"Painting Guilt" Topic

I can't seem to get going this year. It's been since Christmas that I've painted any miniatures. I can't seem to shake it. Of course there are days when time doesn't allow but those are few. I'm in a funk and can't seem to crawl out. Despite updating my blogs with a new painting tracker and having a genuine desire to get to it, I just seem to think, "no I'll work on this rulebook, or read this novel, or play this game or watch TV with the wife." CRAPOLA! And like so many of you I have tons of lead and plastic to paint!

Send them to Pictors or Combatpainter! Yes, I'm having time issues, myself. Can't seem to get any painting in.

If you were to paint something – what would be highest in your painting priority list?

How about just getting that item out of its box tonight??? Now depending on what state it is in, it might need filing some mold lines or perhaps just glued to a suitable base. that only takes 5 mins… If its ready to paint and in front of you, try saying to yourself – Im going to do just '5 mins' of painting… the telly and computer will still be there in 5 mins.

see where it takes you!

Commit to spending a fixed period of time painting each day for the next 3 weeks. Even if it is only 15 minutes. Set up all the gear and don't pack it away. Once you've done it for a few weeks you'll be back in the habit.

I don't mean for this to sound touchy-feely, but when guilt strikes me because I haven't been painting, I find it important to "forgive" myself and let it go. Too much guilt is usually what shuts me down from painting anyway. Once I let myself off the hook, I find some short-term project I know I can finish fast that will give me a lot of satisfaction to complete (ie some really nice Reaper figures I know I can paint quickly). Once I see some payoff again from painting, it helps me start tackling larger and larger projects again.

My .02.

Jason

PS. I definitely second Runs with Scissors suggestion to paint at least a few minutes each day. This really helps me avoid getting totally wracked with guilt in the first place.

I've started shamelessly jumping from one thing to another. I've got Flames of War stuff, Chin Chinese, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy (all in 15mm) going right now. I just work on whichever one I feel like when I have the time and inclination to paint. Obviously, if taken to the extreme, this approach would result in nothing ever getting done. But I can restrain myself from starting too many things, it works, and makes it easier to stay motivated and interested.

Painting figures takes way to much time to be worthwhile unless you actually enjoy it. So paint what appeals to you.

I try to do an hour a night but the snow shoveling has got me sore as can be. Round 2 coming!

I've, oddly enough, got the opposite problem. Too many projects going on at the same time. Everytime I get going on something, something else appears and I go, "oooo shiny…."

I am having the oppsite problem, been painting too much. Mostly Sci Fi and WWII.

I've done the opposite didn't get a lot done last year but got 268 15mm sci-fi figures painted in January. I hope I can keep it up and get a load painted this year.

Don't worry about it! Spend more time with your wife. Work on other projects besides painting. Your brain is telling you to take a break. The worst thing you can do is stress over it. The desire to paint will come back and you'll be off painting soon enough.

Rich

What works for me, as I look at the 1000 or so GHQ 1/285 scale, (more or less), infantry sitting all primed on my work bench waiting for completion, is to paint just one sprue at a time. I try to be thorough and do a good job on the details. It is too tedious to paint 150 pairs of boots in one sitting and there is no sense of accomplishment. Sure it wastes paint, but man, you gotta bite size the elephant!

After binge painting over the holidays I feel pretty much the same way. Some days I go down to the basement and just sit and look at stuff. Sometimes I paint a little. I have managed to get a number of figures cleaned up and primed for later, though. The muse will strike again and I'll be ready.

It is too tedious to paint 150 pairs of boots in one sitting and there is no sense of accomplishment. Sure it wastes paint, but man, you gotta bite size the elephant!

Agreed, it does feel good to have a completed painted mini at the end, an feeling of accomplishment, thats what I've been missing! The accomplishment of a goal. From now one I chew that elepnant one bite at a time!

I set a monthly goal and try to surpass it. I paint 15mm Fantasy and sci-fi. I figure I have about 500-600 unpainted minis. I have decided to hold off my purchases until I get about 100 done or Cold Wars (whichever comes first). I am currently pretty close. The recent snow storms have given me time to paint as well. Small acheivable goals will get you back into the swing of things.

do what both nyjadie and swordlord suggest. First really look into sending a handful of miniatures to be painted, put aside the price and do it. Then spend your time waiting by organizing and prioritizing maybe deciding what should go next.

The trick is when you realize what it will cost to send away a unit or squad your mind will say "oh well I can paint that myself" and save that money or you can spend it on something else. On the other hand if you don't get around to painting you punish yourself by sending them away and "paying" for them to get painted. Look at it like this, if you bought a used lawnmower and knew how to fix it but never got around to it, just looking at your grass would make you either fix it or drop it off to get fixed. That plus the disapproval of your wife and neighbors makes sure you do one or the other. The same is true with your miniatures. You didn't spend all that money to let them sit around on your shelves. You bought them to get them in games and in order to do that they need to be painted! So either you paint them or you send them out to get painted but you must get the point where just sitting for years is unaccepatable. The economy is tight and you don't have money to waste like that.

Finally when you get your painted miniatures back, look over them and see if the paint job motivates you to paint some of your own maybe in the same color scheme and detail.

Thanks Deano.

Read some old MWANS, Just people talking about projects can get the old motivation up to do some of your own. Do some or make some terrain. Read the rules for the game you are planning. Game with some buddies who are gaming in the same period. All those things can motivate ya.

Playing usually motivates me to paint. I start thinking about how to use the other units I don't have done yet.

I usually paint Guilt with a base coat of Bestial Brown followed by Skull White drybrushing and a touch of Goblin Green highlights.

Sorry – that title screamed out to me.

To be serious though – yes, pick one SMALL project – a 6 man unit of something – get through them and then keep on keeping on!

Have had a similar issue for the last year or so, but have broken it now. I bought myself a laptop table so I can sit in the lounge with my lovely wife and paint. I have finished my first figs since forever!!!!

I am also happy to report that they are better painted than the last lot i painted before my brain freeze set in.

Organisation and small batches would be my recommendations.

Don't have mountains of minis hanging around overwhelming you. Paint a unit at a time, prep in bulk but avoid bulk painting tech's, that is what killed it for me.

3-4 figs a night is my plan, and if I don't do an evening for whatever reason I don't beat myself up about it.

I dunno, born in the same year, same painting problems, we could be brothers brother!!!

My kids gave me the Games Workshop Fortified Manor for Christmas, and I went detail-crazy on it, including adding individual stained glass panels to all the windows in the chapel – so this has consumed most of my painting time – I think I have finished exactly two other figs

Like it says above, have realistic expectations and try not to let too much unpainted lead and plastic pile up

If you enjoy painting, you'll get over it. I was in a non-painting funk for about 3 months this past fall. Eventually, I finished the stuff that had been partly done for about a year, that turned out to be the breakthrough. Now I'm painting stuff from the lead box that's older than my college kid.

Like others, I get more motivated when I'm playing something, or if I need to get forces ready to run a game at a convention. Lately, I'm also in a rut (and partially feeling guilty) as my group hasn't been very available (life and such interfering) and thus, I haven't been motivated.

Like others have suggested I do organize minis into (theoretically) bite-sized chunks, but I am also prone to the "ooh – that's shiny!" distraction issues, so I often get side tracked.

Primed a mini this week for a game that my son and I play and actually started painting it yesterday. Hope to get an hour or so to finish it up and then stay motivated enough to start something else…