Painting block

[Margo]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!

I am here to complain. Since I found out my myopia has progressed from -1 to -1.75 within ONE YEAR, I somehow feel reluctant to paint miniatures. Also, it turns out I might not actually make it to GD UK this year despite the fact that I\'ll be in London at that time. Given this, it\'s hard to find motivation to paint, really! Ok, I think I’ve complained enough. I\'m sure some of you have come across a similar problem; how did you deal with it?

 

[johnboyjjb]

:drunk:

Perhaps that is not the correct answer. For me it used to help to go shopping and find something that I really wanted to paint.

Other common answers:
Force yourself to do it and you will come around.
Don\'t force yourself to do it. You need the time off. You will come around.
Prime something and see if you feel better.
Clean off your desk.
Sort your minis - maybe looking for something to get rid of in the next Mini exhchange.

 

[Margo]

The worst part is, I simply hate assembling miniatures, so before I actually prime/paint something, I need to force myself to say goodbye to my manicure. :evil:

 

[mickc22]

sorry to hear that Margo, I guess you\'ve just gotta go at your own pace, find something that inspires you, maybe something in the larger scales
or maybe try a bit of sculpting for a while
now that I have to wear glasses for close up things, I\'ve found that a little easier
shame about GD too
here have a big :hug: and a :kiss:

 

[Margo]

Thanks for support, Mick! I\'m trying sculpting/converting right now, but I can only force myself to sit at the painting table for, say, 20-30 mins :no:

 

[mickc22]

hey, no problem, if you were a bit closer you could come round for a coffee...have a chat. a problem shared....
maybe a bit too far at the moment tho

 

[airhead]

Margo, I am sorry to hear that you are having troubles painting and with your eyes. Are you feeling that the mini painting is ruining your eyesight? Or just frustraited that the eyesight interferes with your minipainting?

 

[Ogrebane]

Take a break from minis. I took up cartooning and protrait painting. Plus I started a college course.

Everyone gets to a point where they just cant be bothered. No biggy eventually you come back to it. And if you dont well its only playing with toy soldiers isnt it. Sorry to hear you wont be in the GD it would have been nice to see what you would have done.

Take care.

 

[johnboyjjb]

I can\'t paint for more than 20 minutes with good vision. I get too shaky.

Wouldn\'t be a bad idea for a painting service. Send in the minis and just ask them to send them back primed and ready to paint.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

break it up into small stages.

and if need be only do a couple of half hour painting sessions a week.

if your not getting paid to do it, then do it in your own time when you feel like doing it. not because you think it needs doing.

it\'s a hobby (money draining curse)
enjoy it.

and forget about the scores, i know it can be demoralizing. but at the end of the day they don\'t realy mean anything.

and if all that doesn\'t work, go out and get pissed !
it always works for me.

 

[No Such Agency]

It\'s reassuring to know that even great painters get block sometimes But it\'s not so good for you, of course. Block can be so frustrating, because the less you paint, the less you WANT to paint. Sometimes taking a cold-turkey break does help, just don\'t let your brushes get TOO dusty...

I have yet to hear of a painter who has NOT come back from a \"break\", at any rate. So it\'s probably safe to try at least. It sounds like your eyes might need a rest!

 

[Shawn R. L.]

If you actually are having problems with your eyes, BE CAREFUL. Doing such tiny work as mini painting may make your problem worse. Talk to the doctor.

 

[Drake Farstrider]

I would also talk to your optometrist, I think it should be correctable for you. One of my siblings had nearsightedness and the other farsightedness, they got it fixed, but they were kids when it got fixed.

Good luck with the painting.

 

[Tony Manero]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
If you actually are having problems with your eyes, BE CAREFUL. Doing such tiny work as mini painting may make your problem worse. Talk to the doctor.

quote, i had a similar problem when i started painting minis, my left eye hurted as hell after a 30 min painting session, so i went to the optometrist ------> new pair of glasses ------> problem solved i hope u\'ll recover fully your (wonderful) painting addiction and to see more (always wonderful) minis ^^ keep up! :beer: a cold beer for you from italy (and if you want some of those delicious sour creamed chips you\'re fond of)

 

[Equus]

I second all of what has been said...basically, good luck because we love your work and check out an eye doctor if you get a chance. Sometimes the difference between what you see and what you COULD see with a decent pair of eyeglasses seems really minor, but it can certainly make a difference over time. Especially with near focus and far focus objects.

 

[TAB Studio]

Hey Margo
I got the same feeling before and well now a bit but I am working on it.
My eyes are a concern
I use a mag light and that counteracts the stress from the astigmatisms. I see more than Becca with it and she is very keen eyed.

By using that magnifying light system you do not put so much stress on your eyes. I takes a few days to get used to it but well worth the effort to help your eyes when you do feel like painting.

Mick is right as well the larger scales are a challenge and easy on the eyes. I bet you would rock at them because you are so detail orientated.
They are also a lot easier to assemble. many of the fine brands have very little mold lines. Bet you could do a kick butt 200mm. Just a thought hope it helps.
One step at a time, things could be oh so much worse in an instant.

 

[DrEvilmonki]

Yes paint something BIG. I am looking at some 54mm scale stuff for a change.

I am just coming out of a painting hump. What I do is make bases. Quick and easy plus helps make me think about what I want to put on them.

Good luck!

 

[Margo]

Guys, thank you so much for support and good words!!! Lots of useful tips, I\'ll try to follow them! As for my eyes, I\'ve just been to a doctor a few weeks ago (that\'s how I found out my nearsightedness has progressed so much -- I knew it might have, but I didn\'t know how much exactly). I do have a pair of glasses, but they freak me out completely, I can\'t get used to wearing them! So, I started wearing contacts. Which is great, of course, but since I\'m nearsighted, I don\'t have problems with painting without glasses or lens, but I do feel that my eyes get tired pretty soon. And the doctor confirmed that the painting is indeed making things worse. Not much motivation, eh.

But it\'s good to know that I\'m not the first to come across a painting block, and that other artists had successfully coped with it!

 

[frenchkid]

Find glasses that you like
I have the same probleme ( well just with one eye) and with glasses one I usually don\'t get tired. Even though at close range their not supposed to change anything since I have good close up vision. Plus glasses can be cool

Otherwise I\'d say, find a mini that really motivates you, or some project you really want to see. Or paint a mini for someone, you\'ll have that extra push you need to finnish the mini then
And if you\'re looking for a nice 54mm Andrea\'s about to come out with a killer one. Well of the warlord saga ones are nice if you haven\'t done any.

 

[Ritual]

Margo, I\'ve heard from plenty of doctors and optricians (sp?) that using your eyes, even straining them, will not affect your near sightedness. It may temporarily strain the muscles that control the eyes and make them weary, but it won\'t have permanent effects, or so they tell me. I\'m near sighted myself, more so than you in fact (-4), and it\'s been pretty stable for 6-7 years, despite my painting. I do find, however, that my eyes get tired if I paint to long with my glasses on. On close distances you don\'t really need them and they are, after all, meant to make you see well on long distances so it makes sense you shouldn\'t use them when painting. The stronger glasses (or lenses) you have the more tired your eyes will get if you use them while painting.

So, in short, my advice is to not use glasses or lenses when painting. Try it at least! You may have to hold the mini closer to your face, though.

EDIT: Oh, and you really need to stop worrying about your manicure!