Thinking of quitting the hobby

[Ebonbuddha]

This is what you SHOULD NOT do.

Originally posted by Dammekkos2
I reccomend you quit.

You are very critical of your work. We have talked about this on msn too.
You have talent but you forgot to have fun with it. Didn’t you get asked to write an article a month ago? That shows that you are good. Maybe you hit a plateau. Maybe you just need to take a break. But I think quitting is a waste of your talent.

 

[darthfoley]

/Jack Sparrow

You need to find yourself a girl, mate.

/end Jack Sparrow

 

[desertdragon1964]

Originally posted by Dammekkos2

I reccomend you quit.

I am totally offfended by this statement:flame:Hey kid like most are saying take a break live life enjoy your youth while you have it.This is for the most of us a hobby a way of chillaxing, unwinding. Dont worry what others think of your work just remember this and know it is what I tell my own kids(the only opinion that matters in life is your own nobody elses if you dont like their opinion dont take it if you do make it yours and then again it is yours and nobody elses matters) this will be true in all you do in life.You are to young to have the world on your shoulders it is truely at your finger tips. DD

 

[laurence]

Thinking of chucking in the towel...

I can totally relate to where you\'re coming from Sonnyslayer. I suppose you need to assess your life right now and see how this hobby fits into it. From the sounds of things you\'re thinking of quitting because you feel that your painting skills aren\'t up to scratch and this is causing you to feel frustrated and angry at the end of a painting session (welcome to the club). If this is the case I suggest you paint something simple like a space marine as these guys are pretty easy to paint and practise techniques on. They also bring satisfying results that make you feel good about painting.

The other issue you raised was that your social life is suffering due to this hobby. In this case I feel that it\'s critical to take a break and go out with your mates and have some fun. I believe that a good balance with your health, happiness, work, family, relationships etc allows you to enjoy and get a lot more out of your talents and hobbies. I know that it\'s been said before in this thread but if you\'re not enjoying painting minis and find that it\'s negatively interfering with your life then maybe it really is best to quit and find something else that makes you happy. I mean after all, life\'s pretty short so it\'d be a shame to waste precious time doing things that make you feel miserable.

Whatever decision you make I wish you the best and hope that you can find joy in everything that you do!

Cheers

 

[DrEvilmonki]

Originally posted by Dammekkos2

I reccomend you quit.

What an arse.

 

[AinuLainour]

Originally posted by Dammekkos2

Originally posted by Sonnyslayer
:no: I really dont want to write this message.. but right now im very frustrated and angry. When i paint i allways mess up.. I never like what i see.. and i never finish the mini. Yeah i know alot of painters get that sometimes.. Ive had it like this for almost a year now. I cant even finish a mini.. This is my life.. I get home after school and talk about minis on msn and cmon.. but i can even finish ONE mini.. I just dont know what to do anymore.. I have lost alot of friends to this hobby.. And met some new here.. I just cant take the anger and frustration every time i try to paint something.. I hope someone will be reading this..

I reccomend you quit.

.. What is the point of that? At least give a bloody reason.

 

[J2FcM]

dude go take a painting a class, jeeze. Save the drama for your mama

And remember to live by your own standard, not the CMON standard. Of course if you\'re trying to emulate a top 10\'er chances are yer gunna fail, again and again and again.

Spend 100 hours on a mini. and see if it comes out better than u expected.

 

[gop]

Like the nicer people say, take a break.

If you like converting / basing, find someone who can paint, and swap skills. You convert/base, he paints!

Also, spraypaints can help a lot :redface:

 

[DrEvilmonki]

Originally posted by gop

Also, spraypaints can help a lot :redface:

For me it is paint stripper. I have a jar full of figures I have stripped after my \"practises\".
I just think of the continued joy I will get in painting them over and over again! lol

 

[Sonnyslayer]

Cheers guys.. Im starting to get alot of conversion ideas over here.. But what i need right now is sleep.. i didnt get any last night :yawn:

 

[Trevor]

Yes, I think the key is to set a standard based on what YOU can do, not what others can do. Then by all means try to push yourself, improve etc.

If you are finding it stressful try an \'easy\' mini, something simple, something fun.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by Trevor
Yes, I think the key is to set a standard based on what YOU can do, not what others can do. Then by all means try to push yourself, improve etc.

If you are finding it stressful try an \'easy\' mini, something simple, something fun.

Yeah, Trevor mentioned what I was going to say: ask yourself what it is you\'re trying to achieve when painting. Maybe you\'re trying to learn everything at once. Maybe you should set yourself smaller goals and focus on one thing at the time. I agree, however, that right now, the best thing would probably be to lay the brush aside for a while and do other things.

Related to what I said above, I think it\'s important that you actually DO finish stuff. Even if the results aren\'t as good as you may have hoped for, finishing stuff is important. Looking at a finished piece gives you lots of ideas about what you can do different to improve yourself or what you can do to take your painting up another level. Finishing minis also gives you a sense of accomplishment, no matter what the results look like. A necessary closure that enables you to start a new mini with a clean slate.

Key thing... let it take time.

 

[darkartminiatures]

You should of seen the stuff i painted when i was around your age. I think you would be laughing about it if you did. The main thing is that you enjoy what you do if not then try something else. You would still be more than welcome here anyways regardless of your decision. All the best!

Klaus

 

[MPJ]

When you think your ready to pick it up again do yourself a favor and buy some plastics or some cheap minis and purposfully paint to a lower standard... Tabletop wargaming or something. If you\'ve not done it before try to paint a couple (or a unit) in a few hours, that way your expectations won\'t be to high at all and you might find you enjoy it. I\'m no Michaelangelo of the mini world to be sure but considering I rarely take more than 2 hours to finish a mini I think I\'m not so bad at all and it feels good to get them done.

@darkartminiatures: (off topic, read your bio) Flicking is a necessary action related to nose picking. Without flicking what are you supposed to do, put it in storage or carry it with you? Sheesh. :drunk:

 

[mutantpotato]

I\'ve seen some of your minis and they\'re great! Remember you\'re only 16, and you will get better! The golden demon winners, and the best painters in the world are 30-40 years old!

I have lost friends to this hobby too. it\'s hard to keep contact when none of my old friends paint/ or are interested in the hobby.

It\'s okay to take a break, but don\'t quit, I\'m sure you would regret in you did

 

[Highbulp Billy]

I\'m coming into this thread after all the best advice has already been dished out but have to say there are some very wise words here (ignore the obviously stoopid ones though).

As already said, taking a break is good - painting is fun (whatever standard you are or aim at) but it should not be your whole life (that\'s what the forums are for ). Whatever you do, don\'t sell all your stuff. Even if you do think you\'re going to stop you will always have that option of dipping back in. Like many people here, I gave up gaming and painting for years only to come back completely fresh and excited about what can be done (I was really rubbish before - some of my best efforts looked like they\'d been just dipped in a pot of emulsion ). I just checked the comments you\'ve had on your gallery and they show you exactly how highly people here think of your work.

Most importantly, stay on the forums with us whether you\'re painting or not - we\'re lots of fun

 

[Torn blue sky]

Fun??? FUN???...Humbug!

 

[Highbulp Billy]

Originally posted by Torn blue sky
Fun??? FUN???...Humbug!

Humbug/bumhug, maybe you\'re just not a good example

 

[Sonnyslayer]

Thank you guys.. you just saved me from making a huge mistake. I just finished a grot. low level painting.. feels great to finish something.. Ill take a pic later. I will still need a break tho..
THANK YOU! :drunk::beer:

 

[faulkns]

Read the thread through now and agree with the advise. I was away for best part of 2 years.

Get back to why you started. If you enjoy the games as well get back to them and have a laugh.

Thing I found is to paint when you want to and not because you feel you have to. If you feel frustrated at the paint job, walk away for a while. You will come back with fresh eyes.

Hope you get the bug back real bad soon.