Feeling helpless! I think I\'ve lost my touch.

[redarmy27]

Fellow painters,

I\'ve finally gotten back into my painting hobby but have hit a terrible snag: I think I\'ve lost my rythm. I\'m terrified. I\'ve gotten really good at posing my models again, working with green stuff, and have become very good with bases. My painting is my low end now and I\'m rather distressed. I know that I\'m going to be practicing alot to get my rythm back but does anyone have any suggestions?

My main problems are lyaering and working on my non-metallic metals. I know how to progress with shades, but I\'m having trouble with the amount of water I use and how many layers I put on to get the colors to blend smoothly. Anyone have this dilemma? I could really use some encouragement. Thanks!

 

[Matt Cexwish]

You got to find your Juju... find your Juju again...

In order to find it you have to have lots of fresh air, good music and tons of dirty, kinky XXX...

...

This or simply practice, patience, watching tutorials, attending painting workshops, improving step by step rather then the whole mini at the same time... and you will see...

Frustration is the worst engine for good painting... and you need something that keep you going (Juju...)...

Motivate yourself with small goals you set yourself, like only one part that has to look good... then move on to another... don´t bother about time... you can get faster on the next mini...

And wait until Spring, in Winter some people tend to have depressions... Bad for your Juju...

 

[mattrock]

Hey red...don\'t lose heart. It\'s all in the practice. You will get your groove back but it\'s not exactly like riding a bicycle. The only thing I can tell you is that if you stick to it you\'ll likely have a faster learning curve than you had before because it will come back to you a little at a time.

As far as dilution rates go, it largely depends on personal preference and on the paints you are using. I generally dilute my basecoats about 1-2:1 with water and I shade and highlight at nearly 8-10:1 and paint bunches and bunches of layers slowly building up opacity over subsequent layers.

This is a fairly atypical way of doing things though as most people dilute to about half that for their highlights and shades. Unfortunately you won\'t find any of my work on CMON yet as I can\'t seem to take a picture to save my life and don\'t have photo shop, but if you want a great example of this technique\'s results, take a look at automaton\'s gallery. I learned it from studying his work.

PM me if you have any questions about it and I\'ll be happy to help you out. :beer:

 

[redarmy27]

Thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I really could use it. I\'ve been \"benched\" from running due to a concussion injury so I won\'t be able to be on my feet for a while.

I\'ve been practicing alot tonight, and I\'m getting a little bit better. For paints, I\'ve been fortunate to get the entire game color for a bday present last August. I\'ve really missed this hobby and find it relaxing yet a little frustrating to back into. I\'m scouring the site for anyone\'s work and it\'s been a great help. Once I get blending down, I think I\'ll be set!

 

[DaN]

Ahh, this happens to us all - I was talking to Ainu about it earlier today in fact;

Seems to happen to me after a few decent minis, and I have a bit of a \"slump\"

I lose my impetus, but like\'s been mentioned - it\'s just another version of writer\'s block

You mentioned you\'re still enjoying other aspects of the hobby- sculpting etc

Simply enjoy that part until you get some inspiration again, and practice on rank and file troops

 

[ZaPhOd]

Slumps suck. I hadn\'t painted since february until recently... Finished 4 minis now, and each is progresively better. Now I am goign to start something intense (for me I think) for the Chick Challenge...

You\'ll get it back.

 

[No Such Agency]

Yeah, Chick Challenge! I am so there!

I\'ve never been able to break 8+ here in any consistent way, and lately as lot of my minis have been scoring in the 6\'s. But I enjoyed painting them and I\'ve been mixing up my style a bit so I figure that I shouldn\'t put so much pressure on myself to be technically meticulous. It really slows me down and makes me very conservative rather than trying new things...

 

[redarmy27]

Finishing the mini...

I\'ve been struggling to finish this demon mini I\'m working on. I did a shady job on the wings, but I guess that\'s from me wanting to hurry up and get it done. I\'m at the question of layers, easier to add more pant than water and use fewer layers or vice versa? Lately I\'ve noticed I\'m having a harder time achieving the diluted color I need to let the bottom color layers show through.

Next task will be to tackle faces.... ugh! I\'m just going to \"grind\" through some minis I have laying around in my bits box. I\'m hoping to get my rythm back as I go.

Also, I\'ll be updating this thread as sort of a blog. As was stated, many people have this happen to them. Hopefully this blog will serve as sort of a walkthrough of enlightenment!

 

[freakinacage]

heh, i\'ve been a painting slump for 3 years or so. i dont paint much so when i do, it\'s like painting for the first time. the only way to keep your hand in is to practice and keep reading stuff to brush up (pun intended) on techniques.
post us a pic of the demon in the wip threads

 

[Joek]

It is all in the practise - I hadn\'t touched a mini for about 20-odd years, and getting back into it was fairly difficult. I was suprised at my first mini - which whilst very average by CMON\'s incredible standards - I was fairly happy with the result. The next one I\'ve given up on for now - just not working at all for me. My third is going much better now, and have finally got into a swing with it.

But I\'m constantly toying with all the techniques, just getting a feel for which ones I prefer doing - and there are definitely things I\'m not so happy with.

However, the main thing is that I\'m enjoying it - if it\'s not giving you any pleasure, then take a break and do something else for a while - for me it\'s been reading loads on 40k and painting guides etc. Nothing gets me in the mood for painting than working out how a good mini was painted!

Of course, this is all building up to the 5th model in the Ork Kommando set - the boss with the gretchin on his back...I\'m getting nervouse about that one

 

[miniDrake]

Well I\'m back after a little 21 year break from painting . To push myself and make sure I try my best on each miniature I decided the best way to do it was to promise myself each and ever miniature I painted would go on ebay and seeing some of the crap people call pro painted it set a level that I would not drop below.

Gives me a kick when needed knowing I do not want to have miniatures on ebay that I don\'t think are good paint jobs its worked well so far even tho I\'m just relearning the basics.

And any extra money from the sales go to even more miniatures so its a win win for me.

Always set a goal and then keep moving the posts I\'ve got 3 miniatures on the go now after they are done I will be going out to buy the Battle for Skull Pass Hobby Set and going to paint all 109 miniatures using layering and working on shading and highlighting metallic paints and all that in under 60 hours form opening the box to finishing the last miniature.

Its maybe impossible to do but whats life without a challenge or five .

 

[Wombat85]

I\'ve been painting hard for a good month now, and I\'m starting to fatigue. Having been involved in the hobby for around 12 years I always found painting to be a chore, but since finding this site a few months back it inspired me to have a go at painting, and wow I enjoyed it. Now though I am finding myself getting frustrated when i paint so i think I will take a week off and just recharge my creativity, keep reading threads and tutorials and get excited to paint again.

 

[darkartminiatures]

Everyone has them. Not to worry, Cmon will get you fighting fit in no time. So chin up, brush in hand and march on trooper.

 

[bullfrog]

You seem to be suffering from the same sort of dilemma that I had been recently.
I think that alot of my problem was due to the fact it had been sooooooo long since I last picked up a mini. While my painting was at a very good level 15 years ago, the mini painting scene has progressed so rapidly it left me behind.
I couldn\'t believe at the works of art people were turning out....incredible. All the new techniques, specialty paints and detailed miniatures like I had never seen.

The good part is that by looking at the tutorials and asking questions I have been able to use new techniques that have instantly lifted the quality of my painting.
However, the only way I am completely overcoming this is with hard work and practice.
Try some of the new things out there...you might be suprised how it improves your painting.

The good thing about this forum is that I have not met many people who werent willing to help.

 

[redarmy27]

Painting exercises?

Well I\'m pretty pumped about painting now. I\'ve been researching different methods and also spending a good deal of time browsing the galleries looking at everyone\'s work.

My main motivation is to paint effectively and professionally to the point where I could sell my work on eBay again. I know for a fact I could paint better than alot of the rushed \"professional\" jobs that are done by simply drybrushing... ugh.

I\'ve got some new paints on the way and some new supplies that\'ll help me even more get back into the swing of things.

Does anyone have any painting excercises that they do? I could paint, strip and repaint a model (I really want to redo that demon and take another shot at it!). Anyone have any suggestions on how to strip a model down without damaging it? It\'d be greatly appreciated. I\'ll be sure to post my work as I complete it.

-Jake

 

[bullfrog]

Run a search for stripping paint tutorials. There are a few good ones out there.

Personally I use Oven Kleen. The non caustic one isn\'t so harsh on you but still works. I spray it on making sure the whole mini is covered and leave it for several hours to overnight. Do not allow it to dry on the mini so keep spraying every few hours if you leave it a long time.
Then wash it off under running water and scrub with a toothbrush to get the paint out of the recesses.
I wouldnt advise using this on anything other than metal.