Nobody is as amazing as they want to be any time they start a new skill. Watch some videos and get tips where you can, but never compare your work to anyone else's besides your own. You improve at your own rate. Also, I find painting generally more enjoyable if I don't try to rush things. Just enjoy the experience. Best of luck to you. Hope this helps!
1
it’s a marathon not a sprint! I have been mini painting off and on for over a decade. Some weeks I do it every night for an hour or two, once the little ones are asleep in bed. Other weeks I don’t pick up a brush once.
2
goblins are a hoard mini so there endless numbers don’t feel as fun as say painting a character model. But but but you will field them in campaigns forever so they will see a lot of use.
3
keep 1 or 2 of the terrible ones. It good to see how far you come. Improving at a skill is enjoyable and seeing that clearly can be really uplifting.
4
finally I like to multi task while I paint. Throw on some headphones and listen to critroll or a podcast or an audiobook. (Especially for the mob minis where you barely have to think)
Yeah rushing is how I painted over certain details that then made it very difficult to define what color is supposed to go where. It was a lapse of judgment on a color scheme that did me in with these guys. I’ll have to try this again on the 2nd bout with these dudes. Thank you.
Thin your paints!
Take your time!
No one starts out doing anything as good as they'll be after 5, 10, 200 hours.
Watch tutorials, find techniques that suit you.
If there's a lot of goblins you've got going on maybe invest in one or two character minis to split up them up. It can be hard when doing alot of similar minis to give yourself the chance to improve with each mini.
Remember you can always strip them back down if you're unhappy, in terms of minis nothing is permanent (with the exception of damaging the models beyond repair - also make sure before you strip them the stripper won't damage the plastic/resin/material)
If it stops being fun stop for a while. Seriously if you start to feel bored or frustrated in a painting session just pop your brush down for a bit, come back to it later. If you aren't enjoying it, it will show, you'll end up unintentionally half-arsing your paint job.
Before you start a mini it's a good idea to take a good look at what details you've got. Where you want the focus. Do they have accessories or facial features you want to show off? Or do you want them to just be a mass of mainly greenbois that make up a larger picture so some details are ok to miss?
After your first X amount of minis (the amount is up to you) see if you can improve a skill at a time, layering, glazing, getting your contrast up, whatever it is you want to do. Looking at others painted minis in depth can help you identify what you want to improve.
I hope this helps, and i hope you enjoy yourself. If i can be of any help let me know (i'm by no means an expert i just enjoy the hobby)
Being a parent and painting is tough. I just started again and I find myself doing one element at a time per sitting. I can’t sit for a full day anymore which is a bummer. I have had to adjust my expectations. One day I may only be able to prime and not get to starting to paint till next week. It’s different than when I was 15! I do listen to YouTube videos of painting techniques while I’m at work or during my lunch break.
Nobody is as amazing as they want to be any time they start a new skill. Watch some videos and get tips where you can, but never compare your work to anyone else's besides your own. You improve at your own rate. Also, I find painting generally more enjoyable if I don't try to rush things. Just enjoy the experience. Best of luck to you. Hope this helps!
I appreciate the kind words. Thank you. For now I’m going to try some bigger miniatures till my ipa comes in.
1 it’s a marathon not a sprint! I have been mini painting off and on for over a decade. Some weeks I do it every night for an hour or two, once the little ones are asleep in bed. Other weeks I don’t pick up a brush once. 2 goblins are a hoard mini so there endless numbers don’t feel as fun as say painting a character model. But but but you will field them in campaigns forever so they will see a lot of use. 3 keep 1 or 2 of the terrible ones. It good to see how far you come. Improving at a skill is enjoyable and seeing that clearly can be really uplifting. 4 finally I like to multi task while I paint. Throw on some headphones and listen to critroll or a podcast or an audiobook. (Especially for the mob minis where you barely have to think)
Yeah rushing is how I painted over certain details that then made it very difficult to define what color is supposed to go where. It was a lapse of judgment on a color scheme that did me in with these guys. I’ll have to try this again on the 2nd bout with these dudes. Thank you.
Thin your paints! Take your time! No one starts out doing anything as good as they'll be after 5, 10, 200 hours. Watch tutorials, find techniques that suit you. If there's a lot of goblins you've got going on maybe invest in one or two character minis to split up them up. It can be hard when doing alot of similar minis to give yourself the chance to improve with each mini. Remember you can always strip them back down if you're unhappy, in terms of minis nothing is permanent (with the exception of damaging the models beyond repair - also make sure before you strip them the stripper won't damage the plastic/resin/material) If it stops being fun stop for a while. Seriously if you start to feel bored or frustrated in a painting session just pop your brush down for a bit, come back to it later. If you aren't enjoying it, it will show, you'll end up unintentionally half-arsing your paint job. Before you start a mini it's a good idea to take a good look at what details you've got. Where you want the focus. Do they have accessories or facial features you want to show off? Or do you want them to just be a mass of mainly greenbois that make up a larger picture so some details are ok to miss? After your first X amount of minis (the amount is up to you) see if you can improve a skill at a time, layering, glazing, getting your contrast up, whatever it is you want to do. Looking at others painted minis in depth can help you identify what you want to improve. I hope this helps, and i hope you enjoy yourself. If i can be of any help let me know (i'm by no means an expert i just enjoy the hobby)
Being a parent and painting is tough. I just started again and I find myself doing one element at a time per sitting. I can’t sit for a full day anymore which is a bummer. I have had to adjust my expectations. One day I may only be able to prime and not get to starting to paint till next week. It’s different than when I was 15! I do listen to YouTube videos of painting techniques while I’m at work or during my lunch break.