Egghead Hobbies
New member
Hello CMON community!
I’ve spent many, many hours surfing this site over the years and only recently did I sign up so I could join the community and participate in the conversations here. The reason I’m writing this is to ask the community here for insight, input and advice. With what you ask? Well, let me expound...
I painted my first miniature in August of 2015 and have been addicted ever since. Initially when I got back into the model making hobby I started by watching tons of YouTube videos on the model building & miniature painting hobby as a whole. I built models as a kid, but I had never painted miniatures before. I have an artistic background and a strong eye for detail, and I am always taking longer than I need to because I am something of a perfectionist. I come to this world from an artistic hobby point of view, not as a wargamer who needed to paint his own army. I mentioned to my best friend I was looking into painting miniatures for a hobby and maybe making my own YouTube channel for it, and he reminded me that he owns hundred of miniatures and would gladly let me paint them.
Now, let me be quite clear on this part... I still have a LOT to learn and a LONG way to go before I am as good as half of the work I see here. I click through galleries here and it’s humbling to realize how much I still have to learn and how much better I can get with time. Practice and experimentation are the key to learning, and the ability to try new things and not let fear stop you. It’s hard to put yourself out there for public critique, and expose yourself to what the world thinks of your work. Everyone has on opinion, but very few people are willing to put themselves out there to be judged. I frequently look on CMON for good ideas and examples of techniques that people did right, as well as looking at Google for images of what was maybe not so great or what may have been done better. Some painters slap a thick, gooey base coat on, dip it in black wash and call it done. And hey... more power to them for at least trying to paint. Far better than people who are unwilling to try at all...
So my skills started to grow and evolve the more and more I painted. After practicing for almost 9 months I decided to upload my first video about miniature painting. I started on a long project for the game Descent: 2nd Edition... painting all the miniatures that have been released for the game thus far. “Showcase Videos” for groups of smaller ‘one-penny’ mobs that don’t rate a video of their own, but more common are my “Spotlight Videos” dedicated to one single Hero, Lieutenant or monster of interest. I started getting a lot of compliments on my work and was surprised at how quickly I took to the hobby. Not to sound arrogant by any means, but I have a fine art background, good craftsmanship skills, and an eye for details, so I think it was a lot easier for me to pickup than others perhaps.
View attachment 55700
Since 2015 things seemed to have taken on a life of their own. I created my own studio; Egghead Hobbies, started a YouTube channel of my own, added Facebook & Twitter pages, and even started taking on commission work. I’ve painted over 100 miniatures in the Descent series and have received a lot of praise from the people following my work. I frequent the Fantasy Flight Games forums trying to promote my work among the people who play that game. I’ve moved into the areas of wet palettes, wet blending, working with pigments, and am looking at edge lining, OSL & NMM for upcoming projects. My Descent video series is doing well and I allow my viewers to submit requests on what they’d like to see painted next and I make sure I answer ever single comment left on my pages, good or bad.
I recently finished an unofficial series of videos for painting the miniatures for the Labyrinth board game and had a good number of people ask me to take on commission work to paint their miniatures as well. I saw a lot of people butchering the faces and fine details on these figures, so I had the bright idea to make custom printed decals for the smallest areas and the results have been amazing. I was actually able to make the Sarah miniature look like the actress Jennifer Connelly by using images of her face to make the decals in Photoshop. It’s a good feeling when the sculptor of the pieces themselves is paying you compliment on your skills pulling off details even he couldn’t.
View attachment 55701
I have accomplished a lot in the last 2 years and am incredibly proud of the work I am doing. I strive for better results every time I paint, I practice, pay attention, try new things and never get down on myself when things don’t turn out perfect the first time. The future is bright as I push forward in the Descent series, and look at what else is on the table... after Descent I have the whole of Imperial Assault to do, plus Zombicide, Malifaux and any other miniatures that catch my eye. The building of Star Wars models, the series of 60’s TV Batman models, the classic Universal movie monsters, a fully painted and detailed set of Star Wars Mandolorian armor, and SO much more up my sleeve for the years to come.
So, back to my original question for the collective community here: How do you promote yourself and get more exposure? How do you get yourself in front of the world to receive their collective critique? If people can’t see your work, they can’t offer you input, and if you aren’t getting input, it’s much harder to develop your skills and improve. This isn’t about getting rich on YouTube either... anyone who’s looked into it can tell you it’s HARD to be YouTube rich & famous these days, especially in our very small niche of special interest. I have a full time job and do this for the enjoyment of doing it, not the fortune and glory. (Couldn’t tell you if being a miniature painter will actually get you in good with the Prom Queen or not, ha ha ha!)
Thanks to each and every one of you who’ve read this, and even more thanks to those of you who have opinions, critiques and advice you’re willing to share. I’m excited to become part of the CMON community and eventually share what I know with others in the future. I consider this taking my first step into a much bigger world... a world that I am jealous of the skills and talent I see every day.
If you’d like to see more examples of my work feel free to check out my videos on YouTube or some of the many images on my Facebook page:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htzZ-DCTBrK-qeoBlyKLg
https://www.facebook.com/EggheadHobbies/
Thank you all very much!
View attachment 55703
I’ve spent many, many hours surfing this site over the years and only recently did I sign up so I could join the community and participate in the conversations here. The reason I’m writing this is to ask the community here for insight, input and advice. With what you ask? Well, let me expound...
I painted my first miniature in August of 2015 and have been addicted ever since. Initially when I got back into the model making hobby I started by watching tons of YouTube videos on the model building & miniature painting hobby as a whole. I built models as a kid, but I had never painted miniatures before. I have an artistic background and a strong eye for detail, and I am always taking longer than I need to because I am something of a perfectionist. I come to this world from an artistic hobby point of view, not as a wargamer who needed to paint his own army. I mentioned to my best friend I was looking into painting miniatures for a hobby and maybe making my own YouTube channel for it, and he reminded me that he owns hundred of miniatures and would gladly let me paint them.
Now, let me be quite clear on this part... I still have a LOT to learn and a LONG way to go before I am as good as half of the work I see here. I click through galleries here and it’s humbling to realize how much I still have to learn and how much better I can get with time. Practice and experimentation are the key to learning, and the ability to try new things and not let fear stop you. It’s hard to put yourself out there for public critique, and expose yourself to what the world thinks of your work. Everyone has on opinion, but very few people are willing to put themselves out there to be judged. I frequently look on CMON for good ideas and examples of techniques that people did right, as well as looking at Google for images of what was maybe not so great or what may have been done better. Some painters slap a thick, gooey base coat on, dip it in black wash and call it done. And hey... more power to them for at least trying to paint. Far better than people who are unwilling to try at all...
So my skills started to grow and evolve the more and more I painted. After practicing for almost 9 months I decided to upload my first video about miniature painting. I started on a long project for the game Descent: 2nd Edition... painting all the miniatures that have been released for the game thus far. “Showcase Videos” for groups of smaller ‘one-penny’ mobs that don’t rate a video of their own, but more common are my “Spotlight Videos” dedicated to one single Hero, Lieutenant or monster of interest. I started getting a lot of compliments on my work and was surprised at how quickly I took to the hobby. Not to sound arrogant by any means, but I have a fine art background, good craftsmanship skills, and an eye for details, so I think it was a lot easier for me to pickup than others perhaps.
View attachment 55700
Since 2015 things seemed to have taken on a life of their own. I created my own studio; Egghead Hobbies, started a YouTube channel of my own, added Facebook & Twitter pages, and even started taking on commission work. I’ve painted over 100 miniatures in the Descent series and have received a lot of praise from the people following my work. I frequent the Fantasy Flight Games forums trying to promote my work among the people who play that game. I’ve moved into the areas of wet palettes, wet blending, working with pigments, and am looking at edge lining, OSL & NMM for upcoming projects. My Descent video series is doing well and I allow my viewers to submit requests on what they’d like to see painted next and I make sure I answer ever single comment left on my pages, good or bad.
I recently finished an unofficial series of videos for painting the miniatures for the Labyrinth board game and had a good number of people ask me to take on commission work to paint their miniatures as well. I saw a lot of people butchering the faces and fine details on these figures, so I had the bright idea to make custom printed decals for the smallest areas and the results have been amazing. I was actually able to make the Sarah miniature look like the actress Jennifer Connelly by using images of her face to make the decals in Photoshop. It’s a good feeling when the sculptor of the pieces themselves is paying you compliment on your skills pulling off details even he couldn’t.
View attachment 55701
I have accomplished a lot in the last 2 years and am incredibly proud of the work I am doing. I strive for better results every time I paint, I practice, pay attention, try new things and never get down on myself when things don’t turn out perfect the first time. The future is bright as I push forward in the Descent series, and look at what else is on the table... after Descent I have the whole of Imperial Assault to do, plus Zombicide, Malifaux and any other miniatures that catch my eye. The building of Star Wars models, the series of 60’s TV Batman models, the classic Universal movie monsters, a fully painted and detailed set of Star Wars Mandolorian armor, and SO much more up my sleeve for the years to come.
So, back to my original question for the collective community here: How do you promote yourself and get more exposure? How do you get yourself in front of the world to receive their collective critique? If people can’t see your work, they can’t offer you input, and if you aren’t getting input, it’s much harder to develop your skills and improve. This isn’t about getting rich on YouTube either... anyone who’s looked into it can tell you it’s HARD to be YouTube rich & famous these days, especially in our very small niche of special interest. I have a full time job and do this for the enjoyment of doing it, not the fortune and glory. (Couldn’t tell you if being a miniature painter will actually get you in good with the Prom Queen or not, ha ha ha!)
Thanks to each and every one of you who’ve read this, and even more thanks to those of you who have opinions, critiques and advice you’re willing to share. I’m excited to become part of the CMON community and eventually share what I know with others in the future. I consider this taking my first step into a much bigger world... a world that I am jealous of the skills and talent I see every day.
If you’d like to see more examples of my work feel free to check out my videos on YouTube or some of the many images on my Facebook page:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htzZ-DCTBrK-qeoBlyKLg
https://www.facebook.com/EggheadHobbies/
Thank you all very much!
View attachment 55703
Last edited:
: I don't.
