Finding Time to Paint

[ElectricPaladin]

A recent commenter on my minis tumblr (tiny-plastic-dead.tumblr.com) commented that he was amazed at how much stuff I get done. This surprised me, because I don't really see myself as a dedicated or super-efficient painter. As a result, I thought it might be interesting to start a thread where people who seem to get sh*t painted can talk about their methods. I don't pretend to be any kind of authority, so I'd love to read lots of people's strategies for getting projects completed.

Without further ado, here are my strategies:

1) Assembly line, but one squad at a time, so the process doesn't get daunting.
2) Things that dry slowly, like washes or basecoats, always get done before I go to bed or go to work.
3) I am always painting. It doesn't matter if I have a spare hour or a spare ten minutes. I can lay down a wash, or do a little drybrushing, or get half a squad's guns flat-painted, or whatever. A little bit of painting makes a good break from more serious, real-life work.
4) Personally, it helps if I paint with an eye towards playing. I used to do all sorts of unecessary cr@p, like painting the insides of transports. I would labor for hours to make it look awesome, then seal it up so it was almost invisible. I also used to paint things in pieces, then assemble them. This kind of process can get results, but it also slows me down so that my enthusiasm flags. Nothing - but nothing - is more disenheartening than "I'd love to use my brand new X, but I can't because it's in half-painted bits all over my workbench."

What are your tricks and tips for getting stuff painted?

[Mr Mystery]

I paint little because I am tremendously lazy.

However, when the brush bug bites, I paint like a Daemon, and to a reasonable battlefield standard!

[Defenestratus]

I can't paint because i'm usually very busy at work and my painting station is my home office. When I'm done working I rarely want to come back and sit in the chair as that act alone raises my stress level.

[Wolfshade]

I have just started on a project to repaint 100 marines, they need to be stripped and repainted, my idea is to do them squad by squad.
I must say though it is sometimes hard to get the motivation to do so, but I have found that since I am playing more regularly, the embarrassment of some of my older miniatures really has spurred me on.

[Deadlift]

I paint in fits and starts, I painted the whole contents of a Necron Battleforce in 2 days, then nothing fora month. Then 10 death marks in an afternoon. I am using my airbrush a lot for my Crons so it really speeds things up. So much so it actually takes longer to build them than paint.

[walrusman999]

I agree with Wolfshade, I think most of the people that don't pain regularly do not actually play as regularly either. I know I get really itchy to build or paint something every so often, so Always have a few boxes or boosters of miniatures around for when the itch arises. And I have a tendency to work extremely hard at something right before and after a game session with my friends, which happens to be pretty infrequently. Right now, I got a few vendetta's I am in the process of magnetizing so I can freely change the weapons on them. Its a slow process as I have to drill out holes for all the magnets and then fill in the pockmarks where I F*** up. Overall, I have 1 fully weaponized with magnetized weapons, and I just finished the twinlinked Lascannons for the other two and am in the process of finishing the weapon mounts and mounting them on the flyer.

[imperialpower]

I accidently almost killed myself last year and as a result was out of action for seven months but as a plus point I had plenty of time to paint so cleared my backlog of models in no time, wouldn't suggest this method if I am honest but that's what it took for me to have no projects waiting to be done so I guess if you do not want to do somthing no method is really going to get you to do it unless you have no other choice because at the end of the day it's a hobby not a chore.

[Chaoschrist]

- Sleeping less is how I paint more. Seems quite obvious actually.

- I don't dedicate myself to a family life either. A job, fine... the rest, no thanks. And to be honest, I don't care that much for a social life either. So on friday night I'm probably painting, saturday night, painting and sunday morning when everyone is still passed out and waking up with a hangover, I'm painting again.

- I try to have everything within reach. How stupid it may sound, but if I have to walk around, change rooms, unpack my paint, things like that I'm probably less interested in doing a quick coat or wash on a model.

- Granted I'm more of a painter than player, but I do plan what I paint according to a plan of that one army I want to build to play every now and then.

[OrksOrksOrks]

- Sleeping less is how I paint more. Seems quite obvious actually.

- I don't dedicate myself to a family life either. A job, fine... the rest, no thanks. And to be honest, I don't care that much for a social life either. So on friday night I'm probably painting, saturday night, painting and sunday morning when everyone is still passed out and waking up with a hangover, I'm painting again.

- I try to have everything within reach. How stupid it may sound, but if I have to walk around, change rooms, unpack my paint, things like that I'm probably less interested in doing a quick coat or wash on a model.

- Granted I'm more of a painter than player, but I do plan what I paint according to a plan of that one army I want to build to play every now and then.


This is not healthy and really sad man, you need to get out there and spend time with people, asmuch fun as the hobby is, its just a thing to do in your spare time with friends, you can't just lock yourself away from the world to do it.

But as time saving tips go, a small hairdryer at you place of painting is a must, you can dry a coat in seconds with it.

[Wolfshade]

... you need to get out there and spend time with people, asmuch fun as the hobby is, its just a thing to do in your spare time with friends, you can't just lock yourself away from the world to do it.

I don't know

http://wynbrand.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/introvert-vs-extrovert.jpg

[alshrive]

I have started getting up half an hour earlier which i find gives me a bit of time before work to get some painting done. I also have a wife who loves chick-flicks and I tend to find that the perfect time to paint! she is busy for a couple of hours and i can dedicate myself to painting rather than wishing my brain would melt because Jennifer Aniston is trying to talk!

[Psychosplodge]

Jennifer Aniston you say? do continue...

[Deadlift]

I have started getting up half an hour earlier which i find gives me a bit of time before work to get some painting done. I also have a wife who loves chick-flicks and I tend to find that the perfect time to paint! she is busy for a couple of hours and i can dedicate myself to painting rather than wishing my brain would melt because Jennifer Aniston is trying to talk!

I feel your pain mate. I recently endured a horrible movie with her and Paul Rudd. Bridesmaids is another chick flick my mrs and her unholy communion of other housewives watch over and over :(. I too paint during these hours of torture whilst they gaggle over glasses of wine.

[alshrive]

her and Paul Rudd were in Wanderlust together. Bridesmaids was torture. Just Go With it is acceptable only because of the complete nutter who pretends to be a Dolph Lundgren who is a sheep shipper! but these movies do encourage me to paint a lot!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFphqxafxk8

[Wolfshade]

Wanderlust I have endured that!

[Psychosplodge]

I haven't.

:D

I'm lucky, the closest thing to a chickflic I'm expected to watch is Ten things I hate about you, but considering that's probably my favourite film I can't complain...

[eldargal]

I hate chickflicks.

When it comes to painting I think it helps to partition everything so you can do things in batches in whatever time you have. So if you can spare half an hour every so often, paint in batches and just focus on getting basecoats down, or washes done or one layer down rather than trying to cram lots into a small space of time.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

It's tough being an Introvert in an Extroverts world, especially since the Extroverts expect you to act just like they do. :rolleyes:

Painting necrons is easy for me, I just play music like this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNKVKqJtg2U
result : somehow i want to destroy all biological lifeforms but I am without an army to do it with! urgo, must paint!

[ElectricPaladin]

I don't know

http://wynbrand.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/introvert-vs-extrovert.jpg

This is true.

As an extrovert, I need to make decisions like "I will help my friend move because I have a lot of work to do on my freelance contract, because I will be more productive if I take a break in the middle of the day than I will be if I try to work, alone, from dawn 'till dusk."

I know introverts have a valid beef with America, which treats them like they're sick or broken, but sometimes being an extrovert is a pain in the butt.

[Psychosplodge]

Extroverts are hardwork...

[ElectricPaladin]

Extroverts are hardwork...

We are!

Sometimes I'm jealous of my wife. She's an introvert. To get recharged, all she needs to do is be alone for a while. She doesn't need to worry about social rejection or nerd politics - she just needs to go see a movie alone, or take a book and go out to dinner alone, or nap. I need to plan sh*t.

[Wolfshade]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17510163

[Psychosplodge]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m38s2uGQpk1ro85i5o1_500.jpg

[Toothpick]

One of the things i do to stay motivated is to say to myself (endlessly), "get these boring troops done, and i can then paint that special character".

[Psychosplodge]

One of the things i do to stay motivated is to say to myself (endlessly), "get these boring troops done, and i can then paint that special character".

Ah New person, hello new person.

[Wolfshade]

Ah New person, hello new person.

Should really post an announcement ;)

I try and say to myself, no more plastic until I paint everything. That hasn't happened yet.

Just found a bag of metal techmarine, scouts and a few other bits

[ElectricPaladin]

Should really post an announcement ;)

I try and say to myself, no more plastic until I paint everything. That hasn't happened yet.

Just found a bag of metal techmarine, scouts and a few other bits

I'm trying to do this... but then I found an old box of shining spears and had to save $10 by buying it (one box of three shining spears = $40, three eldar jetbikes plus the upgrade kit = $55). And then a friend had to give me free Malifaux minis. I'm just so oppressed. :D.

[Wolfshade]

I'm just so oppressed. :D.
First world problems...

[Toothpick]

Should really post an announcement ;)

My apologise for breaking any forum rule(s).


Ah New person, hello new person.

Hello one and all.

[eldargal]

You didn't break a rule, he was just teasing.

[Wolfshade]

There is no such rule don't worry :)
Splogy likes to post weclome pnoys to new memebers, it makes him happy...

[Psychosplodge]

Well confusing the new people makes me happy, sorta the same thing :D

[Deadlift]

One of the things i do to stay motivated is to say to myself (endlessly), "get these boring troops done, and i can then paint that special character".

Welcome to the forums matey, always nice to see new members :)

[Toothpick]

Thankyou all for the welcome. It's appreciated.

Some other things I do to get stuff painted quicker:

1. Blu-tac models to strips of balsa wood/lollipop sticks for painting. Also use 4 man bases for WFB.
2. Block paint whole units one paint colour at a time. I do this for washes, highlights too.
3. I don’t paint detail that no one is ever going to see.
4. Basically paint whenever I’m in the house, and not doing anything else.
This one at times can turn painting into a game of cat and mouse with my partner…

[DWest]

I don't know about *quicker*, but I find for getting *more* done, I keep several related projects on hand. Even just switching from doing a Termagant's chitin to a Genestealer's chitin is enough to shake things up and keep me going, especially with Gants. Sure I only have 40, but when they're all sitting there on the shelf waiting for the brush, they *look* like the giant carpet of Orcs in front of Minas Tirith in Return of the King.

[Wolfshade]

Well I set aside time to paint and then discovered I had run out of white spray :(

[Deadlift]

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/Photoon2013-02-01at22512.jpg

I bet im not the only one with painting clothes :o

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I have painting clothes too, but they are too unspeakable, unnameable and non-euclidean to even post a picture of.

[eldargal]

I have painting clothes too, but they are too unspeakable, unnameable and non-euclidean to even post a picture of.
You paint in lycra cycling gear?

[Wolfshade]

You paint in lycra cycling gear?
Nothing wrong with that :P, well maybe the painting side

[Deadlift]

At least you two knew what

non-euclidean

ment, I had to use my imac dictionary and I still don't understand how it relates to clothing :)

[DarkLink]

Sometimes I'm jealous of my wife. She's an introvert. To get recharged, all she needs to do is be alone for a while. She doesn't need to worry about social rejection or nerd politics - she just needs to go see a movie alone, or take a book and go out to dinner alone, or nap. I need to plan sh*t.

Extroverts are the socialists of psychology, always stealing energy from those enterprising introverts, and then wondering why they want to go home instead of hitting another bar:rolleyes:.

[Rissan4ever]

I can't paint because i'm usually very busy at work and my painting station is my home office. When I'm done working I rarely want to come back and sit in the chair as that act alone raises my stress level.
I suggest you get a different chair. A folding chair or some other chair that you move from a different room. That may disassociate the desk from work in your brain.