getting back into painting

[Hadier]

Hey guys i was wondering if you had any suggestions i have box full of models but as a FT college student i just cant seem to sit down and do it. so i was wondering what would you suggest to get me going again? i was working on a dragon but trying to figure out lighting on it had me befuddled so that project is sitting in just the beginning stages.

 

thanks

[Clever Crow]

Been there.

 

Whenever I hit a mental or motivational block I try to find a mini that I just want to paint for fun.

 

Something simple. Not to big and not to overly detailed. Then just start painting. I don't think about color schemes or plan out the mini at all I just paint to get in the flow. I consider this mini as a just a practice so there is no pressure to make it look great (or even good). Think about the process and not the final result. Many times I find myself becoming overwhelmed by what I want the final result to look like and I forget that it is a process...

 

Sometimes this simple practice will help me relax, build my confidence and then I can start to consider more important pieces (commissions or contest entries).

 

Remember that painting is supposed to be fun. (I remind myself of that all of the time)

 

 

m

[Mercius]

Michael. that is exactly why I haven't picked up a brush in months...well besides working overtime and being a fulltime student at night. I am going to try and sit down and just paint something for fun soon, I even have the mini picked out.

[Dr.Bedlam]

What he said.

 

When I get like that -- often after looking at the work of painters way more talented than I, and getting demoralized -- I've found that priming a plastic green army man and then repainting him as something else (a circus clown is good) helps me shake it off and get me focused.

 

Either that, or mouselings. I really like painting mouselings, and it's easy to get motivated for them.

[MonkeySloth]

Find a model that you're noy that attached too, but is still something that would be fun for you to paint, and practice painting the lighting. Here's the key to this: don't care how it turns out. Crazy I know but if you've got this awesome dragon and can't figure out lighting grab something, like a lizard man, and paint it to figure the lighting out as a practice exercise.

 

Another thing that helps, but as a student you may not have thluxuryry of, is a dedicated painting area that's free of distractions (like the internet) so you can focus just on painting.

[Vaitalla]

When I got stuck in a burnout I'd always look at models from companies that I never got to work on to get back into the fun of it. For example, when painting GW minis (during my gaming and eBay days) or painting nothing but Reaper (nowadays!) I will work instead on a model from Rackham's Confrontation line or one of the European lines that CMON sells that I've otherwise got no use for (if it's not "for" anything it's easier to keep it fun!).

 

The other way to break the cycle is to work at a scale you're not used to. If you paint 54mm historicals, try a 30mm sci-fi model. If you paint 28mm models, try a small resin bust! Same goes for those who are burning out on painting DnD minis or Warmachine armies--try picking up a really nice 54mm or 72mm model that you'd never use for gaming, and give it a try.

 

--Anne

[Mercius]

I picked up a crappy GW LOTR dwarven ranger model, based it and started painting it. The lack of detail and spots where the mold slipped are irritating, but I could care less about screwing it up, so I am experimenting more and pushing my contrast and it is making me a better painter I think. I will post it when I am done, but I just wanted to chime in and say that this method definitely works...for me at least.