"Motivation for Painting?" Topic

Apparently, it is not decorating the bases first. TMP link

So, are you an internal motivation painter or an external motivation painter? (… or an embarrassingly great lack of motivation painter? ;) )

I have mine on the dining room table, so they are visible. That also means progress (or lack thereof) is visible to SWMBO, whose opinion is valuable to me (I also have to convince her to spend money on new minis…). So, my motivation is …

(everpresent) Peer Pressure from self and family

Note, that she is a frequent player, as well as DOM, who visits frequently, so that counts as player peer pressure as well. When we have game day, I put the painting board away, so there's not much further removed player peer pressure.

I am 99-44/100% self-motivated. I have extremely occasional, outside motivational pressure to paint mini's. I will keep the 36/100% to myself, as it is too minute to bother typing about.

I was genuinely surprised that I am the only person on TMP, or at least, the only TMP'er to select that answer on the survey, who uses my own Jedi Mind Tricks to manipulate myself into painting. My secret hope was that, perhaps, I could aid at least one TMP'er to try it, to succeed in painting more mini's from their un-painted pile: "These are not the mini's you are looking for…" I have no shame. LOL! Cheers!

I paint what I want when I want. Just last week I got in some new figures and they jumped to the top of the painting list. I would guess my main motivation is planning the unit build and seeing the finished product.

I paint in waves I guess. Paint 5 to 10 vehicles and then not paint anything for weeks or sometimes months. I really can't say what motivates me although every now and then a period photo or color plate of a vehicle will set me off.

I decide what kind of game I want to play then, if I am short of the necessary figures, I paint them. Currently I've decided I want to do a little mini-campaign in Afghanistan 2009 so I'm busy painting some more Taliban/Afghanis to make up the necessary numbers.

Here's a follow up question. How often do you paint up units for games that never happen?

For me, quite a few.

My motivation is mainly internal: I actively enjoy painting and paint most evenings to unwind; I will, though, on occasion rush some guys forward in order to get ready for a club game or some such nonsense. I paint up models just because they appeal to me all the time, but looking back, I think most of them end up on the table at some point, even if it's twenty years after they were originally painted.

Self motivated as have no one else to motivate me. But painting in nice weather in my basement isn't fun but if it's cold outside what else is there to do?

I'm pretty motivated in general just because I enjoy it so much but there are times where I just need to take a break and recharge

I enjoy the painting. I tend to paint what I've bought most recently but since there is a back log painting to complete those collections is also done. Painting is to relax and enjoy doing something if it starts to stress me I stop. I use the pledge to motivate me if I'm just being lazy. It also helps me pretend I'm reducing the lead pile.

I'm with machinehead. New shinnys help.

I am self-motivated, but painting is as much a challenge as a pleasure. I painted a lot during COVID, as a way to relieve stress and pass the time. I paint more on rainy days and bad weather winter days. My focus is on AWI, but I have WWII tanks, Sudan colonial, and Napoleonics in the lead pile, and I tend to move from period to period. I also like to do terrain, so that reduces painting time for figures.

I hate to paint. I paint in spurts, so to speak. I've painted hundreds of 15mm zombies in a week, followed by not picking up a brush for months.

I paint to amass large enough armies to destroy all those who dare to oppose me. Maniacal laughter follows……

I am mostly unmotivated. I need to focus to get things going, and that can be tough after a long day at work, especially if I have to chase all over the metro picking up, dropping off kids. Earlier this year I cranked out a 1000 pt Late Roman army for Warmaster Ancients, but haven't done anything since August. The Wife is going to help her mother next week, so maybe I can get some done in her absence. We'll see.

I am self motivated. When I had Covid, it took out all my motivation. I didn't paint for weeks even though I had the time. My internal motivation is driven to finish armies or Corps, of the OB I am building. Priorities change as the mix of available minies changes.

I paint every day, workdays 0500-0630 and weekends 0500-0900. Have not missed a day in years. Some for myself and some for-commission work. For me the hobby is 75% painting and 25% playing. Currently working Epic French Napoleonic, Some LOTR Rohan buildings, and 28mm Old Glory ECW. Just finished 100 Pirates and 20 Addo Dommini 28mm.

I also paint every day, or almost every day. I'm retired so that helps, but even when I was working I painted almost every day. I enjoy painting and find it relaxing. I'm one of those folks who kind of listens to television or play records in the background while painting.

I also have my own painting space which makes it a lot easier than the old days when I had a desk in the bedroom.

I am highly motivated to complete projects--and I have wonderful friends who easily distract me into new things, but I really like to finish projects--until the next distraction.

Always enjoyed painting. Kinda like therapy ? <lol> Lotta stuff goes to ebay so ah can buy more to paint (or clog the shelf )

I buy what I need, paint it, then move on to the next thing.. Occasionally I get bored an do something else for a while, but I enjoy painting, I find it relaxing. Tbh I've got so much stuff that these days I'm mainly filling in odd gaps for specific scenarios, but sometimes something new comes along which attracts my interest in a big way.

Having a deadline helps; be that a tournament or game day. A Blood Bowl league is starting and I'm on my last 4 players.

Next is paint what you want so it's not your second job. Sick of infantry? Paint a tank or something for a different game.

If I'm painting something for a mate, then I just force myself to do it (…the night before it's needed!)

Lately I've been going through my pile of shame and picking out a few favourites.
Right now, looking at a RPE mini of a Dragon painting it's toenails, definitely painting it next :)

I love to paint but do so in bursts as there is are these two things – work and the family farm I live on – that tend to get in the way

I normally paint daily. I enjoy it and its relaxing. If I am finding it to be a chore I'll take a break from it for a couple days. Gaming usually adds to my motivation.

I find THE PLEDGE has helped a lot. Checking totals every month and recording progress seems to help my motivation.

I'm not sure what THE PLEDGE is, but I do find recording progress helps. Having finished figures is a reward in itself, but if it also lets you tick a box on the painting plan, that's an additional reward.

I am kind of an internal motivation painter. I recently went on a "Finish some Western Buildings Project" rampage, and then painted up about a dozen figures, then took about a three month break…Just started up again last weekend. Did about a dozen fantasy figures and am kind of in the "blahs" right now. Went down to the painting room last night, and sat at the desk and just stared at them for a few moments and said "No…not today."
I'll probably get back into it this weekend.

I enjoy painting once or twice a week because there is never a deadline to meet. I go thru my figs and decide who I feel like painting. Cyclops yesterday, maybe some Celts next week.

I am self motivated. Don't like painting, but love having painted figs.

I paint whatever I feel like, and upcoming games are good motivation too.

I paint 5 out of 7 days. I very rarely paint anything for anyone else anymore. All my painting is for me. That being said, I still have about 7 different projects that I am working on.

I don't really have a motivation problem. There are things I don't like to paint anymore (pretty much any soldiers more than 6mm tall), but I love painting artillery, vehicles, ships, planes, equipment, buildings, terrain, and (perhaps ironically) horses, and I always have projects lying around that I would love to get on the table (or back on it) and under way. I also enjoy crafting terrain and markers as much as painting, and I consider it an equivalent activity.

The biggest blocker is external. It can be really hard to get away from life long enough to sit at the crafting desk. Illnesses are my most productive periods.

Like others here, I also think in terms of projects. I tend to plan everything for a project right down to specific color choices. Sadly, that isn't enough to get them done. I find airplane projects the easiest to complete, because they tend to be small and well-defined (usually sets of 3-4 planes in a well-documented cammo scheme), and are immediately usable in a scenario with rules I like to play. By contrast, horse & musket projects tend to be big and sprawling; naval projects are usually too small (1-4 ships) to facilitate a new game; the WWII ground combat projects are all collecting dust waiting for rules I want to play; ancients and Medievals need a ton of prep work and some playtesting before I'll get excited about them again; and so on.

- Ix

There is one sap of motivation I didn't mention: storage.

I gave away a perfect castle once, because I couldn't find a way to store it safely. Too big, too bulky, too delicate, not useful very often…

There are a number of large terrain pieces that I refuse to buy for the same reasons.

I have halted work on my 1/1250 naval project because the right storage solution eludes me. I would love to work on them, but I don't want my work destroyed by transportation or an accidental drop from height. Until I find the right way to store them, that project is stalled. (And taking up too much space! It's in a tall stack of boxes I'd love to process through.)

I've also halted work on a couple different naval gaming shoreline projects. I'm extremely motivated to switch from floor tiles to foam, but that adds bulk and creates a storage problem. Until I solve the storage and transport conundrum, I'm just using the old, heavy, small scale stuff.

- Ix

How often do you paint up units for games that never happen?

Not very often, but sometimes deliberately.

I just took delivery of a 3D print of Baba Yaga's hut I ordered from Etsy. I have zero gaming uses for this, I just wanted one.

- Ix

Col Durnford:

I paint what I want when I want.

Me, too.

How often do you paint up units for games that never happen?

Probably more often than I paint them for games that are going. See my point above: I tend to paint what I'm in the mood to paint. If they get into a game, that's wonderful.

I enjoy the whole painting process, even the set-up, clean-up, and putting things away (admittedly not my favorite parts of the process, but I get into it when I'm doing them). So I'm motivated by my enjoyment of the craft itself more than anything.

I paint when I can, which is about once a week for 2 hours. What motivates me is I will not purchase new figures until what I previously purchsed is completed. I am working On 1800 Napoleonic French/Austriansfor Snappy Nappy, VOB and General De Armee.