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Do you guys ever get this feeling where your models' paintjobs are utter balls? It happens to me all the time and it makes me lose interest in the hobby.

I've just decided that my painting isn't all that good and that I don't really mind, they're ok enough to not look totally awful so I carry on with the bits of the hobby I do like. (i.e. Everything apart from painting.)

Yeah, I get that too sometimes. Thought my riptide looked like gak, along with the rest of my tau. I took them out to a gamestore though, the adults there seemed to like em, and the other kids/teens were playing with big grey blobs.

swagmasteryolo wrote:
Do you guys ever get this feeling where your models' paintjobs are utter balls? It happens to me all the time and it makes me lose interest in the hobby.

It could be that they aren't great in which case you might need to change up your technique. Or they might be better than you think they are.

Why don't you post some pics?

swagmasteryolo wrote:
Do you guys ever get this feeling where your models' paintjobs are utter balls? It happens to me all the time and it makes me lose interest in the hobby.

Why yes look at my name! ... sorry could not resist the balls comment heh

On topic though.... I myself been in hobby for years. I dont think my work is up to a lot of the work seen here, dont let that discourage you as this is a site that showcases so many awesome works.. it can make one feel their stuff is not that great i can releate with that. Maybe you should put some pics on gallery and see what people think and give you some good feedback etc? . Hope that helps a bit. Game/hobby is what you make of it and one that is always evloving and makes it interesting

 Spacewolfoddballz wrote:
a site that showcases so many awesome works

When I see things that put my painting to shame I check the Paintjob rating. Turns out I'm awed by 6.5+ level and I've determined I'm approx. a 1 for painting

Throw some pics up on dakka, you will be supprised
I struggle with TT standard on alot of models unless i actually put alot of time into it, but after C&C from dakka members, its alot easier

Practice a bit and your skills will improve. Try something new once a week or even more often, even if it turns out badly you'll have learned something.

When I started my models were embarrassingly bad, now I am quite happy with them. It's just time and practice. Good on you for painting at all!!! Most don't even bother, which is silly to me.

 Jackal wrote:
Throw some pics up on dakka, you will be supprised
I struggle with TT standard on alot of models unless i actually put alot of time into it, but after C&C from dakka members, its alot easier

I would but i only have a few units im *mostly* finished with. I can never find the time to really sit down and paint. I got the DV bikers up to TT standards but after seeing my father paint hit Tau camo, i realized its just because im not patient enough to sit down and spend 2-3+ hours per model. It doesn't help i only use infantry

Trust me, ive literally just put up a PM showcase thread for a single model.
Its not even a big model.

The C&C really does help though, and it will help to boost your confidence.

It's all good. I know I'm horrible at painting. I enjoy doing it anyway, to try and get better and because even a horribly painted army just looks better on the tabletop.

Your skills really do get better pretty fast. Here's the first model I ever painted, I keep it around just to boost my confidence when I think I suck at painting (in spoilers so it doesn't burn your eyes out)



And here's what I did after about 4-5 models, still not so great, but a ton better

*looks at army*

Oh yes. Every time.

 dementedwombat wrote:
It's all good. I know I'm horrible at painting. I enjoy doing it anyway, to try and get better and because even a horribly painted army just looks better on the tabletop.

Your skills really do get better pretty fast. Here's the first model I ever painted, I keep it around just to boost my confidence when I think I suck at painting (in spoilers so it doesn't burn your eyes out)

Spoiler:

And here's what I did after about 4-5 models, still not so great, but a ton better

Spoiler:

Man you are a master. You turned space marines into tau! that is some super sculpting man
On a realistic note, my painting is a cross between the two at the moment. Doesn't bother me, id just like to make it better than TT quality at some point.

I will freely admit I am not a good painter. I am slow, and not very good with a brush. I have done painting classes at GW, watched countless tutorials, and have been "practicing" for about a decade. I have gotten noticeably better, but still not good.

One of my biggest problems is ADHD. I have it mostly under control these days, but I still don't have the patience to paint for long periods of time. I do love modelling however. In September, over a weekend, I built two predators with about 40 magnets each, and loved it. Still working on painting them though.

I have accepted the fact that I am just able to reach TT quality. At least I put more effort than people who come to the shop with grey tides of models, or base coat marines. I do love the modeling aspect, and the playing, so I view painting as a necessary evil.

The Space Marine is a bit rough, but the 4-5 models later Tau model is VERY good for being an early paint job. Man, if I improved that quickly over that short a period of time, I'd be exceptionally proud of myself. It took me at least 30 models to get to the level you got on 4-5. Kudos, man. Keep on improving, look at wash and drybrush options, and you'll continue to improve and excel. Can't wait to see what you do at the 10 or even 50 model mark!!

Usually when I paint something and I'm not happy with it I find it looks much better than I thought when I go away and come back later. It's just that after holding it up and peering at it, having spent time working on it, the problems will be incredibly obvious to you but will probably just pass by those who don't know what to look for.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
The Space Marine is a bit rough, but the 4-5 models later Tau model is VERY good for being an early paint job. Man, if I improved that quickly over that short a period of time, I'd be exceptionally proud of myself. It took me at least 30 models to get to the level you got on 4-5. Kudos, man. Keep on improving, look at wash and drybrush options, and you'll continue to improve and excel. Can't wait to see what you do at the 10 or even 50 model mark!!

I'm glad you think so, I'd say it's more of "time taken" than natural skill. At the moment I'm trying to get where I can paint that same level in half the time. (I've only painted about ~20 fire warriors at the moment. And that was a while back. I'm waiting until I get a real army transport before I go much further. No sense in spending time on stuff that will probably get scratched/broken anyway )

One thing I've found is that I can get disheartened halfway through painting, before I get to highlighting and details, thinking "man I should be able to do better than this! What's going on with me today?"
I keep forgetting that the whole thing looks so much better when it's finished.

you will often find that unless you are truly truly awful, and apply paint inches thick, your models will look better than you think they do. My yellow imperial fists look truly horrible, i can see all the faults on them, but no-one else can. people often see my army and go 'wow'

you can't just pick up a brush for the first time, throw some paint on a figure and use it to win golden demon, these things take time. but there are some things you can do to make your army look like it isn't an explosion in a paint factory. You should also consider that a lot of the pictures you will see showcased on forums are done by experienced painters. and while they are fantastic, the vast majority of armies you will face are painted to a much lower standard. just look at the paint jobs on ebay!

Pick a small number of colours to form your palete, in my case, Yellow, red and black. If you can get them, army painter basecoats are fantastic for getting an even basecolour on your model without brush marks

Take your time, and make sure your painting is neat, and covers what you need it to cover. thin down your paints slightly as well

Ink washes are your friend, they cover a multitude of sins, and can really add depth to your figures (i use a sepia wash)

Highlights can be subtle, or harsh, but they can really emphasise a figures lines.

Bases can make or break an army. if you base your models in a consistent and uniform manner, they really tie your force together.

If you are just starting out, leave small details like eyes and teeth well alone. painting small details badly is far far worse than not painting them at all, and once your skills improve you can come back to them at a later date

finally, its hard to do, but leave your characters till last. you will find that in the course of painting 20-30 basic troopers your skills improve markedly. you may also find that by leaving out small details on your basic troopers, but using them on characters, it makes them stand out even more.

Its also much easier to start painting models with darker colours, blacks, blues and reds are perfect since they are easy to paint. Avoid yellow and white at first (they are the hardest to paint well) the unltimate easy mode army to paint is necrons, but you will find some people can mess even necrons up lol

I have the exact opposite problem. My minis are so-so, but I think they're amazing. I put some of my best ones by the door so I can see them when I walk in and be all like "damn I'm great."

Immediate Solution to feelings of paint inadequacy

1) Play with people that don't paint at all.

2) ???

3) Profit!