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So, I was just curious about how people get motivated to build and paint their models. I love playing the game with my friends, I love reading the fluff, But I have a realy hard time getting motivated to actualy assemble and paint the models I own.. Leading to me having a pile of unassembled models, And even more unpainted models in my armies..

A friend sugested putting a couple of models I'm pleased with on the computer desc so I can see them while using the computer, So I'm trying that now. But I wanted to see if anyone else had any tips!

Also, i'm not sure if this should be here or in painting and modeling, But I put it here since it isent asking about how to paint or model anything, Just asking for tips on getting motivated.. Sorry if it is in the wrong place..

If I have more than 2 or 3 models sitting on my work station, I get overwhelmed and lose motivation. So, I put the unpainted models out of sight.

Pick 1 day a week where you will spend 2 hours and then do it. You'll be surprised how much you get done.

I also paint while watching football and baseball.

Find the motivation that works for you. This question comes up a lot, and there are a lot of different answers.

What works for me:
Set goals. Achievable goals, if not, you will just miss them and not care, so don’t overreach. Personally, I go with 1 model a week, with bikes counting as 2, and vehicles 4 (so a month long project). 52 models in a year is a full army.
Blog. Public exposure keeps me honest. I try to post at least once a week with progress. If I don’t have anything done, I still post to shame myself into being better. I’m OK with letting myself down, but don’t want to disappoint my loyal readers.
Sit down and paint. Make time to sit down at the bench and pick up a brush. Even if you only get one coat down a day, that’s progress. Get enough progress, you finish things.
Intersperse the fun and the boring. When there is something I dread on the bench, it can scare me away. Use fun models as rewards for slogging though the rough stuff. Sometimes I’ll have a project I dislike on the back of the bench I’ll work on bit by bit when I have the right paint out. My drop pods all got painted like this.

For building models I generally don’t have issues with motivations, as that’s my favorite part of the P&M side of the hobby. Cleaning mold lines can be a drag, particularly when working on large amounts of minis at the same time (like a full tactical squad). I drag a workspace next to my computer and clean bits while things load. I find turn based games work best for this, Civ V being my favorite. Every time the computer takes a turn, clean a bit. You will be done before you grind the world under your iron bootheel.

I like to hobby when I'm watching series and other streams. I assume that I would watch most of them anyway so painting and building stuff seems like a good idea.

Building models -> Converting them into the models I want them to be. This I like a lot. No motivation is needed for this.
No motivation is needed other then having the right bits, (composite) clay, silicone. casting materials, glue and other stuff.

Painting them -> I enjoy this less then building models. I do like it but I like building stuff more The main motivation for me to paint stuff are games. I like to bring painted stuff to games.

Buying stuff-> This is where it all goes wrong. I tend to buy models every time I get a great idea for an army or a unit.

This system is obviously flawed. I buy more then I can build and I build more then I can paint. My solution is to force myself not to buy as much new stuff as I would like to.

Also, chicks love painted models. Never forget that!

For me, I just get sudden urges to paint/model/assemble my minis. I'll spend 3 weeks not touching anything (with a massive backlog of work to be done) and then suddenly come home from work and paint a Ghostkeel, fire team, and a Crisis Suit in a night.

I have four podcasts a week I listen to now. Perfect time to paint. Better than twiddling my thumbs while listening to something audio since I don't put on spoken word while driving. But I never set goals unless I need the models for an upcoming game. Built and painted a squad of Raveners and the Red Terror that had been built for 10+ years because of a game I had last week. That's as goal related as I get.

Thanks for all the replies so far ^_^ My work station (The lid of the Dark Vengeance box placed on my livingroom table) is just loaded with old models, Some broken, Some unassembled, Some unpainted.. Maybe I should clear it off a bit and drop the stuff in my project box (A plastic box I carry my stuff in if I ever decide to bring them to the gaming club to work there. That ocasionaly works to help me build a model or two) and only keep one or two in progress models on it..

I like to listen to a podcast while I work, it really does help to pass the time while you build and paint.

For me when I am looking to get a project done I have to have other things to work on too. When it gets too old I need another project to spend a day or 2 on then back to the main focus. When im painting an army like I am about to start on for adepticon coming up, I will have written out paint plans after painting a test model. I try to judge the time I have and the amount of work needing to be done so that I finish with ample time.

THEN.....I don't do any of that and scramble, stay up 3 days straight, paint like a madman, get it low-mid tabletop an hour before dice drop. Maybe go back later and touch stuff up at the end.

Well, Since I posted this topic I have managed to almost assemble a Space Wolf Sergeant.. xD I only need to glue his head on, And chose arms for him.

I am rather slow, But atleast discussing how to get motivated have made me start working on a model.

Hope you find your motivation. I'm on a 3+ year dry spell myself, and struggling to find my interest. Computer games certainly do not help.

I started a thread in the P&M section. If I set a goal in there, like getting X layers of paint done by the next day, then I'm much more motivated to actually get it done.

I go through dry spells followed up by inspired months of painting and building. Nothing really motivates me other than seeing my stack of unopened and unpainted models sit around and my wife ragging on me get rid of the stack.

I also work on projects with contrasting color schemes/models simultaneously to mix it up. For example, I'm wrapping up a massive Salamanders project while also starting a Tempestus project. Switching up what I'm painting every few models makes it way easier.

I tend to work on a batch of models (say 10 ork boyz for example) and then over a week or so knock them out when I feel like it. Afterwards I make a mental run through of my massive "To Do" list and pick something that seems interesting. If nothing really interests me then I just switch to some computer games and check back after a few days to see if something has piqued my interests. Also I tend to do the most painting while watching a Lets Play or video series on the internet.

I try to mix it up between different armies (Orks, Tau, Imperium) and the type of work im doing to keep it interesting (batch painting infantry, painting vehicles, kitbashing, making a character model). I'm not really a painter type person so I don't really get a lot of joy out of the painting actions but I do get a sense of achievement from completing something and it looking good....ish. Having an army that I have painted gives me a feeling of pride and it doesn't make me feel like chump for fielding a grey tide, grey cadre, or the grey knights.......err.... greyer.

Note to self: Need to update my gallery.

Make a New Years resolution to paint a 500 point force per week in the month of January.

This strategy really helped me burn thru my unpainted necrons

You may want to look at how you are painting your models.

Maybe finding some painting techniques that are easy to do and look good might help you out. I have found when i try to overreach from my skill level, I can get frustrated and stop for a while. Perhaps you suffer from a similar thing?

Also, some people do better painting one full model and then going on to the next in a unit as it gives them the satisfaction of looking at a complete model. Others like to paint like an assembly line where they do all the base paint, then layer, then shade, etc. This can be more efficient, but can be dull since you are looking at a bunch of unfinished stuff for a long time.

Not sure how to make assembly more fun. I personally like gluing and all that. But cutting sprues can be very boring sometimes. For that I can only recommend beer.

eleven11 wrote:
Make a New Years resolution to paint a 500 point force per week in the month of January.

This strategy really helped me burn thru my unpainted necrons

That seems tough, I paint too slowly for that! (~10 hours for 3 bikers). Targets are good but don't get burnt out by setting the bar too high.

What motivates me is sending pictures to my friends that are also working on painting projects. I have a colleague who is into his model ships so we like to exchange pictures. It really helps to be able to show someone who is mildly interested and be like, "look what I did! Have you been working on anything?". It actually helps both of us out loads as we are always getting each other thinking about our projects.

Music is a must for me. Helps me zone in.

Always TRY to paint. If you pick up your brush and 10 mins later your just not feeling it, put it down and do something else. Often I'm not in the mood and I know I won't do a good job. Sometimes everything goes well and I'll carry on for hours. But if you don't give yourself a fighting chance, you'll never even start!

The other thing is confidence. If you are confident in your abilities you can be a lot more relaxed about painting to the point where it's enjoyable. Try and remember that your models don't have to be perfect. You know your standard and it's only going to improve with practice. When you are "done" you can look over it and work out how to do the next one better, maybe even do some touch ups.

I'm a SLOW painter, and my job and GF take up a lot of times. I also get distracted a lot by video games. If I can get stuff done, anyone can, If they are willing to try.

 Poop Deck wrote:
I have found when i try to overreach from my skill level, I can get frustrated and stop for a while. Perhaps you suffer from a similar thing?

This is very true. We are often our own worst critics, and we think our work looks way worse than it actually does! Don't let it stop you painting, just go for it and try and improve. I'm not happy with some of the stuff I've done, but other people seem to really like them anyway!

Only play with/against painted armies. Voila. Wanna use that cool unpainted model in your game next week? Cool, paint it.

My friend is a commission painter. He shows me his awesome crap and makes me jelly so I paint to catch up.

I love the building and converting of infantry and character models.

Vehicles.... not so much.

But when I have a brand new concerted character model, I have to force myself to paint it, because no one can tell how good it really is as a green stuff grey plastic hunk....

And I still hold the superstition that painted models perform better.

I am getting lazy. I am considering just 3 color dipping them like the Jamaica flag colors and calling it a day.

The building part is the easyest for me. Painting on the other hand; I need to either find the right music or movie to have on in the background but once i start painting its hard to stop

I need to try things to get better

Merellin wrote:
So, I was just curious about how people get motivated to build and paint their models. I love playing the game with my friends, I love reading the fluff, But I have a realy hard time getting motivated to actualy assemble and paint the models I own.. Leading to me having a pile of unassembled models, And even more unpainted models in my armies..

A friend sugested putting a couple of models I'm pleased with on the computer desc so I can see them while using the computer, So I'm trying that now. But I wanted to see if anyone else had any tips!

Also, i'm not sure if this should be here or in painting and modeling, But I put it here since it isent asking about how to paint or model anything, Just asking for tips on getting motivated.. Sorry if it is in the wrong place..

I prefer painting WITH friends. So I like to invite three or four people over to work on whatever projects they have. We take ovver the dining room and just plow through it while we BS. We like to watch World War II documentaries or some other wartime stuff while we work. Saving Private Ryan or whatever else strikes us.

I play a lot of games so its nice to be able to see what everyone is working on and kind of sparks me to maybe pull the same thing out. then we can kind of help each other.

Also, two guys you trust plus yourself can put a LOT of paint on an army in a night if you all line em up and assign a color. "You do the White, I'll do the blacks and we will alternate units so they can dry a bit inbetween".

Bayam. Several units get to three colors in a night. then you help your buddy the next time and so on. So in threee sessions, the three of you can get a SERIUS head start on a ton of models because you're doing one color at a time so the repetition and not having t switch colors and all that really speeds it along.

 Jancoran wrote:

Merellin wrote:
So, I was just curious about how people get motivated to build and paint their models. I love playing the game with my friends, I love reading the fluff, But I have a realy hard time getting motivated to actualy assemble and paint the models I own.. Leading to me having a pile of unassembled models, And even more unpainted models in my armies..

A friend sugested putting a couple of models I'm pleased with on the computer desc so I can see them while using the computer, So I'm trying that now. But I wanted to see if anyone else had any tips!

Also, i'm not sure if this should be here or in painting and modeling, But I put it here since it isent asking about how to paint or model anything, Just asking for tips on getting motivated.. Sorry if it is in the wrong place..

I prefer painting WITH friends. So I like to invite three or four people over to work on whatever projects they have. We take ovver the dining room and just plow through it while we BS. We like to watch World War II documentaries or some other wartime stuff while we work. Saving Private Ryan or whatever else strikes us.

I play a lot of games so its nice to be able to see what everyone is working on and kind of sparks me to maybe pull the same thing out. then we can kind of help each other.

Also, two guys you trust plus yourself can put a LOT of paint on an army in a night if you all line em up and assign a color. "You do the White, I'll do the blacks and we will alternate units so they can dry a bit inbetween".

Bayam. Several units get to three colors in a night. then you help your buddy the next time and so on. So in threee sessions, the three of you can get a SERIUS head start on a ton of models because you're doing one color at a time so the repetition and not having t switch colors and all that really speeds it along.

I kind of tried something similar, I asked everyone in my gaming group thast plays 40k if we could have a hobby day at the club, Where we just sit down and paint and build together.. And all of them said they prefer to build and paint at home alone..

Merellin wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:

Merellin wrote:
So, I was just curious about how people get motivated to build and paint their models. I love playing the game with my friends, I love reading the fluff, But I have a realy hard time getting motivated to actualy assemble and paint the models I own.. Leading to me having a pile of unassembled models, And even more unpainted models in my armies..

A friend sugested putting a couple of models I'm pleased with on the computer desc so I can see them while using the computer, So I'm trying that now. But I wanted to see if anyone else had any tips!

Also, i'm not sure if this should be here or in painting and modeling, But I put it here since it isent asking about how to paint or model anything, Just asking for tips on getting motivated.. Sorry if it is in the wrong place..

I prefer painting WITH friends. So I like to invite three or four people over to work on whatever projects they have. We take ovver the dining room and just plow through it while we BS. We like to watch World War II documentaries or some other wartime stuff while we work. Saving Private Ryan or whatever else strikes us.

I play a lot of games so its nice to be able to see what everyone is working on and kind of sparks me to maybe pull the same thing out. then we can kind of help each other.

Also, two guys you trust plus yourself can put a LOT of paint on an army in a night if you all line em up and assign a color. "You do the White, I'll do the blacks and we will alternate units so they can dry a bit inbetween".

Bayam. Several units get to three colors in a night. then you help your buddy the next time and so on. So in threee sessions, the three of you can get a SERIUS head start on a ton of models because you're doing one color at a time so the repetition and not having t switch colors and all that really speeds it along.

I kind of tried something similar, I asked everyone in my gaming group thast plays 40k if we could have a hobby day at the club, Where we just sit down and paint and build together.. And all of them said they prefer to build and paint at home alone..

Invite yourself over.

 kronk wrote:
If I have more than 2 or 3 models sitting on my work station, I get overwhelmed and lose motivation. So, I put the unpainted models out of sight.

I'm the complete opposite - I like to buy an army in one go and then watch the pile shrink as I work though.

I also refuse to use unpainted models so I've got to get at least 2K points of a new army painted before I can use it.

You've just got to find what works for you.

Nice small projects.

Batch painting no more than 10 of the same thing at once.

Set yourself buying limits like "can't get these new models till those guys are fully painted".

Have a hobby blog, Flickr etc and get feedback on your painting.

Set yourself deadlines. For example an upcoming tournament with painting scores.

Lastly, I paint on my lunch breaks which means models are always coming along slowly even if I can't dedicate any more time to them. Always paint at least for 1 hour a week to keep things ticking.

It's great to see loads of other people can struggle with motivation, and have various ways of keeping themselves going! It's not just me!

I really enjoy both building and painting models, but I can find I get demotivated sometimes. I had a ton of unpainted stuff, so I put it all in a box, and had no more than 3 units on my desk at once. That was just so I could switch from one to another if I got bored.

I also try to keep it to about 5 models per unit I'm working on. Any more than that in a batch and I find I get bored. Painting the 7th, 8th etc gun, just like the rest, just bums me out! Find the number of models that works for you.

Someone else said about keeping within your skill level - not over-reaching. I think it's good to try new techniques - it's the only way to improve - but that's what old/test models are for. Find a technique/style you like and can do, rather than something you'll struggle with. That'll just slow you down and demotivate you.

Have targets, whether it's an upcoming event, a regular blog, or something more arbitrary, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. I do that sometimes and it has a negative effect. We should be doing this for fun, so if it's not, take a break. Even if it's for a few weeks.

Good luck OP (and everyone else) in keeping going!