Fly Molo back again with a painting article. And I do love painting. Actually, more accurately, I like having painted models. I assume you do too!
Yet, think back,... out of the last 20 or so games you've played, how many times have you used a completely painted army? How many times have your opponent?
Why is that?
1. Time!
2. Planning!
3. Skill!
4. Cost!
5. Focus!
There you have it. The five reasons you and your opponent's stuff aren't painted. Until next time!
...
That can't be it. Had you there for a second.
Problem 1: Time. Time, man, as we get older, it sure seems like there is never enough time for anything. Between work, family, school, work, family, friends, work and family, there's barely enough time to take a leak, let alone paint an army. Well, that is correct. There isn't enough time to paint in army in there. There is NO WAY you can paint an army between all of the things that we fill our lives with.
Solution 1: But there is time to paint five bolters in there. Then tomorrow, you might find a minute to get five belts done, you know, when your wife is getting ready to go out to dinner (you'll probably have time to do TEN!). Then the next day, you might not get anything done. Then the next, you have time to hit your basecoat with a wash.
You see what I'm doing there? Convince your wife or girlfriend to let you keep a few models out in the corner of the dining room, along with a few brushes and a few pots of paint. Do not move your entire paint station to the kitchen. That would be impractical. Instead, move just what you need to work on what you are working on. Make sure it is somewhere that is easily accessible and visible to you. Then, you'll find yourself gravitating over there a few times a day to finish up that highlight, or shade those lenses.
Problem 2: Planning. This makes problem one so much worse. You get your first squad out of your basement, still faintly smelling of primer. Ah, where to begin. Heck, do you even know what chapter/coven/sisterhood/war band/god you are using? Do you have an idea of what your army is going to look like? Do you even have the supplies? When I started painting, I really didn't. I didn't have a wide range of paints, so I was kind of stuck with what I had. In turn, I never really got off of the ground.
Solution 2: You need to have some sort of plan before you even spray your models with primer. Why? I prime my Nurgle Daemons white and use washes to paint them, and prime my Deathguard black and use layering and drybrushes to paint them. If I didn't have a plan, I wouldn't get the look I wanted. And if my time and effort produce results I'm not happy with, I might not finish what I'm working on.
Next, get a vision for what you want your finished models to look like. What colors will you need? If you want to do a good red, go to google and type in "Warhammer how to paint red," and read the first couple of hits. You might see some good ideas. You might learn a thing or two.Next, paint a test model. This is my test model for my upcoming charity army. Take one trooper of your soon to be painted army and go to town on the guy. Paint him to completion. Admire your results. If it is acceptable, or even awesome, leave him on top of your little work area that is set up in a really predominate space. He will be your inspiration.
Lastly, get an inventory of your current force and procure enough paint to get them all painted. I find that a little bit of paint goes a long way. You might only need two pots of each main color and probably a single pot of detail colors.
Problem 3: Skill. Simply, you are worried that your painting skill is either too low or will take too much time to get the desired results. Solution 3: You are good enough. You are good enough. You are good enough. You are good enough. You are good enough. You are good enough! YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!!! (read this every day, you can apply it to any facet of life)!
In case you didn't catch that, believe it or not, you are good enough. I get quite a few compliments on my models and I must say, it feels good to hear them. I've put in a lot of work over a long period of time to get all of my models where they are at. But I don't consider myself to be any better a painter than anyone else I've met, just someone who has applied what skill I have on a consistent basis. And my skill isn't that great.
I'm serious. I don't do non-metallic-metallic. I have only tried "light sourcing" a few times. I've only actually used my airbrush on 4 or 5 occasions. I use washes regularly to mask my at-times unsteady hand. I rarely line highlight.
I simply apply the simple techniques I use carefully. I love the dry brush. I love washes. I love directional highlighting. I love layering. I use less paint rather than more. I paint more recessed areas first. I keep my themes simple. I like high contrast. And knowing that I do those things well, I use those techniques the most. I am extremely happy with my results.
If I can do it, so can you.
Problem 4: Cost. Paints cost money.
Solution 4: This is true. I can't really help you in this aspect. But I can help you with what you spend your money on. This goes hand in hand with problem five. Warhammer can get expensive fast, as can any hobby. But Warhammer is a looooooooooong hobby. A very long hobby. When did you start playing? When did you buy your first model? Most of us have been at this for quite some time. Imagine if you had purchased every single model, book, paint pot, brush, tube, bottle, box and sprue that you own in one day. Imagine that number. If you're anything like me, that number would be insanely high. I mean, astronomical. But you didn't buy it all in one day and you probably didn't buy it all in one year either. Spread the cost out, find what you like and stick with it.
Solution 5: Sound familiar? You will never get an army painted if you allow yourself to fall victim to the flavor of the month. And in the new 6th edition, it sure seems like there is a lot of flavors lately. Find your army and stick with it! You'll find that you will get mighty excited when they update your specific army or ally. Otherwise, you get to experience every new army as you play against them and learn how your particular force works in relation. Having a little stick-to-it-av-ness will go a long way. And as we can see here, painted models always win versus unpainted ones.
Any other tips for getting your guys painted on the table top?
Nice article! I actually only play with painted models, because I simply don't let myself do otherwise. My painted models are in one box and the unpainted in another, and the unpainted box never leaves the house. Simple. It is a little disappointing that others don't feel the same way, as two painted armies on the table looks awesome and 100 times better than one, but then we can't all be perfect like me!
ReplyDeleteTwo things club organisers/basement players might think about are 1) a bonus victory point if your force is fully painted (they play this way at my local club) and 2) painted escalation leagues to get people underway.
I've also seen the idea in a gaming group: You can use one unit in your army that isn't painted. Simple.
DeleteThat way it lets you "try before you buy" models for your army. Not sure about Raptors? Don't want to paint them to use them? That's okay, get a stand in or even the actual models, play a few games with em, and if you like them, paint them and start on new units. If you don't, then shelf them and get a different unit.
I've started hiring commission painters. I'll never have the time to paint my new DA army or if I tried it would be years before it would be done. So box it up, ship it out and in a few months I've got a painted army.
ReplyDeleteNo shame in it. We all have different passions in the hobby. If time is at a premium, painting is something that can be done for you and hopefully it is high quality.
DeleteGet a painting journal/color bible. I try to write all my steps down for each model/unit and include color swatches when I can. It is the most valuable tool I own and the one I was most upset to have to replace this past year. To echo on the "you feel you aren't good enough", getting time to paint is going to improve that. I used to have a side by side one one of Mike McVey first miniatures and his Green knight, just to show that he started somewhere as well.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a journal to keep tabs on what's going on in your armies. I used a similar idea, albeit online, to start and finish my Traitor Guard army and eventually my Death Guard. Check it out on Dakka Dakka. http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/455495.page
DeleteBeing near the computer is a no go for me. I tried that and I would just read all the articles I found interesting or get bogged down on research. If you are able to show more restraint kudos to you but a journal on the painting desk is all the distraction I can handle.
DeleteI totally agree with Prob/Solution 3. An army that is simply but fully painted completely trumps an army with a few awesomely painted guys and the rest is still black primer. You can always revisit your models and add a few details later!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Most people would surprise themselves with how decent their "speed painting" would be. Getting a simple base coat/wash/major details on all of your models doesn't take a lot of time and it has major results. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI'm running a monthly painting competition with them emphasis on painting your models rather than being the best painter, we've got a really nice and encouraging comminity and some really cool prizes from some of the best hobby companies, it's all organised on Facebook, search for Painting Oaths and you should find the Page, there's a link to the group there
ReplyDeleteI will check that out this afternoon. Encouragement is definitely needed to keep the progress going.
DeleteThe focus problem has definitely plagued me in the past (and present... and, let's face it, probably the future). I like your solutions, and I agree with knight above on the escalation league idea. I just joined a slow moving one with some friends, and it has definitely helped with both planning and focus. Even if you are painting an army you have had forever, such a league could still help - just make sure that you set your small points list and stick to it!
ReplyDeleteI get killed by taking new commissions. Wish I could say no to money, but do you work on your own stuff, or get paid? Well, the cobbler's children have no shoes.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's also why I quit doing commissions, so I know how you feel. My first commission was for a buddy and I quickly found the work to be extremely stressful and entirely not worth the money. I can't have my hobby stress me out.
DeleteAlso, I know a guy who paints cars for a living... and his cars look like crap :) Pretty universal, huh?
Nice article, hit nail on head... paint little paint often if that's all you can grab. I'll direct traffic here from my blog if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteDo so! It feels good to know that people are reading what I write, thanks.
DeleteMy weekly goal is to average 30 minutes of painting per day. This yields pretty solid results over the long haul. I currently have 4 armies of at least 2000 points and am 16 models away from making that 5 armies.
ReplyDeleteThe trick is to just keep plugging away.
Inspiring stuff. I'll be adding this blog (which I discovered thanks to Weemen) to my blogroll and if you like the look of my blog I'd appreciate you returning the favour.
ReplyDeleteOnly thing I'd add is that the best way I find to get my models painted is to buy a tournament ticket. That way you give yourself a deadline and there's nothing like the clock ticking down to motivate you.
I always say that Patience is the number 1 thing holding people back. MANY new painters could be much better than they are if they'd just slow down, take their time, and pay attention to detail.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Practice makes perfect. Until then, just do your best, you might surprise yourself.
Delete