The starting kick - tips on how to get the brush inside your hand!?

[Jike Ichi]

Heya all!

Just wondering how you all get the kick to sit down and finally paint a mini!?
I didn\'t paint for quit a long time minis (painted other stuff though). Allthough I have many diaoramas, simple minis, halffinished WIPs and in different states of painting process I always find it hard to simply start...

Today went really good. Somehow took out my primed Eldar-Serpent and started to paint a little (after I got rid of the dust). After I started it really went on well, now the big design is done. Freehand finished, just details needed...Some days really amaze me.

So what do you do to give creativity a kickstart? I could use some tips to stay in that good painting spirit.

 

[freakinacage]

sometimes i feel creative after seeing some stuff irl. often going to comps or buying new books. maybe seeing an article.

theni just dive in. i have to really as it only ever lasts about a day!

 

[lizcam]

I really have to push myself sometimes. If I get myself in the habit of sitting down at the same time every day it goes ok but once I finish something it takes a bit to get started on the next thing. I have to be more consistant from now on though. With my household income being effectivly cut in half I\'m going to have to start selling stuff to make ends meet. At least until I get things pais off around here.

 

[evil tendencies]

I usually look around here for awhile, then turn on my portable DVD player and just start...on something, anything. Listening to movie commentaries means I don\'t look at the screen often, and I eventually settle into a good rhythm.

 

[mattsterbenz]

Whenever I see results from a recent Golden Demon it sets me into a painting madness. Really pushes me to get stuff done! (Right now with the Baltimore Games Day just finished, in particular!).

Sometimes I will try painting in a completely different style. This makes things interesting, but also teaches me and makes me further adapt my own style. \"A painter finds what he thinks he does best and doesn\'t branch away from it; an artist is versatile and does anything he fancies.\" -Me

-Matt

 

[Jike Ichi]

Listening to DVDs? Now thats an interesting thing, have to try that once!

 

[Multifracture]

I was in the same situation until last night. I haven\'t been painting for nearly a year now and i used to paint 4-5 minis a night. I realised it was the fact i was painting armies because i thought i had to so changed from one game to another (to minis i really like)

Putting some quiet music on in the background and remembering i dont have to finish it all in one night is good though.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

I took the question more literally, and decided to give a more visual answer.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk86/Barstool_Prophet_Miniatures/?action=view&current=100_1110.flv

 

[Naukhel]

That\'s very inspirational, BP. But you should have put some paint on the brush,
too.

It loses something.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by BarstoolProphet
I took the question more literally, and decided to give a more visual answer.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk86/Barstool_Prophet_Miniatures/?action=view&current=100_1110.flv

lol lol

Einion

 

[Amazon warrior]

I second the \"listen to DVDs\" suggestion. I usually put on a film I know quite well (no subtitles, nothing I haven\'t seen before) then get to work. For motivation, entering a competition or two is good, because then you have a deadline to work towards that can help push you to get stuff done.

 

[Jike Ichi]

You\'re a genius BP...I schould have thought of that way earlier!! lol lol lol

@Amazon: Well that would be \"the thin red line\" for me. Almost know every sentence of it, but I have I lend it to a friend now...

 

[fieldarchy]

I\'m not sure I understand the question

I have the itch to paint all the time, whether I have the time to do so or not is another question

 

[Jike Ichi]

Even after 12h work? That would be amazing, so plz tell me your secret.

I too always feel the need to paint, but often when I get home I\'m so tired that I can\'t get the motivation to get started. Or to choose between painting Canvas or Mini....

And sometimes I take on brush and I\'m simple not calm enough to do fine strokes...

 

[AinuLainour]

Realising that there are two days left to paint for GD lollol

Originally posted by BarstoolProphet
I took the question more literally, and decided to give a more visual answer.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk86/Barstool_Prophet_Miniatures/?action=view¤t=100_1110.flv

lol You just made my night.

 

[Dragonsreach]

If you want to get re-motivated in painting.

Paint a figure for someone else as a gift.
More specifically someone you care about and who will appreciate an unexpected token of friendship and or affection.

 

[Jike Ichi]

Hmm, yeah thats also a very nice idea. Problem is that nearly everyone of my friends who understands and like minis allready has a mini from me.

But this week was great so far, got some minis on work and hopefully post them on profile here soon. Painting not much improved, but I\'m very happy that I can keep motivation, between all these nightshifts I have recently due to EM.

 

[Wren]

I have found painting for contests helpful in getting me back to the painting desk. Even when I was just starting out and wouldn\'t have any expectation of competing, the entry date was a helpful exterior prod. Two I know that are coming up soon are Newbold\'s Command Vignette and Wyrd\'s Total Testosterone. Wyrd contests can be encouraging as there are random entrant prizes, and also random prizes for voting and commenting, so you\'re likely to get a decent number of helpful comments on an entry.

I know not everyone enjoys the pressure of contests. Painting for a gift, for a commission (even something casual like agreeing to paint up a PC for a friend in an RPG group) are other ways of setting deadlines that can be motivating.

 

[Bastetcat]

I have that problem too. Find myself going months without painting, then having to knock the rust off.
Flipping through CMON seems to help - getting inspired by the amazing things I see here.

 

[fieldarchy]

Originally posted by Jike Ichi
Even after 12h work? That would be amazing, so plz tell me your secret.

I too always feel the need to paint, but often when I get home I\'m so tired that I can\'t get the motivation to get started. Or to choose between painting Canvas or Mini....

And sometimes I take on brush and I\'m simple not calm enough to do fine strokes...

Yup Jake even after 12 hours of work. I love to paint, it\'s my passion, it\'s my way to unwind and when I talk to people I tell them painting is my real job and counseling only pays the bills

My secret??? I don\'t know. Honestly I really don\'t know if I have one other than I\'m driven and I want to be the best one day. But I\'m very creative and I love to use color, see what I can make with my own hands, and have something to show for my time.

So when I get home Monday thru Thursday I\'ve worked 9 hour days, have to take care of the dogs for a bit, make myself dinner but then I think most people go to watch TV right? I put the TV on but I sit down to paint or prep minis.

On Friday I get home after 4 hours of work. I usually take care of things around the house such as mow the lawn, clean, bathe the dogs . . . whatever. Then once things around the house are done I sit down to paint until I can\'t paint any more.

I just love to paint. It\'s my time, it\'s what I do. Other people have other hobbies but mine is painting.

Now if you want to be productive but not necessarily paint then just prep some minis for the future. Do the easy messy stuff and you\'ll be fine. That\'s what I do when I\'m too tired to paint on fine strokes.

But there ya go, that\'s what I do with my week/weekend. But my goal is to at some point be able to paint full time for about a year or two and do nothing else. So in order to do that I have to get really good and recruit a lot more clients.