"Have you become an OCD painter?" Topic

I have become an obsessive painter. My early figures were a joy to me and painted very badly. Now it is very different. I won't buy painted figures if the paint job is not as good as I could do. If I make the smallest mistake painting, even on 15mm scale figures I have to correct the mistake. EVEN when it is not visible to anyone else! Behind the shield, between the horse and the rider, underneath the horse, etc. It doesn't matter. I have to fix it. Everything now must be shaded, highlighted, complimentary, etc. I have re-painted figures that "weren't good enough" to me, but were perfectly fine on the table. I have repainted figures because they didn't "look right" (to me). I will never live long enough to paint all the figures that I have especially at this rate. Yet I don't want to pay to have them painted because I could do a better job. What the heck is wrong with me?

Actually I have shifted from being OCD about everything to only worry about what you can see on the table – I used to paint things that you would never see

I find that age improves my tolerance of things – plus washes and inks are wonderful for helping cover up things!

My skill level at painting figures kind of plateaued at some point and I've basically just accepted that they look perfectly fine on the board even though they're in no danger of winning any painting contests. On the other hand, I do tend to obsess about vehicles and terrain, so I guess most people have at least one thing they like to fixate on

Same as Frederick

I bought into The Dip Technique, back in the 90's, when I was in my late 20's. I realized that at normal tabletop distances, I could not see much for detail, on my 25-30 mm figures. I also realized that I view my mini's at that distance of 3+ feet, around 99% of the time.

I consciously chose to paint for the 99%, ignoring the 1%. I paint assembly line style, organizing my mini's by poses (I paint armies, consisting of 20-200 figures, each), and I average 10 minutes of painting time, per figure -- including the time it takes to brush on the Minwax Polyshades 'wash'.

I started out paying a friend to professionally paint my mini's for me. After investing over $700 USD in his work (circa 1995 Dollars!), I realized I could fill my car's trunk with high quality miniatures paint, brushes, etc. for less than I had spent at that point. I took the plunge, bought some craft paints, and I began making my own black paint washes. Then I learned of The Dip Technique, and the rest is history.

To date, I have painted more than 1,000 miniatures (vaguely within the ball park, or at least its parking lot?…). I never kept track, so I have to estimate. In the past 12 months, I've painted to completion, over 300 miniatures.

If I painted to a higher level (I can, I choose not to), I would have finished around 300 miniatures in the past 25 years… Choose your poison, and drink it, so to speak. Cheers!

No, I haven't. I am not a good painter, but I'm happy enough with my results. If I compared myself with the excellent painters I see on the Web, or even in my club, I'd finish nothing. Luckily, I paint to play, and I haven't noticed that better pained figures win more often.

I too went from 40 years ago it had to be painted to be on the table, to have to get this project done to now there is no hurry so see what I can do with these.

I'm an impressionist, I admire the finish of the perfectionist.
Models are important and I love modelling, it's an integral part of the hobby. I think I would place myself on the wargamer side of the spectrum.
I have 6mm, 15mm, 25mm etc. etc. Aliens, New Kingdom Egyptians, ECW, Dwarves, Orcs, Aircraft, Samurai etc. etc. No time to dally.
The important thing to remember is we are a diverse community, and a very small one. There are more fishing shops and Lycra men on bikes than there are wargame shops and miniature wargamers about.
Unity in diversity.
There's nothing wrong with you- enjoy the process.

@Perris0707

Everyone has a tendency to be obsessive – it only becomes an issue if it is preventing you from doing other things you want to do, or reducing your enjoyment of what you do

Personally I draw the line at repainting. Once the unit hits the table, it is done. My painting style keeps on changing, occasionally improving, so I am better off creating a completely new unit than repainting an old one. It's not as though the lead mountain/plastic plateau is small or even visibly reducing in size

Anything more than slap slap 3-4 colours with optional dip/wash is something you are doing for yourself, not for the gaming experience

John

@Perris0707,

I fail to see a problem. You're doing it right.

Mark

Nope.

Depends. When I paint smaller figures, such as 15mm and less, I tend to be a block painter with washes. 25mm and larger, I have begun to get into the details more, as well as shading and washes.

FH

I have found the older I have gotten to more OCD I have become. I used to be able to churn out miniatures at a very high rate 20 years ago. Then research, working new techniques and skills and fretting over colors slowed my output.

Yes, and it's a blasted curse. Where others paint regiments over a given period of time, I paint companies. I honestly wish I wasn't, but at my age, it's just too late to change.

As expen$ive as minis are (to me ;-), I dote on giving them the best paint job I can, as I am not planning to repaint them later…

I am in the same boat as Frederick and Dave. I used to be obsessive, but now I am much looser on my painting. I have learned new techniques and tricks so my painting is much better than when I was obsessive though, and I paint a bit quicker. However, I am also like John, once it is on the table, it is done. No need to repaint a unit that has been mounted on its bases.

@Perris0707 – I'm exactly the same and it works for me.

I think I'm with Major Thom: as I've gotten older, I fret more about things like having accidentally put some of the facing color on the skin, so I have to go back and correct it. I have controlled the urge to do it immediately, and manage to get in a few more colors, just in case I make another mistake.

Grelber
Love to stay and chat, but I have to go touch up the faces on some Egyptians . . .

Thanks for talking me off the edge. I fell a bit more normal now. After a solid week of below zero (Fahrenheit) temps I am going a bit stir crazy. And we still have 4 more days before we "warm up" into the teens.

Same here, it takes me forever

I am absolutely not OCD about my painting.

I just want it to look right. That's all.

No. Sometimes I overdo it. Sometimes I use the dip. I've won best painted army. I've shown up up with the horde of adequate figures. I'm painting to get figures on the table and play with them, whatever pleases me that session is good.

I paint slow & not that well so when I'm pleased with the result, I'm done. I'm not the multiple layers of highlight guy at all!

I was trending towards increasing obsessiveness, but I found parenthood was a great help towards embracing speed painting and good enough from 3'.

Well, I thought I was an okay painter with three layers and two washes on 15mm and painting their eyes if the blobs most small scale sculptors called a face back then and still do, allowed it.
More layers, tricks and applied knowledge of art and painting for bigger scales.

Until some, from his fanboys highly praised, german miniature painter told me about 15 years ago the NMM on my 1/72 hundred year war french knights wouldn't be 'right'.

Beside, they were intended for gaming, not showcase.

Allthough his technique was and still is quite impressive, but not more, that real brush guy never understood in his whole live that for example the highlights on metal are the dynamic vector of the perspective on the surface, the light source and its angle to the observer, the type of surface and light.
And the environmental objects reflecting light onto the surface.
So NMM can be 'right' just under exact one ensemble of physical circumstances.
Everything else is exactly what he does, impressive stage tricks.

Everybody looking attentive at his faucet when brushing his teeth will see what I described.
That guy probably never brushed his teeth, I don't know.

I still do paint miniatures from time to time, but the joy of painstakingly creating small scale beauty is long gone.
I rather do not paint then mediocre.

Do what ever makes you happy, hell this is a HOBBY, it's supposed to be fun!!!
A friend once asked me why I paint stuff that no one else ever notices, my response was simply…I notice.

Rock on, Perris!!!