discouraged...

[Gabekun]

I\'ve just started on my 5th mini, and I was planning on making it really good to sell on ebay.. but I realized it would not sell (for a decent price) because of some fundemental problems with my painting... mainly the highlighting. So far I\'ve only been able to do \'edging\' for highlighting, and while i guess its ok for table-top stuff, i really wanted a smoother look... so far the past 3 or 4 days i\'ve been trying to get the hang of wetblending, but it simply isn\'t working.

Using either vallejo or citadel paints, i add some plaid acrylic extender to my paints in a 1:1 ratio, and it simply makes the paints way too thin... they pool up and don\'t blend... the colors either seperate into seperate pools, or the colors mix completely..

\'OK\' I thought, maybe I need to try something similar but \"easier\".. so I research layering... I\'m not happy with the way it looks, and still isn\'t a smooth gradiant for highlights, especially when you check it out up-close.

Looking over the minis I\'ve done... I see that besides learning to thin my paints, I\'ve not improved atall, and if anything, it seems like I have gotten *worse* - my washes are looking \'muddy\', making my paints look dirty.

I\'m getting discouraged and depressed, finding myself not wanting to paint anything because I feel like I\'m just wasting plastic/metal and paint (and the money spent on each).

Here\'s the first face I painted... looks ok to the naked eye, but up close it looks *horrible*.

Here\'s my gallery of pics:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/browse.php?submitter=Gabekun

That just shows my first two minis, currently... my other two aren\'t \"approved\" yet, but here are the links to the pics..

updated 3rd mini (added silver trim the shoulders, painted more details on pack)

4th mini What was I thinking when I came up with THAT? Ugly weapons, bad color choices, AND i forgot to clean up the base...

The pictures REALLY bring out all the flaws as well, and makes everything look terrible -.-;

Am i expecting too much, too soon? Am I being over critical? Should I just give up because my painting sucks so bad?

I\'m quite open to constructive criticism and comments... so fire away if you have any...

 

[Duende]

Don\'t give up yet!

Hang in there! Don\'t expect to just suddenly become a whiz painter just because you try out a new technique. One thing I suggest is less extender. I usually use a 1:6 to 1:10 drops extender to paint ratio. Another thing is that if you start to get frustrated with a particular piece, set it aside and work on something easier for a bit and come back to the original later. I have a mini that one piece of it I stripped and repainted at least FIVE times before I was happy with it.

I know how you feel though. My husband keeps wanting me to try using inks on my mini\'s, but I keep telling him that ink hates me. The last time I tried it, I swear the ink jumped straight out of the bottle right onto my hands and clothes! Maybe I\'ll try inking again soon... maybe.. (there\'s a devil in that bottle, I tell ya!)

I looked at you\'re pics and you\'ve got a good beginning. Good even coloring and clean paint jobs. You\'re building on a good foundation, keep it up!

 

[Calavera]

Haha... if you think your first batch of minis looks horrible you are being way.. then i mean, way too over-expecting. You should see some of my first minis compared to yours. Believe me.. you\'re doing great, and if you keep it up i\'ll bet you\'ll see really fast progress. In my opinion getting good at painting is all about getting the right tools, paints and... what\'s the word, DAMN... oh yeah.. expirience in the right amount of time. Trying the same technique over and over again.. browse the internet for tips and stalk forums... wisdom lurks everywhere. And examine top-notch paint jobs such as Verzani\'s, Haley\'s and those people(gods can be people too ! lol) Now go paint.

And about some constructive criticism on the face... the eye could use a black trim around it.. you could fix that with a Very thin wash, some W&N acrylic flow improver and a very fine brush

 

[Duende]

Oh, yeah...

I forgot to add....

Like Calavera said, look at other\'s paint jobs, especially the mini you\'re working on. I\'ve recently picked up a Reaper Niriodel and I\'ve searched on CMON him and saved pics of my favorite paint jobs of him to use for reference. :idea:

 

[finn18]

If you were about to play the piano for the 5th time..

..you wouldn\'t expect to sell tickets?

Why do you think that mini painting demands any less skill?

Yes, you might be being a bit over-ambitious

But don\'t give up...it is a skill and it does take time and practice

But..... if my first minis looked anything like you rfirst minis I would be winning big prizes now. You have made a fantastic start

 

[SaxonAngel]

Originally posted by Gabekun

The pictures REALLY bring out all the flaws as well, and makes everything look terrible -.-;

Pictures always bring out your flaws. My latest mini I had to rephotograph and touch up three times because of a mistake that kept cropping up. And I\'m still not happy. :flame: In time you will learn to \"paint for the camera\". Or as flawlessly as possible.

Am i expecting too much, too soon? Am I being over critical? Should I just give up because my painting sucks so bad?

For your 5th mini I would say that you are doing GREAT!
Yes, You are being overly critical and expecting too much.
Don\'t give up painting. This isn\'t something that happens overnight. It takes practice, practice, practice... And some practice.

Keep painting!

-Angela:innocent:

 

[kittykat23uk]

You are doing fine!

I\'ve been painting minis for nearly 8 years now, I am only just starting to get good enough to compete at a professional level. For your fifth mini, you are very much ahead of where I was when I painted my fifth mini.

In fact I have really only seen any major improvement in my own work in the past couple of years and that is mainly to do with learning new techniques on places such as this and practicing those techniques until I get good at them.

You have a great head start in this respect because you have got direct access to learning material on all of these great techniques (something that I was pretty much unaware of when I first started mini painting).

Perhaps trying ebay is a little premature, but not by much, judging by what you have painted here. I know, it is easy to become discouraged, but seriously you are doing great so far! Keep it up and you can only improve. Oh and if you are going for wet blends try liquitex slow dry medium.

Regards

Kat

 

[johnboyjjb]

The head looks good enough

Your intention was to sell this thing on ebay when your done, right? I\'ve found that it doesnt matter what it looks like somebody will still buy it. If you are painting for money then it becomes a concern but if you are painting for the shear joy of painting and selling to recoup some expense - who cares what they look like. The lead is still good lead to anyone else and you can usually get close to what you paid for them if sold one at a time. But, if you are looking for $100 for a single fig, most of us will never make it. So what; is it so terrible to be average in a group of fairly elite painters. We spend too much time being critical of ourselves when if you compare it to what a normal non painter could do you are superior. (Hint: sell to mothers buying for their kids - they don\'t know the difference. I\'m not kidding. 10 plastic warriors that got 4.3 on CMON sold for over $20 as a birthday present. )

 

[Gabekun]

$100+ a fig would certainly be nice, but I know that is unrealistic

Really, I was just hoping to cover the price of the mini, plus some more (the figure is from a box of 10, and it cost $30.. so if I get like $10 for it, or even $6..)

thanks for the comments everyone, and the encouragment to keep going.. I guess I\'ll just keep going the way I have been, and keep practicing at different techniques.

can I find the liquitex slow dry medium at a Michael\'s art store?

thanks again everyone..

 

[the.hedge.wizards]

The back pages of the Coolminis annual 2004 is really helpful.
I am new and overly stressed with the tiny faces factor but, the article on shading and faces pg.98 and99 is worth the money spent... let alone the inspiration of the coolmini greats painting work and color selection.
I have a light with a magnifing lens like a jeweler would use. It makes the mini painting work look like what the camera will see and I do not think I could stay in the lines without it.
I looked at your minis they indeed look very good, keep going, you can progress and someday inspire others with a pat on the back. Many of the people responding to your worrys are really great painters I admire
Ps look at the bottom 10 minis in the search field here this should help bolster your ego as well.
eBay indeed is a odd place to sell it takes no reference to the cool miniscores often times a 6 will have more bids than others that score much higher. I have watched in amusement and hope.

 

[Trevor]

Your painting is neat and within the lines, that power sword is pretty much flawless, if you\'d taken it down to a deeper red and up to a yellow or white it would be awesome.

Just keep practising.

 

[No Such Agency]

The skewing effect of viewing others\' best work

When I first started painting minis back in 19mumblemumble, I had NO access to images of others\' painted minis, so I didn\'t know how much my work then \"sucked\". If I\'d known how much it \"sucked\", I might have been so depressed that I\'d have stopped painting altogether. Because why put all that work into something which \"isn\'t any good\"?

Except that\'s a load of crap. Even Michaelangelo, Carravagio, Vincent Van Gogh, Ansel Adams, and Frank Lloyd Wright started off \"sucking\" at their art. They saw amazing work, but they interpreted it correctly, which is to say \'You have this to aspire to\" rather than \"You are hopelessly outclassed\". Being part of an artistic community is a double-edged sword, it can be both inspiring, and disheartening.

Go to my gallery (link below) and look at some of my earliest pics - which are light years ahead of some of the minis I did in my *really* early days. By my admittedly not amazing standards now, they \"suck\", but if I hadn\'t had to go through that learning process to improve my skills, those skills would not be worth having...

 

[Nailpainter2003]

Originally posted by finn18
..you wouldn\'t expect to sell tickets?

Why do you think that mini painting demands any less skill?

Yes, you might be being a bit over-ambitious

But don\'t give up...it is a skill and it does take time and practice

But..... if my first minis looked anything like you rfirst minis I would be winning big prizes now. You have made a fantastic start

I share finn\'s sentiments exactly...Jan.2004 marked one year that I\'ve been painting miniatures and the transition from canvas to miniatures has been a learning experience, to say the least. Had I departed from painting figures due to the immense struggle for perfection, I\'d have gone back to playing Beethoven because I\'ve already conquered that feat! But NO, not me...I\'m still struggling for perfection. It\'s what keeps me going back to the drawing board each and every day. I will tell you, you\'re on the right site for helpful information and constructive critique!:flip: You\'re doing fabulous, just don\'t become so frustrated that you quit too soon.
Faye

 

[frenchkid]

Well nothing much too add, so I\'ll just say that all that I agree with what was said up above . And that your first mini is way better then my first mini, and by a long shot too. And I don\'t wan\'t to get you depressed but I\'ve been painting for 2 years and I\'m still trying to master layering, no need for you to get depressed you\'ll probably do it much faster good luck and keep showing us your progresse

 

[Valander]

Originally posted by Gabekun
thanks for the comments everyone, and the encouragment to keep going.. I guess I\'ll just keep going the way I have been, and keep practicing at different techniques.

can I find the liquitex slow dry medium at a Michael\'s art store?

thanks again everyone..

Yes, I\'ve seen the slow dry stuff at Michaels on occasion.

But, what I really wanted to comment on was that you are making some great progress.

When I first joined this site, I made the mistake of looking at every article and going \"Wow! That\'s a cool technique. I gotta try it.\" The problem that I ran into was that I didn\'t practice any of them! I just jumped in, tried it once or twice, and then figured I sucked because I couldn\'t get it right.

After a while, I started sticking to one or two techniques, and doing tons of stuff with them. You know what? After a while, I got the hang of that technique, and things started to look pretty good. (My first layering attempts were particularly awful...)

When I looked back at some of the first attempts with new techniques, I really saw the improvement. This gave me the confidence to try another one.

I guess what I\'m saying is that pick a technique, and practice with it for a while before trying another new technique. You can\'t expect to immediately grasp how to use a given technique in one or two sessions!