layers add subtle depth.

Sometimes it is as easy as ultimately starting to pin your models appropriately towards the kork so that you do not manage all of them any longer

 Meph wrote:

A lot of the 'crappiness' of a paint job comes quite simply from the urge of wanting to see something finished, i.e. rushing it. It's an urge that you have to fight, and you'll improve automatically.

SO much this. I know this yet I constantly manage NOT to follow this basic, simple advice.

Do you have a backlog of unpainted models? Do you display your finished work or game with them?

Remember that Stalin(?) quote - "Quantity has a quality all its own," or something to that effect. If you focus too heavily on perfecting each and every little detail of each and every little model, you'll never be satisfied. Crank a few out, rank them up, and they'll start looking the part. Stick even a good looking mini under a magnifying glass and flaws will quickly become apparent. You just need to "zoom out," so to speak. I'm always happier seeing a model finished, flaws and all, than I was while trying to 'fix' it during painting.

Besides, improvement comes with practice. Practice requires actually painting models. You can always come back for touchups or a total strip and re-paint later - you just need to keep painting, for now. Even without changing techniques, what you're already doing will become smoother, you'll gain confidence in what you already know, and then you'll be ready to start exploring techniques and styles from a stronger foundation.

if other peoples approval is what you want, then get it. post some on instagram or on here. people will point out areas to improve, and also areas you've done well. that will help you improve.