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Painting Motivation: How do you guys get it?


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I made a blog thread a few years ago; then I stated what I was going to do along with a realistic timeline, then I did my best to keep my word.

 

Several years later I have a big force, and I am in the habit of painting every second evening or so. It's easy when it becomes a habit.

ETL. Putting unpainted things in front of me on my desk. Telling others what I'm working on (interested people, who then every now and then asks how the latest project is going)

 

Granted, the Lion's share of my enjoyment comes from the painting in my case, but even then, like everyone else I have periods of lacking motivation

In the past I would put the headphones on and listen to some music, something with a low beat per minute so as to not get me to rocking. It was the only time I could listen to an entire album which was a bonus. But it definitely put me in the mood for some painting.

 

Now, with real life stuff preventing me from using headphones, (I have to listen for the baby), I snatch 30 minutes here and there where I can. For example, tonight I drybrushed brass scorpion on my Terminator Lord, not a major accomplisment, but he is that much closer to being done. I'm not exactly knocking out 500 points a week, but at the same time it gives me more time to plan what exactly I want to do, and therefore I am seeing better results. I'm also not as likely to burn out with such short periods of painting.

 

Like others have said, the ETL provides some motivation with participating as part of a team that you don't want to let down. Games too are much more cinematic with painted minis as well.

 

Let's face it, this isn't exactly a cheap hobby either, and I don't know about you, but my unpainted minis are like having a bunch of steaks in the freezer. They're not doing any good just sitting there, might as well defrost and cook them, or paint those miniatures and use them to get your money's worth out of them.

Hey all,

 

I'm always struggling to sit myself down to paint. When I paint, I'm not too bad, but its sitting myself down and doing it that is a struggle and a half.

 

What do you guys do to get yourself to sit down and paint/model? I'm fine making lists to kingdom come, writing fluff, looking at other people's awesome stuff, but when it comes to my own I have a hard time!

 

Cheers! 

I still haven't figured it out myself, usually when I get a kit in hand I rush to assemble it, prime it etc. But once I actually get rolling, one of two things happen. I either finish the squad entirely...or get halfway done and just become exhausted and leave it half done for weeks. Sometimes it definitely gets hard to motivate myself, and it doesn't help that my attention span is very poor. I often have multiple projects running at once, for example right now im doing Admech, Tyranids, Chaos Daemons and soon enough...Age of Sigmar. So in some ways I might be a masochist.

Couple of hours quiet time a few evenings a week is one driving force for me. Seeing what everyone is doing on various faction forums helps me get the paint brush out to so I can share with the community. Also I find variety / incentive helps too, i motivate myself by jumping between the four armies I'm painting, so get this IG squad done, I can paint some Firedrakes, finish them knock out a squad of bugs finish that 1st company blood Angels successor I'm working on. More I get painted the I can buy!
Tournaments and the ETL (and other events like it) makes me paint. I have a hard time focusing on painting otherwise as I love modelling way more than I do painting! There is always some new project going on in my head...

I talked about this on my blog a couple months back.  

I wish it were easier to take my own advice, because some days I just don't feel it.  But I agree with what others have said - even if you only find or make a little time to do some painting each day, your models are that much closer to being finished.  It does add up.

Motivation? Never heard of it. tongue.png But in all seriousness, I think I wind up looking at whatever's closest on my desk, think on whether it takes my fancy, like do I want to do some nice retro-looking Viridians, or some gritty-looking dark-coloured space marines and so on, and if I have an hour or two to spare in the early daytime, I'll crack on with it.

(Slightly off-topic, this is in dire need of towing back to Amicus Aedes. It's not a PCA-appropriate topic, given that it's not about any techniques, you most righteous modly servants of the Emperor.)

I actually discovered a strange type of motivation.  It's similar to loving your faction.

 

As someone building an Adeptus Mechanicus army...painting makes me feel like a Techpriest.

 

If I was playing a pure Space Marine army, where I'm supposed to be a Space Marine commander, painting or modeling doesn't make much sense.  I'm here to conquer in the name of the Emperor, not colour!  But when you're basically a Techpriest, the process of cutting models from sprues, filing them down, systematically making sure everyone's power armour and weapons look good, just making stuff, are all blessed acts in the name of the Omnissiah.

 

That mentality helped me a lot.  I mention this in case just this idea can help you, too.

 

 

---

 

 

A man walks down the street.  He sees a bricklayer, laying bricks, looking sweaty, tired, frustrated.

 

"What are you doing?" the man asks.

 

"What does it look like I'm doing?  I'm getting paid minimum wage, doing menial work, laying bricks!"

 

The man walks further down the street and sees a 2nd bricklayer, but he's happier, proud even.

 

"What are you doing?" the man asks.

 

"I'm building this magnificent wall.  It's strong and will protect people from the elements!"

 

The man walks further down the street and sees a 3rd bricklayer, and it looks like he's got a fever.

 

He's got a fever, and the only cure is laying more bricks!  He's laying bricks like the dance of joy.

 

"What are you do..." the man begins to ask, but before he could finish, the 3rd bricklayer replies:

 

"I'M BUILDING A STARSHIP MADE OF BRICKS AND MY DREAMS!"

 

 

---

 

 

Here's some minis I've been working on, particularly in the middle.  It's a Datasmith and his Kastelan Robot.

 

 

small%20teddy%2040k.jpg?psid=1

 

My interpretation is that, since Kastelans are recently dug up long-lost tech, they found this one in a theme park.

 

It's like, a little bit Five Nights at Freddy's.  Feels good, preparing to field a mecha teddy bears of hugging death.

Hey all,

 

I'm always struggling to sit myself down to paint. When I paint, I'm not too bad, but its sitting myself down and doing it that is a struggle and a half.

 

What do you guys do to get yourself to sit down and paint/model? I'm fine making lists to kingdom come, writing fluff, looking at other people's awesome stuff, but when it comes to my own I have a hard time!

 

Cheers! 

 

I do what you do, and start searching/asking people online the same thing. No joke.

 

It hasn't really been working for me so far. Hopefully you'll fare better than I. I only seem to ever manage to paint when the desire to paint manages to overcome my intense aversion to buckling down and picking up a brush, which is rarely. And I do really want to paint.

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