appiah4 Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 This is a cautionary tale for all you newcomers: Do not be a perfectionist Do not let your inner OCD take over Do not cheap out on paint and brush Do not procrastinate Do not strip and restart every time your style evolves Because if you do, this is all you will have to show for 20 years of your labour: At 40 years of age, I now know I don't have all the time in the world - the rest of my force will be painted a lot faster. To be honest, I have more than twice this much plastic crack to paint even after these WIPs are completed, but I will persevere.. And somehow get my BA finished. (No, I won't.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I know enough who don't even plan to ever paint their army so eh whatev you're fine. ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montoya Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 mephiston red spray is your friend! I hear you my friend. I'm in a bit better place than you, but feel your pain. It is very hard not to go back and "fix" units when your style changes and skill improves isn't it? I've fallen into that trap with a few of my models, and there are a LARGE number that i cringe at when I look at them. But as you said, one needs to keep pushing forward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Great to see the collection, and keep going! This is a cautionary tale for all you newcomers: Do not be a perfectionist Do not strip and restart every time your style evolves Because if you do, this is all you will have to show for 20 years of your labour: Quoted for truth! To adapt a quote from academia: A good dissertation is a done dissertation. A great dissertation is a published dissertation. A perfect dissertation is neither As you learn from the Emperor's Children, perfection is impossible and you'll go insane trying to achieve it. By the time you finish painting a unit, your skills will have improved slightly, meaning each unit is painted better than the last - trying to get all your units painted to the 'best of your ability' is therefore logically impossible as your ability is constantly changing. Best to pick a standard that you're happy with and stick to it. Stripping and repainting my BA was an endeavour that only brought pain, and I ended up ith fewer painted models than when I started. Now I go: Assemble Chaos black spray meph red spray all over drybrush with meph red and get into gaps basecoat details washes on everything (including recess shade of agrax on red) highlight red evil sunz scarlett and black with skavenblight dinge stop here for infantry extreme upper surface highlight wild rider red Stop here for sergeants extreme highlight fire dragon bright/ungor flesh Stop When I'm on a roll it's about 2hrs per model. I find I paint single models to completion better than squads - I need multiple small victories rather than a single dragging journey with large pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majkhel Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Lots of wisdom in Xenith's words!The "stop" step is one of the more important ones Good luck appiah5! Keeping my fingers crossed for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostwanted Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I'm in the exact same boat. Been in and out of the hobby around 23 years now and last year completely restarted again due to not being happy with my paint work. I stripped what I wanted to keep and have sold some off and still got more to sell. I'm currently not even one Tactical Squad done. But I'm happy with how it's coming along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekfud Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Well... I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has actually ‘finished’ an army. There is always one more unit to add and paint. And as the philosophy goes - the best model you’ve ever painted... is the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damon Nightman Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 This is definitely something I need to be watch out for. Your army looks great though! Its nice to have you back around, and I'm looking forward to seeing you complete some more of your army! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippolele Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I so understand you! Just stripped down all of my force and now have barely anything to show for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolemai Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I know it's difficult and even more so post-Primaris, but all you can do is crack on with it when you find the time. If the motivation isn't there for BA, then paint something else to keep the juices flowing otherwise you'll go rusty (speaking from experience here, I can't remember which way up a paint brush is supposed to be atm). If you're not gaming, then attempt to do the WIPs before starting on the grey backlog - just make sure you reward yourself with a character/tank/beer when you've done a hard slog. ... and it goes without saying that your work is great and has been a joy to see on these boards. We're looking forward to more To adapt a quote from academia: A good dissertation is a done dissertation. A great dissertation is a published dissertation. A perfect dissertation is neither I can't +1 that hard enough... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkaniss Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I find the old adage 'a little and often' is great advice for hobbying. Just continue to plink away at the backlog and don't keep stopping to second guess or doubt what you've already done. I've often over committed to something and the time and effort involved to fulfil my goal leaves me burnt out and I don't pick up a brush for anything from weeks to months! I'm trying to keep a steady but manageable pace for 2019 - currently it's a success! I set myself a reachable target and I got there 3 days early Normally after hitting my goal I'd be tired and want a break but not this time, I'm already planning my next painting batch. So if you've struggled like I have give it a go. Take on smaller batches and see how it works out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Yup, my yearly goal for the last 3 years has been to paint the remaining members of my battle company...however as you can probably tell, I've failed it. I've painted plenty more in that time, just not rank and file. Maybe 2019 will be the year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Painting 5 Intercessors (or was it 10? I forgot when I did the first 5), an Ancient, a Gravis Captain and now a Redemptor Dread is actually an extremely good result for 2018 me. I like getting paint on my models but I hate the actual painting process so they usually stay primed forever. Here's hope I can continue like that 2019 as well (tho the Redemptor technically is a 2019 product as I got it only recently and painted it the past weekend). :D Oh and I've basecoated 4 Reiver and 99% finished the 5th now that I think about it ... maybe I should finish those first before getting to my new Repulsor. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin777 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I finally started getting some progress done on my SG two days ago for the first time since ETL. Getting a game in does wonders for your motivation! It was my first game with my BA entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appiah4 Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 It was very nice to read everyone's experiences with similar issues.. And thanks for the welcome backs, it's good to be back. I've put down the red, black, brown and metal base coats on a BA Techmarine so I should have a figure finished and ready to show off.. in a month or so :) Then I will return to my basecoated Land Speeder Typhoon with a Multi-Melta (My Cheap-o Gunboat :) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Caine 24th Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'm late, but I'm right there with you. Most of my tactical Marines were painted 15 years ago. There's always something new to buy and build, or some new army plan, or the new ultra competitive options. Work and life get in the way. Sometimes the hobby loses its luster, or your army is just not playable in new rules. And with various obligations and personalities maybe we all face different hobby difficulties. But, as they say in my line of work, a brief or memorandum is never finished, its just due. And similarly, the cost of perfection is prohibitive. 30 min a day and I'd have 20k ready to fight. I hope you start plugging away, and look forward to your progress. I think it's time I dust off the brushes myself... Thanks for the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majkhel Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 As the topic of brushes returned - keep them hair-down after cleaning - helps them last that bit longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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