Spike Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I know what some of you guys are feeling, 'cuz I've felt it myself. Yep..so I sit down, get my desk all tidy, get out my primed mini, my paints, my brushes, my water, my palette, put in a nice CD of calming music to paint by, and start to work. THEN I get looking at my mini and think, "Wow, his name should be Mugwump, and he wants to prove he is a better archer than his brother Shagruk...and then... " ...and then I get out my keyboard and start typing a story. "It was a dark and stormy night. Mugwump had never seen so many elves in his life, and he was..." THEN I get a funny idea for a comic that involves Mugwump, Shagruk, and threescore elves. I pile all the stuff that has accumulated on my gametable onto my desk, moving my painting and keyboard aside to make room. I get my camera, set up my daylight lamps, find a few choice bits of scenery, but realize I need a yert...and don't have one. SO I get on the internet, find out what a yert looks like, and get busy scratch-building one. Mind you, my desk is covered in junque by now, so I build it on my gametable and get felty bits everywhere..and once I'm finished I have to clean up..and vacuum. While I'm vacuuming, I may as well start a load of laundry. Okay... the washing's started, the floor's clean, and I'm ready to take some photos. WAIT! I can't take pics of Mugwump. He's NEKKID! Yep..so I sit down, get my desk all tidy, get out my primed mini, my paints, my brushes, my water, my palette, restart my CD of calming music to paint by, and start to work. :) Wanna guess what happens next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaintByNumbers Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 >>> I am afraid of sleep cause its non-productive time and that is horrifying to me. >>> That's a significant problem that needs fixing because its ill effects extend into things that are a lot more important than hobby time. How many different painting & modeling things are jostling in your head -- a dozen? Well, pick any six. Write each one on a 3x5 card, shuffle them, and choose randomly every time you are going to do hobby stuff. You have the option to continue with the previous item instead of drawing. When only 3 are left, add another three. Your goal is to spend your available time on whichever item was drawn. You must consider this time "productive" by definition. When the time is up for the night, go to sleep. Sleep is in fact a _task_ that you can schedule and getting enough is very very "productive." It can be an enjoyable 'task.' I don't like going to sleep either. It used to be because I didn't like stopping what I was doing because 1) I was usually having fun 2) feeling productive & making progress and 3) I don't like to stop before finishing something. Nowadays its more because I don't sleep well and I wake up with aches & pains. I have a terrible time _starting_ to paint; but once I get going I don't like to stop. I'm only back here now because I wanted to post something I noticed about trying a sable brush insteaed of my usual synthetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versutus Vulpes Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I know what some of you guys are feeling, 'cuz I've felt it myself. Yep..so I sit down, get my desk all tidy, get out my primed mini, my paints, my brushes, my water, my palette, put in a nice CD of calming music to paint by, and start to work. THEN I get looking at my mini and think, "Wow, his name should be Mugwump, and he wants to prove he is a better archer than his brother Shagruk...and then... " ...and then I get out my keyboard and start typing a story. "It was a dark and stormy night. Mugwump had never seen so many elves in his life, and he was..." THEN I get a funny idea for a comic that involves Mugwump, Shagruk, and threescore elves. I pile all the stuff that has accumulated on my gametable onto my desk, moving my painting and keyboard aside to make room. I get my camera, set up my daylight lamps, find a few choice bits of scenery, but realize I need a yert...and don't have one. SO I get on the internet, find out what a yert looks like, and get busy scratch-building one. Mind you, my desk is covered in junque by now, so I build it on my gametable and get felty bits everywhere..and once I'm finished I have to clean up..and vacuum. While I'm vacuuming, I may as well start a load of laundry. Okay... the washing's started, the floor's clean, and I'm ready to take some photos. WAIT! I can't take pics of Mugwump. He's NEKKID! Yep..so I sit down, get my desk all tidy, get out my primed mini, my paints, my brushes, my water, my palette, restart my CD of calming music to paint by, and start to work. :) Wanna guess what happens next? Spike - Have you ever read or heard the children's story 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'? This sounds like the mini painting version... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwyn1st Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Oh, and by the way, no one gets a "10" on CMON. If you start getting high scores, some jerk will come along and snipe you with a couple of 2's just for spite. Learn the same lesson I did about singing a long time ago. There will always be people better than you. There will always be people worse than you. The goal should be to improve your personal best, regardless of how it stacks up against others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinzig Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 My two cents worth... 1) Mine doesn't either...but then I have a full-time job, kids and various other hobbies. I paint for fun, if it's not feeling fun, I don't paint. 2) If I'm in the zone I can paint for hours on end. If I'm not enjoying the piece I'm painting, yes, boredom sets in and I get antsy...fast. 3) Ran into this myself...if you are going to paint something blue, green black, purple...prime with grey. White for everything else. As for completing a color and then moving on...yeah, I run into the same thing. I get more momentum as the mini gets closer to done. For example...painting a dwarfs eyes, face and hands...woo...getting the armor, chainmail etc done so I can focus on the runes on his sheath and axe...much more fun. 4) If it's not working for you, dunk it and move on while it's in the dunk. I've not seen any ill-effects of a mini taking a bath in the simple green. Little buggers can hold their breath for days...have multiple mini's ready to be painted. 5) Yes! I buy mini's with greatest of intentions...only to realize I have close to a hundred in queue already! Regardless, I take time to clean and prep a mini, paint it, base it and seal it from start to finish. This breaks the monotony of painting troops. Back to number 2, don't paint armies...just don't. 6) W&N. Ordered. 'Nuff said. I didn't know what I was missing...now you couldn't pry them from cold dead hands... 7) I'd love to be able to paint and do nothing else...unfortunately, I can't. I also dislike sleep...wasting time sleeping when I could be...doing anything else. I like to work on the cars when I can. I like to build things out of wood (decks, tables, storage sheds, etc). I like video games. I'd like to try my hand at carving a maidenhead. I'd like to build a model ship, plank on bulkhead. My wife constantly tells me I need to clone myself so I can do the things that need doing as well as what I want to do. And, with hockey season less than a month away...gonna get worse. Bonus, however, is that hockey can be listened to WHILE I paint. -Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldarchy Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 L-dub, there isn't enough time in my day for me to accomplish what I want to with painting. I don't have the kids to distract but I do have a boyfriend now and he lives in the same town as me. For the past two to three years I've been single or in long distance relationships where I didn't see the other person often. I always had time to paint. And my schedule was built around having so much free time. Eric has been very understanding and asks how much "work" I have to do during the week. I let him know he is a distraction but I wasn't complaining, it's an enjoyable one. As for the other things . . . this year I've decided to do "serious" competitions after painting for three years. I would advise that you slow down a bit in terms of what you want to take on in serious painting. You have time. Competitions will be around. Enjoy painting for now and put a goal on your calendar that you will enter your first serious competition a year from now or something. Take a deep breath . . . . . . . . . ok you can let it out now It will be ok. It gets frustrating trying to compare yourself to the greats. I still look at Anne's stuff and my reaction is . . .well . . . You'll get there eventually but pace yourself. You don't want to get burnt out. You know where to find me if you ever need someone to vent at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwyn1st Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 (edited) I think what frustrates me is the lack of forward momentum. I've been painting five years. I've spent anywhere from one to four hours a night during the week painting. More on the weekends. I've attended many events with some of the best painters in the industry and have talked to and taken classes from them. I still seem to be having problems with competition... Hmm, need to get to another IPMS show. The last one I was in, every one of my entries won something. I had two Second Place and two Honorable Mentions. Who knows? I've gotten better since then, might even take a first. Edited September 11, 2007 by Cerridwyn1st Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldarchy Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Oh, and by the way, no one gets a "10" on CMON. If you start getting high scores, some jerk will come along and snipe you with a couple of 2's just for spite. yup I think I've been snipped now . . . just take a look at my gallery But seriously it's such a popularity contest. Even Jen doesn't have a perfect 10 score on her page but it's still pretty high! As for sleep . . . what is wrong with you people?! I love sleep and I also love just lounging in bed with a good book. Ahhh . . . bed . . . love it! It is very necessary in order to keep going through life. Without it you will go nuts! And your painting will get crappy. First hand experience, right here! I was sleep deprived for a while and my painting totally blew. You gotta get your sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousekiller Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Lord W... best advice I can give, and what works for me, is just do a little every day. Don't worry about finishing a mini a day, or week, or whatever - especially as I assume the painting is for you. I typically work from 0400 until 2100 every day... then get home and sleep and start it all over again. But, I try and paint for about 30 minutes in the morning before work and I think I get a lot more done this way then on those rare days where I have the luxury of sitting in my painting room all day (as I tend to sit and stare at the minis more than I do paint). BTW, where is Wildwood, MO? I live in St. Robert (over by Fort Leonard Wood). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Wehrmacht Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 Mouse, Wildwood is west of St. Louis near Chesterfield Valley and The Spirit of St. Louis airport! L-dub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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