Painting drought

[ashmie]

This is a common topic but I'll post about it anyway. This year and last I've hit a total block on the painting front.
What do you fellas do when you need to get inspired to pick up the paints again? I find my interest in painting in this heat is a big no and when it comes to chilling I must prefer exercise or reading/watching TV.
I would like some new motivation. Any ideas? All that expensive paint is drying up in the sun.

[Lovejoy]

I know what you mean. My heart sinks when I consider the stuff on my to do list. Theres a lot of batch painting in my future, and that doesn't make me want to pick up a brush. But, I made good progress with my Dredd stuff, and it was the most fun painting recently - because a) I did no more than 8-10 minis at a time, b) they were familiar characters that I was very excited to paint.
So..I would try very small batches of stuff you are really enthused about, rather than getting into any annoying production line situations of stuff you 'have' to do but don't really fancy doing. Even one character mini at a time is better than nothing, too. I think those approaches might get you fired up a bit.

[Primarch]

First, don't leave your paints in the sun.

This year I have set myself a goal of getting x number of minis done in the year. I also set monthly targets for myself. There is a monthly painting challenge on over on the Warlord forums that I have been taking part in. I haven't missed a deadline yet, but sometimes I have posted pictures of my finished minis on the evening of the last day of the month.

I also try to look at painting as something that I want to do, (it usually isn't, I'd rather be on the web or playing games). Then, if I can catch 30 minutes before work or an hour at lunchtime I feel like my time is well spent and don't feel bad about playing on the PC after work.

I don't try and paint models in one go. I batch paint (in 20s, but 4-5 is probaly easier to handle). I break down the painting onto stages, base colours, washes, highlights, skin tones and faces, basing. And then break these down into further sub stages which I use as my target for today.
E.g. Today I want to paint in all the metallic base colours, such as spear points and sword blades. Tomorrow, I'll paint the breast plates, etc. Small, achievable goals work for me.
Do a substage or two a day, do a stage or two a week, do 'y' minis per month, do 'x' minis per year.

I should point out that this is the method I have found works for me. For example, most people paint in terms of minis, unless they have an upcoming event. I paint in bulk all the time. Some minis look gorgeous up close but mine look rough around the edges. I have a massive backlog of painting to work through and I want to get it cleared. Feel free to try out the above, but if you don't like it, don't worry. As Lovejoy points out above, painting characterful minis you have an interest in can be a lot of fun.

[Auxryn]

I find it works best to paint in groups of 5 to 10 models at a time, and to leave the finished models on display for a while so I can enjoy them a bit after you are done.
It doesn't seem like as much fun as watching TV and such, but painting provides a surprising sense of accomplishment and progress in your life, even though your life is objectively without meaning or direction.

[The Other Dave]

I've talked about this before, but I really do find that the thing to do when I'm in a painting funk is basically "fake it till you make it" - fill up the water cup, put my butt in the chair and grab a brush. I pretty much always find that I always remember why I like painting so much basically immediately. It also helps that I know what my sticking points are - stages in a project that I dread and usually get hung up on - so if I'm stuck at one it's usually helpful to attack one of the other projects I have going on.

But, it comes and goes. Sometimes I'll paint a bunch every day for weeks, sometimes I'll go weeks or months without painting at all. The most important thing is not to ever feel like you "have to" or "should be" painting - when a hobby becomes a job it's bound to become unfun.

(Curtailing my buying habits has helped, too, since it keeps my backlog manageable. Complete progress on small chunks of project is a lot more fun to see than minimal progress on a huge project, even if it's the same number of minis being painted.)

[job]

Well, I think it comes to painting it takes a little bit of inspiration, the right mood, energy, a little fire under the seat from a deadline and some gumption. Some combination of those things.

So things that work for me:

• An inspirational movie, book, or video game before painting.
• A good podcast to listen to. (My suggestions: The History of Rome, Revolutions (There are about 13 episodes on the English Civil War), Norman Centuries, BBC In Our Time, WWPD Podcast) Another option is audiobooks. (40k novels on Youtube, Gibbon's The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire on Librevox.) Documentaries are good, too. (BBC The World at War, Nova episodes) I don't listen to movies or TV shows because I feel they are mediums to be watched.
• Air Conditioning (in summer) (Actually I never use AC in summer, but "electric fans are fantastic" did you see that?) Space Heaters (in Winter) Beer (except in winter) Hot Coco (except in summer) stash of chocolates or sembei.

I also think it is a good idea to kind of schedule it in your mind. Kind of say you are going to paint a bit before bed or for X amount of time on your day off. That way it just becomes part of your daily routine or rhythms to your life.

Good Painting and Cheers.

[jehan-reznor]

Buy lot's of mini's that usually gets me painting Nothing like loads of stuff on your workbench to get you going?

[YellowStreak]

I've been in a similar funk, but rather than painting have built some terrain instead. At least that way i felt like I've made some hobby headway...

[ashmie]

Thanks for all the good tips lads. I will paint today. It's Thursday which means a rest day in my workout schedule. I'm going to paint some Empire troops. Inspired by last Sundays jaunt in Middenheim.
Lovely weather today down in Mie.
Individual models is a good plan. I'm going to ignore the project backlog and pick a mini at random to break the drought.

[Konrad]

Eh, don't sweat it. It's a hobby. Work as the spirit moves you. Don't feel like painting, take a bike ride.