Tuesday 5 April 2011

Figure Painting, does it get easier or better?

..........or worse?

A friend of mine approached me a month ago with some figures he wanted me to paint (28mm wargames foundry ancient german warriors) because five years earlier I had painted hundreds of them for him and he now wanted to add another unit of 24 but painted the same way to match all the others I had done all those years ago.

To help he included some of the older figures I had done and when I looked at them I couldn't tell wether they were bad or good or how to copy the style but I painted them anyway in a vain hope to match them up.

What I'm trying to say is has your painting ability got better over the years of your figure painting or do we try to improve at all, I paint to a wargaming standard as I want to get figures done and move onto the next batch so I can get them on the table and game with them, the only thing that has changed over the years in my painting is washes and inks and my frequent use of them but I don't think my skill has.

A few years ago members of the Posties Rejects would gather every couple of months and paint another members figures for them in somebody's house and everybody got a turn and you could depending on scale get a lot of figures painted, I would give certain units of mine to a certain painter because they were quicker or a better painters but I hated this process because I wasn't that quick and really they only invited me because I cooked a certain pasta dish.

Last night I started painting 20mm for myself and I struggled but maybe I'm going blind in my old age aswell as I normally paint 28mm, well heres to winning the lottery and getting somebody to paint my figures, I wonder what Pamela Anderson is doing these days and what's her painting skill like ?




 

49 comments:

  1. Look ok. You have started 20mm? You will find that you´l need a different approach to your painting. Firstly the areas you have to cover change your approach to shading and highlighting and there are a few things you can get away with in 20mm that would scream "what the f**K!!" in 28mm and visa versa. Anyway..have fun with it mate...I look forward to your efforts.
    Cheers
    Paul
    PS...after a couple of months of 20mm you will find 28mm painting feels like a holiday :-D

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  2. MMMmmm!!!! Fran's artery clogging pasta is to die for, unlike his figure painting skills!!! LOL!!!!

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  3. Angry and Ray, bang on form today! You want a challenge? Go 6mm. Great scale for gaming, just a little hard on the eyes...

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  4. I think I've defiantly improved my painting skills and will probably continue to over time. But most of the time I can't be bothered with the highlighting, lowlighting, merging colour and all that posh stuff, maybe on a special 25mm commander, but not for the run of the mill troops and certainly not for 15mm. I mainly use dry brushing, block painting and lots of ink to sit in all the crevises, it works for me, because I get a lot of figures painted to a good wargame standard rather than 10 top notch figures.

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  5. I find it hard to judge if I'm improving or not. Some figures looks great others not so. I guess its mostly down to how motivated I feel when I'm painting. If its a figure I love and have a definate purpose for then I'm more likely to put in the effort painting it to a high standard.

    Another problem is I switch between scales a lot now and I find I need a completely different technique to paint a 15mm figure to that for a 20mm or 28mm figure. Switching scales can mess with your mind!

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  6. looking back on the figures i painted 10 years ago they are much better. Back then i didn't have a wife and kids! Now with a lot less painting time i have to cut corners somewhere. I still try and turn out the best figure but where before i might not be happy with something and keep plugging away at it, layering, blending, feathering, washing, glazing. Now i look at it and go "that'll do" and crack on with the next one.
    whos knows maybe one day i will get a project finished? it just might not look that great...

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  7. I know the feeling mate.
    I was looking at some figures I've painted some years ago the other day, and I noticed major differences with what I've painted recently. The style hasn't changed much, but I think it all comes down to evolution!
    Different tools (washes, inks, dips) and different brain cells!
    At least that's my theory!
    T.

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  8. Has my painting got better or worse? Much better! I spend far more time on a figure nowadays than I did in the past. Plus, I utilise techniques like washes and drybrushing that I never used. The downside is, I spend a lot more time on a figure than I used to.

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  9. Looking back at my old miniatures I can say one thing... The commitment is, more or less, the same but the results are totally different. If, ten years ago it took me 2 days to drybrush a Wh40k imperial guard, now I paint with fairly good results (with blending, glazing, etc) in less than 3 hours.
    But, when I tried to paint some 15mm for a friend last year, it was a shock!!! All my techniques were totally useless... :)

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  10. What are you painting in 20mm? I have just discovered it too - I just placed an order with Syr Hobbs Wargames here in the States for some Modern Elhiem figures.

    My painting definitely gets better as I go.

    And, I dont know - Pam's painting has been getting better, but all she ever wants to do is snuggle these days...

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  11. Damn, it must be dificult painting the same thing over and over...i would get bored lol

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  12. Painting figures is defintly the weak point for me in the hobby. In the just over the year of doing it I am not sure my skill has improved. However, I have picked up on some tips that improve the finished figure but in reality just mask the poor paint job.

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  13. I don't paint miniatures but I used to do a little ceramics, just for relaxation. But I don't know about improving. I'd hope we keep improving. Artery clogging pasta? Any time you want to do a guest cooking post on my blog, you are more than welcome.

    Have a great day, all. I'm off to do dishes and get the work week started after being on holiday for three days.

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  14. When I do sit down to paint, much as I would like to turn out a Golden Demon effort every time, the reality is that if I ever want to see them painted and on the table, it will be basic, block colours, dip and a wee bit of a drybrush before a matt spray.

    And even that takes me long enough to do

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  15. @WarRaptor: 20mm earlyish WW2 and get your cheating hands off my other woman.

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  16. I find that it depends greatly on the models and scale your painting.

    This actually inspired me tot do a little article on it :-)

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  17. I don't have the patience to be painting and painting over again. It must be difficult to get the little details, so I think it takes major skill :D

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  18. I don't know if I'm getting better, but I'm getting...different. Like Ray I just use dry brushing and block painting, but don't even use ink in the nooks and crannies (I prime thoroughly in black and literally paint "around" the spots where I want a black outline). But still, figures I painted a few years ago look "different" somehow from figures I'm painting now, like a different person did them, though I'm not certain the new ones are actually *better.*

    Re: "maybe I'm going blind in my old age" Yeah, I feel your pain. I'm at the point where even painting 28mm, I have to use a magnifying lamp for the whole process. (I have to read medicine bottle labels at arm's length too -- arrgh)

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  19. I painted a little bit but like other posters said, I never had the fucking patience for it.

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  20. If I ever see her I will be sure to ask how her painting skill is. lol.

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  21. Perhaps, painting (and converting) are my preferred parts of the Hobby...
    As an Italian, I assure you that, when we met for a playing or painting day, we almost always have Carbonara!! A really "artery clogging" type of pasta and, perhaps, its the best part of the day!!! ;)
    Cheers

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  22. I think that Pam is too busy taking her Hepatitis medications.

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  23. I think my biggest issue is finding the same colors... Esp since I used to use GW paints almost exclusively...
    I think my style is improving. The good news: I've become faster too!

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  24. x^2 graph, it peaks and then drops.

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  25. I think it comes down to who you are painting for,the scale, the number of figures you have to finish within a given time frame and the specs given for the job. I used to paint for FASA and TSR back in the 90's and the work I did for box art was a different grade than the pieces used on the demo tables. I think the figures I did for client was always better than the ones I owned. One thing I can say is as I got more skills my vision went down hill (geezerhood sucks). A lighted magnifier became as important as my brushes and technical drawing pens.

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  26. Your pasta dish intrigues me!

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  27. I'm getting better all the time. Have a look at Benno's Fran and you can see it for yourself ;-)

    20mm = good light and eyes ;-) and patience. Well that counts for me and not for Paul teh painting machine "lol"

    Who is Pamela Anderson? An alien? "big grin"

    Greetings
    Peter

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  28. Im sure you get better over time man, i mean the more you do something the easier it gets i havent heard of anyone that says "DAMN I WAS A CRACK SHOT WITH THIS THING BUT AFTER 12 YEARS IF DOING IT I JUST LOST IT" just keep at it bro, your stuff is great. also care to share your pasta dish? im kind of a chef so im interested in that sort of things

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  29. Am I better? Yes. Does it get easier? Not exactly. I spend the same amount or more time doing a better job now, but as our standards get higher we put more pressure on ourselves. Back to DBM with card counters with test on I say! :)

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  30. you do get better, it does get easier and tedious because you have to be soo precise with every figure! :@

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  31. Have you tried doing it with a bigger magnifying glass? I know 20+ years of staring at a PC monitor have pretty much wrecked my eyes.

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  32. I suppose as long as you don't get WORSE over time, then you are alright. Pamela will still love you.

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  33. I think that the quality of the work improves so long as you keep as experimenting with different techniques and find the blend of tricks that works for you. I've been doing figures for over a decade, and don't see any end in sight to learning about it.

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  34. My painting has got worse over the years I think, but maybe it has just changed! - I sympathise with you not being able to match painting from years ago!

    Heres to winning the lottery - Yay!

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  35. They look hard to paint, to me. To paint them at all, takes skill, I am sure. I like what I've seen of yours so far, and I look forward to seeing more.

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  36. I think it depend on what you want from your painting if you like your style and stay in your own comfort zone then the more you do the easier it gets and quicker, if you always want to push yourself to better paint jobs then you will get better but TBH your speed tends to slow down and you find painting whole units/armies harder. I know this from XP and have now settled to my own style and I stick to it and enjoy painting up units and armys in a resonable time frame.
    ramble over James

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  37. >they only invited me because I cooked a certain pasta dish.

    you can only reveal that to people close to you, man

    once leeches know you can cook they'll drain you for all the pasta they can :(

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  38. I've never painted before so it's hard to say if my skill would improve or worsen.

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  39. Well, it's art so I guess it can't really get any better or any worst.. but I'm also not a source of knowledge about that lol

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  40. Well I've certainly learnt some new tricks/skills since I came back to the fold; but whether I'm a better painter than I was back in the day? Tough one, I've got worse eye sight, less hair (that only means my head burns under the lamp easier) and finite time; but I've got better resources and far more patience and understanding of what I'm doing.

    Guess it all goes into the mixing palette :o)

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  41. In short through experience i have become better but not happier.

    I think i'm just repeateing former posts but what the hey... my standards and expectations keep rising along with the thickness of my glasses. I may be able to paint neater and quicker but i try to do more within the same space and can't sit for as long before my back or neck locks up. My styles keep changing but for each new technique i discover i forget an old one. I'm good enough to know when i'm being lazy, critical enough to redo sloppy bits but not motivated enough to push the comfort zone.

    Sometimes i prefer it when i was blissfully ignorant painted in single block colours and thought every model i did was a master piece :)

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  42. I am 58 years old. I have painted thousands of figures over the last 35 years. I got out of the hobby about 5 years ago, partly because I felt like painting was difficult and not fun any more.
    I am painting 28mm now, and liking it. I also paint for short periods of time. I am very much a unit painter. I will have 20-30 figures all mostly the same. I sit down and do a couple of colors, then go do something else. That seems to be easiest on my eyes.
    I am also enjoying it now.

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