"Should we post our mediocre painting skills?" Topic

Part of my reason for never joining TMP was my so-so painting ability.

I know I'm not alone in having envy of the excellent painters; would there be any benefit to posting images of mediocre miniatures?

Even if only to make us weaker painters feel better about ourselves?

If you post them in battle reports with good terrain the paint jobs are way less of a focal point. That wHat you can show off your collection and we get a good report as well. Winners all around says me.

Yes. This is not a contest. Proudly post your work that you enjoyed doing in this hobby. Just be yourself.

Capt. Z

Yes, post away. I don't have any natural skill and haven't painted any figures in years, but still like to look at figures on a tabletop battlefield.

Yes, it's not a contest, but yet I've rarely seen people post pics of just their minis when they are not first-rate.

s.amsu.ng/74UUB0E1374N

I tried to post an example of some Necrons I did. Simple army to paint, and I'm happy with them even though they are best viewed at arm's length. Or via a link to a fuzzy smart phone pic!

Seeing my painted miniatures makes other people feel better about their own work. Some days, that's the only joy I bring to people's lives.

+1 Robert!:)

I think it would be fine for you to share your work. The gents here are good on providing constructive criticism. Really it comes down to sharing some technique that you may not be familiar with that could change the painting game for you.

You could become a Bracken or Pictors or one of the other stellar painters.

This guys will not bring you down. They are some of the kindest gents you could learn from

I say share away. You can't go wrong.

Jonathan

It's your joy and your pride and so share it.

Post away! I think we need to see the attempts of the "average" painters (of which I am one, or worse) as much as the artists. It reminds us that the point is not to wow the world, but to have fun creating our own little armies for or own enjoyment. The competition is in the game, not the pigments.

Honestly, I think the typical glossy Warhammer-style catalog pics can be as intimidating to the beginner as they are inspirational to the veteran. I'd rather see examples of solid, table ready, arm's length work than the heavily shaded, multiple highlights and blended hues of the professionals. I'll get farther if I'm shown what can be done with a little effort in limited time. It's not unlike golf; if your only exposure to the game is the play of the Masters, you'll never get over your inevitable shortcomings and simply enjoy the game. So cast aside your fear and share what you've done, and be proud of it!

Absolutely! I enjoy seeing the work of others, and I find that frequently we are our own worst critic.

I used to post frequently.
Then Photobucket turned CAPITALIST!!!! They wanted money!

I only posted because some omodhaun said that I just posted and never painted or gamed. I posted to disprove that.

I like to think that I've learned a few tricks of the trade in the decades (centuries!) that I've been painting. I deceive myself that I'm a little bit above "adequate". I think my stuff looks good.

If I can figure out how to post photos without Photobucket, I may resume.

Yes, please do — lot of folks find it encouraging to see others painting!

Whether I'm doing high end detail work or just slapping paint on minis to get them on the table in a hurry, I post photos.

I've posted lots of photos of my work. I've never encountered an unkind comment. Yes, constructive criticism as I asked for opinions. This is the best way to improve your painting skills, especially if you do not have a group you can confer with.

Yes.

Of course you should. What you see as mediocre, others will see as excellent. We are our own worst critics.

Please post. We may get ideas and inspiration and you may get advice.

Or it may be that you paint like Rembrandt but don't realize it and we'll all fall silent.

As a first step why not just take pictures of your own miniatures? Don't share them, look at them blown up: see how you feel about them at that scale. Regardless of skill level a 15mm miniature viewed on a 21" screen is going to look awful. Always helpful to remember that (just read some of the overly critical comments about painting on some of the NSFW posts, then remember how small those miniatures actually are).

When I started my blog I noticed a lot of stuff I hadn't actually noticed by seeing my painting efforts supersized. Real eye opener. It really helped me see things that I hadn't noticed. And yes, I think it has helped me change the way that I paint, for the better I hope.

Yes, you will risk the possibility of some rude comments – sadly the way of the world now. But thankfully most people will be pretty supportive. Always good to remind yourself that in reality, there's actually only a small number of people who can create the fantastic paintjobs that we see online. Most people are pretty average, possibly even more are completely rubbish like me.

I'm quite content with my limited skills. I'm thinking more of the people who maybe would like to go down the path of miniatures wargaming but get intimidated by seeing image after image of eye-popping figures who decide they could never do that and so never get into it.

But if they saw lots of average-looking figures, they might think "I could do that!" and off they go…

I always enjoy others posting, whether just figures or battle reports, regardless of the quality of painting. I like seeing other painting styles as well too.

Lord YES! I seldom get to see figures that don't look loads better than mine. I would certainly enjoy that!!

@Soaring Soren -- I think most of us fall in to your end of the painting spectrum. While I enjoy looking at beautifully painted miniatures,they don't inspire me to paint better -- they make me want to throw my brushes and paints in the trash. In my experience, tabletops are generally full of "okay" figures rather than works of art.

All arts have this problem, be you a back porch picker listening to Bela Fleck or a watercolourist looking at works in the Tate. If you want critiques, constructive or otherwise, you should post if you wish to improve. If you feel you havant the talent, dont disregard that talent is really study and lots of perspiration. It is work, don't rationalize away credit for all that effort the greats had to exert to reach their level of skill. You canprobably do it too if you so desire to put in the work and learn new techniques.

Yes!!! I'm an average painter at best but love to share my work and projects on my YouTube channel. (Unaccomplished Wargamer if you want to check it out) I think seeing people enthusiastic about their hobby helps drive others to paint and share. As others have mentioned this isn't a competition, it's an outlet to share ideas, our work, and to just plain enjoy the hobby!

I regularly post battle report with my average quality paint jobs, if folk like them or not is not a problem for me, if I am happy with them, then Job Done!

Maybe my excuse as well, I assume anyone would be able to tell what my figures represent. I should get a picture posting site for scratch creations, battle reports .

I'm an army painter, of 25mm-28mm figures. I paint to a low standard, by choice. I have 1,000+ figures painted, and ready for the table (around 98%+ painted by me). I game with them so I can get some use out of them before I die (my family will likely binster the uber-majority, as they are not worth the hassle to sell… just being real). I have a couple hundred in my painting queue, and I rarely paint anymore!

I feel the angst of posting my block-painted, Dip'ed and Magic Wash'ed armies. They're not spectacular. They're just GEtGW (Good Enough to Game With, at arm's length). Many folks look down their noses at us Dip'ers and Magic Wash'ers. No, I do not dry-brush, or highlight. I spend around 5-10 minutes painting, per figure. I paint assembly-line style. I've heard the comments, "And it shows…" I laugh. And game with someone else.

Other forums I participate in, have figure painting competitions -- I do not participate. My painting is far below their standard, so why would I bother posting my figures? It is humorous to hear these same talented painters lament why more people do not participate in their painting competitions… [ANSWER: Our painting quality is far below your's, so why would we? We would never win any of the votes, so what is the point?…]

On the other hand, few gamers have as many painted figures in their collections which they, themselves, have painted. So I realize I am ahead of the majority.

Years ago, a friend who was a newbie painter, showed me a figure he'd spent around 12 hours painting. He was very proud of it. I pulled out one of my GEtGW figures, for comparison, explaining about The Dip technique. He got angry, as his 12 hours of work was equal to my 10-minute block painting job, which included The Dip process.

My Dip'ed figures are not terrible, they're quite passable, at arm's length. I actually plan on painting every figure in my collection, and actually putting them into battle on the table (hopefully many times!), before I die. So far, I think I am doing pretty well on that goal.

I paint for me. If you don't like my figures, don't game with me. Simple rule, keeps everyone happy. Cheers!

As was mentioned previously, a simple, but effective, basing technique can really dress up your figures, improving them overall, by quite a margin.

I paint White PVA Glue onto my figure bases after the miniature is finished, and mounted. I mix two different colors of green sand, add in some model RR ballast, for larger rocks, and then I swirl the bases into a container with the sand/ballast mix. Let it dry, and done. This took my figures to a new level, eliciting complements from my fellow gamers. Previously, I just painted the bases green, or used a single color of green sand.

Here is an example of a pair of fantasy Warg figures (GEtGW paint + Dip), with a simple mixture of one color of green sand and ballast, on the left, and green paint, on the right

Not a fantastic improvement, but better than green paint on their bases… The color contrasts between the figures, and their bases, is quite pleasing to the eye, typically. It's an easy way to jump a few rungs on the ladder of visual appeal rank. ;-)

On larger bases (2"-square, and bigger), I paint odd patterns of White PVA Glue, then swirl the base in a container of reddish-brown sand (gathered from the North Shore beaches of Lake Superior). After this dries, I paint on more White PVA Glue on the clear patches, and swirl this in the mixture of green sands, and ballast. The mottled colors really work on larger bases. They look great next to other figures with similar, random patterns of the two sand mixtures. They really take my figures even higher in the "good looks" department.

Simple basing techniques work wonderfully well, to elevate even GEtGW figures. Keep the techniques simple, and quick, and you can churn out acceptable figures, with a small time investment. Cheers!

I been at games were the GM had not had time to finish painting and the figures were just primed, nobody complained. I am sure if he doesn't complete them but keeps putting on games someone is going to make a pointed joke.

YES! it gives hope to the rest of us!

A completed paint job is more than enough to brag about.

While I won't game with unpainted figures, average paint jobs are just fine. In fact, as I grown older I find myself sometimes preferring simpler paint jobs, of the toy soldier variety – there's a purity to them that is very appealing.

So by all means post away!

Please do. This is not a painting cintest, it is a chance to share with fellowganers. We all learn from each other. And I for one always enjoy seeing miniatures that catalysts games with on a table top.

I should someday take a crack at my old D&D 28mm figures. They are getting past 38 years old and my painting is probably getting better. One thing is we played with these without any bases so not 1 of my 50 or so are based, they all seem to be able to stand on their own.

No day like today to start. You'll find them a tad smaller than 28.

I used to get caught up in the trap of worrying about posting pictures of my work on TMP, yes there are some people who will pick fault no matter how good your painting/modelling skills are. The main thing is enjoy what you do, use the feedback to improve if that's what you want. I enjoy looking at other people's work, we can all learn from other people's work if we choose to. Some people excel at basing miniatures, some people know exactly how to paint camouflage patterns, and others are exceptional at painting tanks and vehicles. I can think of at least one person for all of the above and in my opinion they all knocks spots off my work, but that's not to say it means I enjoy my painting, basing and modelling any less. Take the time to enjoy the hobby! Whether it's gaming, painting, modelling or just researching what interests you.

TMP is a good place for advice, support and of course knowledge, I have being named earlier by Bravo Two Zero and that sums up TMP, I'm surprised to say the least and slightly taken aback but it's a good feeling to know that what you do and post can have a positive effect on other members.

I will finish up now before I waffle on any longer, but enjoy the hobby, post your work and don't get hung up on it.
Just remember with TMP your always welcome and always in good company

I say post them! I'm not the greatest painter in the world, but I share my stuff on some places. You never know what kind of conversation/ideas it might spawn.

well, it WOULD allow me to cross that one off the bucket list…