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.

The one that you keep doing that you kick yourself over but you never seem to stop doing?

For me it’s not letting my layers dry properly and I end up moving half dried paint around creating splodges. I get coffee staining with from washes.

The only way I can be sure I don’t do this is to paint a unit of 10 minis and by the time I’ve done number 10 number 1 is dry

Reshaping the brush with my tongue. If I die of cadmium poisoning, at least I'll know why...

Just letting weeks or months go by without actually doing any...

 Duskweaver wrote:
Reshaping the brush with my tongue. If I die of cadmium poisoning, at least I'll know why...

Is that thing, I thought acrylic paints were non toxic

Newer ones are mostly to entirely so, but some older formulations, especially very vivid yellows, still retain some cadium. I'm pretty sure I've got some vallejo that's labeled for possible cadium, but I'm told they've eliminated heavy metals a few years ago.

Yeah, same. Some of my Vallejo reds (bought around start of 6th edition) have warnings on them not to spray them at all due to cadmium content.

Finding out I need to modefy the model later on.

Que GSC webbers. Costed 1 point, where OK. Que 9th edition cost 5 points (40 if you had 8 of them like say me) and they became worse. Noe I am atemting to learn how to magnetise.

Drilling into a painted model is not recomended. I find I tend to do things like this. (Rebasing to the right base sieze for instance.)

 Duskweaver wrote:
Reshaping the brush with my tongue. If I die of cadmium poisoning, at least I'll know why...

Death by Heavy Metals, sounds badass


Automatically Appended Next Post:

mrFickle wrote:

 Duskweaver wrote:
Reshaping the brush with my tongue. If I die of cadmium poisoning, at least I'll know why...

Is that thing, I thought acrylic paints were non toxic

Its not the acrylic that is toxic, it is the pigments, cadmium is always toxic at all times no matter if it is in oil spray can or in crayons!
Infact! Acrylic is worse for you because unlike oils it gets absorbed via skin, But don't quote me on that.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Had a habit of impatience that I watch out for now! Painted freshly CA glued pieces thinking CA is dry, many brushes found their last hr this way.

 Duskweaver wrote:
Reshaping the brush with my tongue.

Same thing.

Much better now than I used to be.

CB

Second guessing paint schemes, especially after I neglect to fully plan one out. Oh and impulse buying a new paint range, because a youtuber I admire used it, only to let it sit on my shelf unopened for 6 months.

Using bits of my hand (e.g. thumb) as a quick palette (don't ask). Normally not an issue, but I sometimes end up smearing the paint onto the next model I pick up.

I like my vehicles to have a bit of a grubby look so I apply Agrax Earthshade over the whole model after painting/spraying the camo. Unfortunatly I quite often get a bit overenthusiastic and the result is a bit too much. Happened only recently on a part of a project. It's not that those models are ruined, just that it is kind of unnecessary but I do it again and again and again.

Starting painting a project and not finishing painting that project. It's a recurring problem.

 JamesY wrote:
Starting painting a project and not finishing painting that project. It's a recurring problem.

Part of the reason I tend to avoid sub-assemblies.

I can go years, YEARS!!! with stuff being half painted before I decide to pick up the project again. If I had the minis in bits I'd lose them.

I have to say, I've never understood the tongue thing. Even ignoring potential paint toxicity, it seems like the most awkward possible way to shape a brush...

 JamesY wrote:
Starting painting a project and not finishing painting that project. It's a recurring problem.

Oh yes. Soooo many unfinished projects, some of which are now dating back in embarrassingly long time.

 insaniak wrote:
I have to say, I've never understood the tongue thing. Even ignoring potential paint toxicity, it seems like the most awkward possible way to shape a brush...

I'll readily admit it is pure habit, same with the thumb palette. I'll have the mini in my off hand and will clean the brush, then lick it to get a point. I know there are better ways, but it is just part of my painting rhythm.

 Pyroalchi wrote:
I like my vehicles to have a bit of a grubby look so I apply Agrax Earthshade over the whole model after painting/spraying the camo. Unfortunatly I quite often get a bit overenthusiastic and the result is a bit too much. Happened only recently on a part of a project. It's not that those models are ruined, just that it is kind of unnecessary but I do it again and again and again.

You should try oil washes.

 thatsummercampcrush wrote:
Second guessing paint schemes, especially after I neglect to fully plan one out. Oh and impulse buying a new paint range, because a youtuber I admire used it, only to let it sit on my shelf unopened for 6 months.

I often paint 1 model get a colour scheme I really like and then when it comes to the painting the whole unit I get the steps wrong

Brush in mouth

I'm terrible for experimenting with colours but not tracking what I do at all, so it's impossible to repeat. It's recently caught me where I painted a Valkyrie a few years back, and now I have a Vulture I want to match with it, but I have no idea how I achieved the final result, bar a few progress shots. I know I started with a base of The Fang, beyond that, it's a mystery.

It's a problem I encounter so often, and every time I say "next time I'll record what I do", and yet I keep finding myself here.

I also have the issue where I'm terrible at finishing projects, and bounce around between 5-6 at a time, meaning my desk is littered with half finished models and assemblies.

 insaniak wrote:
I have to say, I've never understood the tongue thing. Even ignoring potential paint toxicity, it seems like the most awkward possible way to shape a brush...

Tongues are sensitive and flexible and the proteins in saliva probably help a bit in binding the bristles. What's not to like

Yeah, I’m a brush licker too.

I’d say my worst habit is getting to a point I know I’m tired, getting irritable, and getting sloppy with my painting because I just want it done. It’s frustrating because I’m a very *neat* painter, blessed with very good brush control and able to work with my natural wiggles to paint very cleanly... and then I get all, “feth it. I’m finishing this now.” And I can feel my control slipping and it’s just getting worse and feth! Now I’m going to have to repaint that part and I should just put it down before... yup! Just fethed up that hard to reach spot and now I’m going to slop on nearby stuff when I’m trying to fix it and If I just put it down till tomorrow I’d get things right but now I have feathers of red on the silver trim and feth THIS! I’m just so done and now I have more work to do tomorrow than if I just put it down in the fething first place I fething HATE PAINTING!

And that’s what I’ve done for almost 30 years now. Every time.

Misjudging what I should be painting first, for both ease and ease of clean up (I have some brush control, but still make mistakes quite often).

Using tiny brushes, which contributes to not excellent brush control.

On and off batch painting, and switching between batch painting and painting single models. Results in mistakes not caught until much later, misremembering blend ratios, and being disappointed with prior techniques when compared to new techniques.

Getting into something new before an army, or even squad, is painted.

Overall choosing to paint armies when I have a mindset of constant improvement and paint at a snail's pace. This I'm working on by trying to find new techniques that get good looking results in less time (TMM with a bright light, wash/drybrush/wash/drybrush for basic clothing/fatigues, etc.)

EDIT: almost forgot: not cleaning brushes quickly enough. I've gone through a lot of brushes, big and small, due to that one.

I've never been a brush licker.

Watching "the radium girls" years before you paint a model probably has something to do with that. Also, understanding chemistry and that certain toxic heavy metals are in certain paint pigments reinforces that.

My dad was an oil painter (on canvas). You don't lick your brushes for that hobby. The paints are disgusting.

I also don't understand how people can "accidentally" drink paint water. Or wash their paintbrush in their drink - but I keep my drinks and my paint water separated. Paint water on the left, drink on the right. I'm left handed. I don't need my left hand to grab a drink, but I can't hold a paintbrush with my right.

 chromedog wrote:

I also don't understand how people can "accidentally" drink paint water. Or wash their paintbrush in their drink - but I keep my drinks and my paint water separated. Paint water on the left, drink on the right. I'm left handed. I don't need my left hand to grab a drink, but I can't hold a paintbrush with my right.

Oh, no, those I've done on more occasions than I can count. Partly my own fault, as my water cup is usually an old coffee cup... there's been periods where my coffee cup and my water cup were identical Batman mugs. And nothing has a fixed 'spot' on my workbench... things move around depending on what I'm working on.

I am a brush licker as well.
I have also got too excited painting units and forgotten I meant to modify, convert some and painted them.

I however think my worse habit is doing the same thing with my greenstuff shaping tools. I do a lot of greenstuff work to the point of many many full sculpts...and lick my tools constantly. I even have a chapstick right here to use...and rarely do. Probably going to have my tongue fall off at some point.

Nah, Green Stuff is non-toxic. I mean, it's probably not going to do you wonders to eat it, but licking your tools isn't going to hurt you unless you have an allergic reaction to epoxy.

Although I did over time cultivate the habit of dipping my sculpting tools in the water cup instead of licking them, as one of my common sculpting tools is an exacto knife...

I have a bad habit of wanting to paint my least painted set of models most. At the same time, I also burn out painting the same models after about 3 weeks. Combine that with my overall desire to finish a model dropping once I have some basic block colors enough that I am okay fielding it plus not wanting to screw it up, and I have a ton of models at a basic table top standard. Unfortunately, I have a lot models that have been there for a couple years.

I know it isn't that popular, but I kinda like the Battleready rules of 9th ed 40k as it has given me a bit of a push to get more models past the wash and based phase of painting. I wouldn't mind still going back and doing some detail work on some afterwards. Until I get a lot more stuff to 'battleready' level, I am holding off. If I never get around to it I think I can be happy just at battleready as they look great on the table and those details can't really be seen at those distances anyways.

Discovering mould lines I'd missed after priming so I have to sand or scrape the line then re-prime. I should just be a bit more thorough, but I get impatient and sloppy when I prep and prime big batches...

I'm not sure that counts as anything bad on your part. Having a mould line appear after the primer goes on is an immutable law of the universe.