"Has your painting gotten better?" Topic

With all the wide range and various types of newer paints coming out (Speed Paints, Wet Palette, Blending, Inks, Shades, metallics, Paint Pens, types of brushes and so forth)

Has your painting gotten any better?

a. Yes because of these
b. No advancements haven't helped
c. Its gotten better as I paint more
d. I dont paint my miniatures
e. This is ridiculous

c. It's gotten better as I paint more.

That's basically how painting works.

My dad taught me how to paint with all the techniques you listed above in the 70's.

"A.", sort of, anyway. My painting style stagnated in the late 1990's, when I chose to paint simple block colors, followed by brushing on The Dip. I have chosen to stay at this level of painting as I see no need, I have no desire, to improve further.

Six plus months ago, I tried some acrylic paint pens with brush tips. These allowed me to decrease my average painting time, per figure, from 10 minutes, down to five minutes. The style's results are largely unchanged, but my speed was cut in half. I consider that a huge improvement.

My figures look decent sitting upon the tabletop, where I view them 98% of the time. I paint for the 98 percentile, not the 2 percentile. Cheers!

Probably a C.

But I sometimes look at my early painting and wish I could still paint that well !

So the techniques have improved but the eyesight and motor skills have got worse.

Eyes got worse

It's gotten worse if anything. In the last few years, having lost my regular playing partners, and lost interest in tournaments, I've realised I was painting for an "audience" of one – myself. Close enough is good enough for my solo games.

No. It's never been good. but with arthritic hands it is getting worse. Surprisingly they eyes are not a problem.

x42

"A" maybe, "C" a lot. I'm 71 and had cataract surgery as recently as mid December. My vision has improved remarkably, to the point where I can use dollar store reading glasses. My prescription glasses are a thing of the past, after wearing them for 65 years. The details I had trouble seeing in January are not a problem in February, which tells me my vision is still improving.
Also, I volunteered to donate some painted figures, so I've been painting 1 to 3 hours per day since January and I seem to be improving my skills as I go.

I'm with Eto on this. (Yes, I'm surprised too.) The whole "speed painting" thing dates to the 1970's. Any day now someone's going to claim Games Workshop invented Dwarves.

Better, for the reasons mentioned, but also via You-tube people showing techniques and examples to emulate.

C. Over the years it has gotten better. Practice makes perfect.

A/C I have definitely picked up some tricks of painting over the years, but have definitely found washes and paint pens make a difference, and speed things up!

I still use the wash and stain I learned from heritage in the late '70s!

A and C….

C

No, not since my open heart surgery 13 years ago. All downhill since then

C

A and C.
35+ years block painting 15mm figures with enamels. Having switched to acrylics about five years ago, I have been having more fun as well as improving my skills. Watching some tutorials has also helped. My goals have not changed: to put decent looking figures on the table in a reasonable amount of time. So, new paints, tools, and techniques have helped me improve

Another A and C. There are some truly amazing products out there.

Combination of A and C. Both Tools and Talent are a factor.

I'm also in the A/C club. The new speed and contrast paints have their place along side pens. When I do paint I use many manufacturers paints. I use various styles based on the type, pose and time period of the figure. All in all I believe this combination with time has made me a much better painter. I too paint for the 98%, no golden deamons in my future.

Mostly C, but as new stuff comes out I figure out how to incorporate it, so some A.

Solid C. I have learned more and better techniques but essentially, I've done it long enough to have good control over what I'm doing and a decent eye for what needs to be done and how. I'm better AND I'm faster. Maybe it's that 15,000 hour (or whatever) theory?

I paint much better now than in 1967. It is nothing to do with 'speed paints' or other modern ways of selling less paint for more money, just practice.

The big technical change for me was switching from enamel to acrylics, and learning how to do washes in the late 90s.

Most of the newer paint types failed to live up to their hype for me. Vallejo Express is about the only one that I find useful and even that isn't any better than my own mixes that I have used for years but it is more convenient.
Biggest downer for me is the loss of quality in sable brushes, particularly W&N Series 7. Most current sable brushes are either too brittle or lack the spring I got used to over many years.
Definitely practice (and I've had a lot of that in 60+ years) but not convinced that technology has made that much of a difference. I changed from enamels to acrylics (artists stuff in tubes) at about the same time as the early model acrylics were coming in simply because it was less messy and brushes lasted longer.
I tried U-tube vids but found it difficult to stay awake during most of them. I'm probably too old to learn that way, my generation learned by doing not watching.

C I have been painting 10-40 hours a week for the last two years since switching to 28mm. It wasn't bad before this, but now I look at what I've done just six months ago and am appalled at how my standards could have been so low. "Are those eyes crossed?"

C. I've gotten faster not necessarily better. My standards are a bit lower. The new things have helped some but if I want a nice figure it takes more time.

Sometimes it's one way; sometimes it's another. I may spend too much time fighting my brushes.

C I don't use many of the listed "advances" just got better over 50 years. I paint to please myself so i'll never win any awards!

standards are lower, best painting was 5 years ago. all the 'new techniques' I learned years ago and have not bought the new contrasts etc.

I would say a and c – better paints but also more experience

Also a "C" -- gotten better as I paint more.

But as others have posted, I paint for my own pleasure and not to win contests.

Jim

B. Always just adequate to avoid embarrassment. Piper909 is a terrific painter.

C

None of the above :)

Not sure my painting has got a whole lot better, but definitely faster

New stuff that makes a difference
- contrast paint
- new generation acrylics (Pro Acryl, Army painter fanatics etc)

Good old stuff
- washes

John

Quality? Definitely.
Quantity? Nope.

I'm with Etotheipi. The more I do it, the better I do at it.