Surviving big projects?

[Harbringer of Doom]

Hey everyone, I want to paint something like a big miniature, and since I love Chaos, I quickly came across the Greater Daemons like the Great Unclean One, the Bloodthirster but also Galrauch and Be\'lakor.

My problem however is, that I buy it but then I only paint it partially. Do you guys have any tips to keep on a project? I thought of a completely different side project, like painting something like a Lord of Tzeentch ( which has a lot of bright colours ) while I\'m also painting something like pestigors ( a lot of dark colours ).

Would this help to stay on a big project?

With bigger projects, I\'m also \'scared\' about the assembling, like big metal wings on Be\'lakor\'s back etc. Also, how could I paint something that I can\'t reach when it is fully assembled, but that I have to do extremely carefully when it\'s partially assembled but also painted?

What can I do about my painting/assembling \'fears\'?

 

[Ritual]

I don\'t think there\'s any \'trick\' that can help you go through with a big project. You simply need to really WANT to get it done, grit your teeth and put in the hours of work that are needed. Sometimes you will need to force yourself, because there will be times when you really hate working on the thing. If you put it aside then, you will risk never getting back into it again.

The assembly issue is tricky. Often you will need to use green stuff or similar to hide joints and then it will be very impractical, if not impossible even, to do assembly after painting. But, if an area is difficult to reach with the brush then it will also not be that visible to the eye. I always make as much assembly as I can before priming, prefarably all of it. Sometimes there\'s stuff that need to be done separately, but only if I can assemble it without doing any putty work.

 

[No Such Agency]

I feel your pain. I think the biggest mini I\'ve painted during my \"grown-up\" career was Cthulhu and he\'s only ~60mm! I only finished him in a reasonable time by, frankly, lowering my standards, i.e. saying \"I will paint this as a 7 and no better\". He turned out well and I enjoyed it, but he is a 7.

EDIT:

Originally posted by Ritual
But, if an area is difficult to reach with the brush then it will also not be that visible to the eye.

Usually, but not always true... Black priming can help though, these areas are usually recessed and if they\'re just black, simply look very shadowed.

 

[Crackpot]

Try to plan in \"milestones\" and make yourself a timeline! This helps me the most.
My actuall GD Projekt is quite \"big\" (more in numbers than in size, but that\'s not less frustrating). So I decided to make a timeline (begining and end point) and plan some milestones. For example \"in this week I will finish this, and 2 weeks later I will finish that...\".
To keep me motivated I sent some WIP pics to some friends (painters) every time I reache a milestone.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by No Such Agency
EDIT:

Originally posted by Ritual
But, if an area is difficult to reach with the brush then it will also not be that visible to the eye.

Usually, but not always true... Black priming can help though, these areas are usually recessed and if they\'re just black, simply look very shadowed.

Yeah, maybe I should have said \"generally less visible\". What I mean is that you usually can get away with painting it less ambitiously. Simply black works well in many cases.

 

[stickboy9000]

Originally posted by Ritual

Originally posted by No Such Agency
EDIT:

Originally posted by Ritual
But, if an area is difficult to reach with the brush then it will also not be that visible to the eye.

Usually, but not always true... Black priming can help though, these areas are usually recessed and if they\'re just black, simply look very shadowed.

Yeah, maybe I should have said \"generally less visible\". What I mean is that you usually can get away with painting it less ambitiously. Simply black works well in many cases.

agreed, if you can\'t reach it, and it\'s not hugely visable, then don\'t paint it.

as for motivation?? paint something like the grreat unclean une in sections, leg, arm, half of chest, etc, and do one every day.

 

[freakinacage]

tbh i struggle to finish a standard sized mini!

 

[matty1001]

I started a big mini for my GD entry, and im piss sick of it. Ggggrrrrr

Thinking of just starting a standard sized mini. I can always submit the big un next year.

 

[Harbringer of Doom]

@matty1001: Which mini if I may ask?

 

[Brother Tom]

I would say the a good way to do a bigger miniature is to break it down into small parts and concentrate on 1 area at a time. The assembly can be difficult on the larger miniatures but you just have to plan it out and make sure to pin areas together if needed, try to assemble what you can before you paint and make sure all the other bits fit before you start painting as it is a really pain when they don\'t and you have painted them.