"Mixing Paint Jobs on the Table Top" Topic

Does it bother anyone here to have armies of the same nation or period painted in different styles?

Or rather, do you embrace the variety that different painting styles can bring to a collection?

I have edited my topic to include the following question:

"If you could have only one Army for free, would you rather it all be painted by only one of the best artists or have different units painted by several of the best artists?

And, you cant wish for a 1000 more wishes (or armies)…;)

Why would it bother anyone?
My painting style has … evolved over the years, and so has my flocking style on the bases.
If you don't like it, then don't come to my games. Since I think I'm the only person doing 25/28mm AWI in the Wilkes Barre Scranton area, that's something you will gave to put up with.
Horrors! I also mix 25mm with 28mm+ figures.

Several friends don't paint as well as they used to, so they pick up figures and tanks at flea markets. Why is that "wrong"?

But my dear Winston, there's nothing wrong with any of it. I am merely having an artistic opinion discussion with my fellow wargamers. It doesnt bother me either, I am used to playing games with many paint job styles to a side.

I suppose it would be better to ask,

"If you could have only one Army for free, would you rather it all be painted by only one of the best artists or have different units painted by several of the best artists?

I have often admired those with the discipline to acquire large armies they've either painted themselves, or have had painted professionally to a high standard.

My own armies are not so homogeneous. I have painted some of my figures, have had some professionally painted, and some have been Flea Market finds I have tried to enhance / improve.

It does not bother me to field or face armies of the same nation painted in different styles.

But it does seem more enjoyable to me to see armies painted to a consistently high-level finish.

A unit painted to a very basic standard, with few attempts to clean flash from the castings, and based on irregularly rough-cut cardboard bases, can detract from the visual appeal of an otherwise stunning army.

Hey Winston…who put the bee under your bonnet? LOL! read the question….

while I like beautiful well painted, uniformed armies not everyone has the time, money, or patience to do that, so we do what we can. I can!, so I do! I do draw the line with some wargamers who just don't want to take the time or trouble to contribute to what is really a "visual" hobby.

"If you could have only one Army for free, would you rather it all be painted by only one of the best artists or have different units painted by several of the best artists?

I would be ONE artist! 15mm French! Actually I like my paint jobs and have been told they are fairly good so I guess I just have to wish for an extended lifetime to paint the lead I have!

Some of my most enjoyable games were in 1960-61 when (believe it or not) we used the small Lincoln logs as soldiers and made their weapons from the blank sides of cereal boxes. Of course we were only 10-11 years old but our imaginations compensated for proper details.

Consistent basing is the key in my mind – I game with figures showing a variety of styles, but having based them all the same the differences are a lot less noticeable

Mixed is fine with me – Even professionally painted

What I dont mix are figures matted, versus gloss

Or small 15s with 18s

Two possibilities.

1 – I bought and painted said miniatures in which case having a problem with them would indicate a mental disorder.

2 – Someone else bought and painted said miniatures for me to game with in which case having a problem with them would indicate a different kind of mental disorder.

No – my 15mm British Napoleonic army was painted by me from 1978 to 2016, the early figures in enamel, the later ones acrylic, my painting style changed a number of times. And there are a few units acquired ready painted on bring any buys. They were rebased a few years ago (so bases are nearly consistent….).

I'd rather have an army painted by me than by any number of "professional" artists.

I find that consistent basing can really tie an entire force together nicely, even if there are substantial levels of diffrentiation in the paint jobs of some figures compared to others.

I have both. I have used one painter for the main bulk of my AWI army, which would run about 5,000 figures. Yes, John Bryant has painted 8 to 10 thousand figures for me over these last 25 or 30 years. He is just amazing!

Then I have a few dozen specialized units. these were painted by such talents as Giles Allison, of Tarleton's Quarter fame. Giles did three complete Highlander Regiments, including mounted officers, for me. He also is contributing a DeLancey's unit. A really wonderful gent and the best painter of AWI figures that I've ever seen.

There are many other units painted by several other
spectacular painters. Pep Dominquez, Aaron of Pensyltuckey, Roger the OFM's buddy, The Iowa Grognard and the fantastic Chuck LaPine, are just some of the talent that has painted figures for me. All of them brilliant.

No matter the style, good painting is good painting. It will blend in with other good painting.

Some will say that they prefer to paint their own. That's fine, for those that possess such talent. I do not.

But, I'm a bitch at basing!!

@Nevinsrip

You have 5000 AWI figures? That might be more than actually fought the war!

Thanks for your thoughts. :)

Well, for a new army, consistency (especially of basing, as Marc said) would be my preference. But I'm happy to play with my level of painting, which is by no means consistent.
A more challenging question is consistently average v inconsistently brilliant. I'd probably go with the former.

@ Marc

Indeed and that is the secret to making units in a variety of poses look tidy.

I hink hat has the game gets to the bits that matter no one cares about the figures – we get engrossed in the game – it's on the edges, at the star and the end that the look matters

Consistent basing would easily tie minis together. I mostly play Infinity, which is small unit actions with figures that are all unique. Having a different color scheme helps ID different weapons/armor. But the same basing helps them all look like they are in the same force. Also, one of my forces has minis from many different makers, but they are all painted similarly, which ties the different clothing styles together. Heck, some of my models even have some snow on the bases (and are painted in snow camo) while others don't. But the snow doesn't cover the whole base, so the underlying colors tie the models together.

I think the only really glaring difference would be gloss versus matte clear-coat sealer. That would annoy the hell out of me!

Consistent basing? Does that mean the terrain and colors used are always the same?

More or less.

Most of my Infinity minis are on basic urban bases, a plain base with a bare smear of Vallejo Black Lava texture gel. They're then all painted more or less the same way (as much as you can with washes and different batches of paint).

But for the snowy models, there's a couple big spots of GW Valhallan Blizzard texture paint on top of the standard colors.

Every time I see your username, I picture a Lion dancing to Deep Purple's Highway Star.

I may need to animate that…

I have used a simple consistent basing style and I like to think this gives some degree of consistency to my collection even if the painting style has changed, for the better over the years.

I cannot paint as well as I did in my 30s- I'm 60 now. But I have always love the classic toy soldier look. When I'm not working on my Saga,Lion Rampant models (shading highlights etc) in. 28mil, I use 15m for everything else, clean simple paint schemes and glossy finish. Everyone glossy! So I'd have to say no to other painters works in my collection, unless, a single artist completed an entire project in his Own style, like MacPhee for instance.

- artistic opinion – no.
d

All buttons must match !

I think my own painting style has changed in style over the years as new products such as the dips come to the fore. As some armies take years and many revisitations to build then differnt styles will be apparent.

What Marc said. I'm currently repainting or rebasing my Napoleonics for that very reason: they have about four styles because of what was in vogue or just easy to do at the time. Now, for 20mm up I just glue a mix of woodland scenics buff scatter and paint with Tamiya yellow green. For smaller sizes I use gritty sand but blotch on darker green and brown (like a denison smock) and dry brush with yellow. For some reason the plain bases suit the larger figures better.

As far as figures are concerned, I discovered black undercoat circa 1986 and have used that ever since.