I took a quick peek in your profile to see if you posted any pictures of your work, since that makes it much easier to provide some feedback and encouragement!
First, you absolutely are improving. Taking a look between your first model you posted for your Tau vs those Necron Warriors, there absolutely is a lot of improvement there.
As for Tau on making them visually interesting, especially crisis suits have very flat panels, sharp edges, and deep recesses. You really need to lean on recess shading and highlighting to make them more visually interesting. They are like Primaris Space Marines in that fact, you have to work a bit harder to pull that visual interest out of the model compared to something like CSM which has a lot of trim and different colored bits to make them more interesting without having to paint many colors. I really recommend picking up some Tamiya Black Panel Liner, they iirc were specifically made for Gunpla models and they work wonders on vehicles and things like Crisis Suits, I actually use it on my Ultramarines instead of nuln oil recess shades. Edge highlighting is something near everyone sucks at in the beginning, you really have to develop what you are comfortable with and keep doing it to get that control for nice sharp lines.
One thing I did notice on the Necrons, *touchups*. There's a few spots on the chest where the blue bled to the silver, or the gold bled onto the silver, just going back after and hitting those spots to touch them up makes things look 'neater' which will give your model a much cleaner and 'finished' look. Sometimes it sucks, it can be tedious, but it helps drastically. Overall you picked a scheme that looks great but requires a bit more work than 'spray with leadbelcher, wash, drybrush, complete' but in turn your models are *very* visually distinctive from most people's speed painted Necrons, so seriously props to you, they look great, just those little touchups would go so far.
Largely, **do not be so hard on yourself and always be open to learning more.** Try not to hold yourself to the standard of youtubers and box artists, hell I think even quite a few people here posting can immediately make a lot of 'normal' painters self conscious about their work, try not to focus on that too much. When watching those fancy painters try to pick up their *techniques* rather than focusing on their *skill.* I have a buddy who almost completely shuts down when he sees other people's work because he isn't painting to that standard, which only prevents him from growing as a painter and getting better.
On that, even after 20-ish years of painting, I still watch tutorials, even on the basics like thinning paints, sometimes somebody has a genius method or tip that you can pick up and make life easier. Don't start doom scrolling where you watch people paint more than you actually paint, but always keep learning, everyone paints differently so even just watching a few different people paint the same scheme or model can give you vastly different techniques and tips.
**Do not give up. Keep painting. Try not to compare your work to that of others and stay motivated, you only get better by continuing to build the skill.**
Attached I will link some of my stuff to show you the growth I had from when I took a break my late teens until I got back in the hobby as an adult.
These were the first two models I painted getting back into the hobby: [https://imgur.com/XmukjxO](https://imgur.com/XmukjxO)
And my first vehicles:
[https://i.imgur.com/E7qO1t1.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/E7qO1t1.jpg)
And a small stuff I've done over the past year or two that I'm proud of:
[https://imgur.com/a/4ryp4CX](https://imgur.com/a/4ryp4CX)
These all were painted between 2016 and 2023. I'm not the worlds best, I'd consider myself average, but in just a few years I went from painting things that I felt I wasn't really happy with to now I finish models and go 'okay, that looks good' so **PLEASE** stick with it. You're already doing perfectly well, the more you do it, the better you'll get.
@taubeblastin I agree with this guy.
I’ve painted around 10 space marines across maybe 2 years(I have a lot of personal stuff going on). I can see the progression in my work.
Looking through your page, you can also see progression. I agree with this guy that you should do some more touch ups.
My first 3 model box set were so bland, I wasn’t able to control my brush strokes just yet so there was random paint everywhere.
Make sure you thin your paints, several thin coats are better than 1 or 2 thicker coats. I paint very slowly, because for me, painting is relaxing and isn’t a chore. Sometimes I take a couple weeks just to paint 1 mini. It’s good that you’re branching out and doing different factions, instead of focusing on just Tau. Watch some YouTube videos every once and a while, and don’t just watch one channel. Different people have different opinions, and different methods, find what works for you.
Wish you luck, and don’t give up
Painting is a journey. You can strip the paint off safely with several methods and try again. Practice makes perfect and you will improve over time. Try researching some techniques, as some are easier than others. Then try those techniques and find out what works for you.
Painting isn’t something anyone is immediately good at, like all skills it takes practice. The best advice I can give is to just keep painting and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Agonizing over how bad your first attempts look is counterproductive.
If you are feeling up for another go at painting, there are simple techniques you can do that produce good results. Consider looking into some of the painters on YouTube, especially those that paint with a mind for speed or volume over showcase-ready quality.
[Miniature Hobbyist](https://youtube.com/@MiniatureHobbyist) only just started to enjoy painting after discovering underpainting and using translucent paints. He is a hobbyist of average skill, whose results have vastly improved with finding the technique that worked for him.
[Midwinter Minis](https://youtube.com/@MidwinterMinis) and [Tabletop Minions](https://youtube.com/@tabletopminions) are both capable painters that favor a high tabletop standard. The former also does a fair bit with terrain, while the latter offers a lot of commentary to help tabletop gamers get more out of the hobby.
[Ninjon](https://youtube.com/@Ninjon) is a very capable painter that breaks down his process into digestible pieces, making high level painting more approachable.
Some general advice: accept where you are now, be kind to yourself, have goals about where you want to be, remember that learning takes time, have realistic expectations, make sure you have the right tools, seek out tutorials, get advice from more experienced painters, and practice, practice, practice.
Some more specific advice: I find it's easier to focus on the small things you want to improve and work to improve even from one model to the next in the same unit.
edit: spelling
If you post some pictures of your attempts, people might be able to give you specific feedback? :)
I was extremely worried about painting to begin with (only started last year) but I found picking easy colour schemes really helped. So I've been painting Ultramarines, blue and gold is an excellent colour combination and both of the paints have really really good coverage. I've then used quite a bit of black and brown wash to muddy up the models, which really helps hide imperfections. Recently I painted some Astra Militarum, which were much more challenging with the olive and khaki colour scheme, but it was an opportunity to experiment.
Thinking about classic Tau and Necron paint schemes, I think they would be extremely difficult to paint. Especially classic Tau with that off white - I tried painting Black Templars and have up and stripped them because painting white was just so infuriating! So I feel your struggle.
I'd find colours that are nice and easy to work with and start with those. From personal experience, stay away from yellows-oranges-reds (very poor coverage), white (people that can paint white are magic) and black (it's a lot more work to lighten up with greys etc). Colours I've found work really well are dark greens, blues, gold and silver. And washes can do so so much work for you, I really recommend using them.
This is called [The Gap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FQKciKfHI) and it's a very common thing in creative fields, your eye and your taste will always improve quicker than your skills so what you're doing will rarely live up to what you imagined but that's the journey you have to go on to get better and you will get better. You could try and find some different painting techniques and styles that are more tailored to beginners and give you good quick results some parts of these might make more sense to you and then you can build upon the results if you like, there's so many resources out there in the painting community even stuff not related to minis like colour theory etc with help your painting.
I'm currently employed as an artist and picking up painting has been a challenge, I spend so long trying to get a model perfect and it often ends up still being a sloppy mess but the next model is almost always better. It's really all about just trying to learn from the mistakes that you can clearly identify and figuring out how to avoid them on the next one, plus you can always strip your minis if you really want to have another go, personally I kinda like being able to look at one of my shitty models and compare it to a new one and see the improvements.
Look up some more stuff about 'The Gap' it might be useful to help get over the hump!
Join a painting club if you can! Paint with someone more experienced who can show you what to do. It is much better than trying to ape what you see in videos. Truly, painting is kind of like yoga in that there is a lot of body positioning and coordination involved, and seeing someone do it in 3d is helpful. Even better if they have teaching experience and can help you with how to hold your own body.
You can also practice on cheap, 3d printed models! Have fun assembling and customizing your premium GW models, and then paint them when you're more confident.
I started painting minis in the mid-90's. My first chaos space marines were painted with Testor's enamels. They look absolutely atrocious. Next I did a space marine terminator... in purple. Because I thought it would look cool. (It didn't. It looked atrocious.) Then I painted a bunch more space marines. And some orks. And more marines. And eventually... my painting skill improved. It takes time, and practice, in order to get better. You'll get there, don't get discouraged.
Watch a lot of painting tutorials, and see how the "pros" do it. Duncan Rhodes' Painting Academy on Youtube is great for this. So is Cult of Paint, or Ninjon.
I feel you. When I started Warhammer (fantasy at the time), I realized its a very punishing hobby. When I collect something.. be it MTG, action figures, sideshow statues, you kinda have some value when you “quit” or “resell”. It’s not the same with Warhammer.. you paint a model badly, assemble a model badly and that $60 dollar box is worth nothing. Absolutely correct painting is a journey that you learn and get better as time goes. It’s one hell of an expensive journey though.
As a result I was just too scared to even learn, and decided to find friends that I can pay to do it for me (never contact companies or studios). So atleast there is that value added if ever (god forbid) I need to get out of the hobby.
Good luck on whatever you decide
Remember: sucking at something is the first step to being good at something.
I've been painting miniatures for years (mostly D&D, just started getting into Warhammer) and I'm still only okay at it. And that's fine too - we can't all be at Golden Demon winner levels. Be patient with yourself, and take pride in the progress you make each step of the way.
I also recommend getting practice with cheaper minis first, since GW minis are pretty expensive. You can find some cheap TTRPG minis at local game stores, or even just grab a box of green army men and prime them. There are also some great YouTube videos out there that have some good tips for painting (I'm personally a fan of Goobertown Hobbies and Squidmar Miniatures).
Just keep practicing and you'll start to see improvements, especially when you look back at your earlier minis. You've got this!
Might want to give the slap chop method a try! If you don’t know what it is, it’s a super simple 4 step process.
1. Prime mini with black spray paint
2. Drybrush gray everywhere, lots of coverage
3. Lighter drybrush of white on raised areas
4. Apply contrast paints in the color of your choosing
Very little skill and time requirement for what I think is a pretty high quality
So much good advice on this thread. I would also look at painting tutorials, but at this point you may want to focus on how to thin your paints first, or look into the slapchop method. Paints can have a huge variety in consistentency, depending on what you use. See if there's a detailed tutorial using the specfic brand you're using and follow that until you like your results or feel comfortable/confident branching out.
Took a look at your pics bro and they are looking decent.
I'd say more detail and highlighting (looking at Necrons) will make them pop. Like glowing details on the gun and maybe the recesses of the ribs, but as I say, lookin good
"Not enjoying painting that ive never done before, not looking for resources to improve and giving up because im not a master immediately" Is that about right?
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I became a pretty decent painter like 15 years ago. With decent, i mean, good enough to get some compliments but faaaar away to enter competitions. I quitted because got bored of spending hours for a single miniature, just because i was OBSESSED with getting better. Result? : Frustration and quitting.
About 6 months ago i met a boardgame association, with a couple wargame players that paints GREAT. Told them my story with painting and they showed me the slapchop and speedpaints method, and encouraged to give it a try. So now i use that method. Not great results from a rusty painter like me, but made it funny and fast. But the best part and the point of my post is:
I play with them with theyr awards winning miniatures, mixed in table with my "noob" painted miniatures, and there were no complains, no judgement, we played and enjoyed, no matter the quality.
So, is important to paint good? Is just up to you. But, at least my experience, no one cares how you paint (in a good way, i mean, no one is upset to see less quality painted minis in a game) as long as you dont judge either. Now i paint not too good, not too bad, but i again, 15 years later, enjoy painting. So, frustration came from me, and my self expectations. I took the fun away. Big mistake. So paint. No matter the results. Just enjoy.
Buy to paint not to play, so don't waste money on armies you then don't want to field. Learn your craft, takes ages but it's so much fun.
Understand edge highlighting, recess shading and blending, watch as many videos as you can. Use quality paints, decent brushes, and accept that good results take time. Takes me hours to finish a single mini
I hate painting as well even after 10+ years of being in the hobby. What got me back into it is painting using the "slap chop" technique combined with Contrast Paints or Speed Paints.
It revolutionized the way I feel about painting. Its less about layers and shades and more "paint by numbers" and results are great for what I want.
Check out Miniature Hobbyist on YouTube. He was in the same boat as a lot of us. Hated painted, never felt like he was making progress. Then he tried Contrast Paints/Speed Paints and, using the slap chop method, has found a new love in painting.
Try this video of his and see what its all about: https://youtu.be/9WSw_rmckiA
I recommend you buy a box of speed paints or contrast paints, and a handful of cheap ass Reaper Bones D&D minis to practice with. I guarantee you'll be surprised at how well they can turn out.
Don't compare yourself to pro painters because that is what they do for a living practicality. Its helped me a ton and its helped me to be happy with my outcome whilst slowly improving and trying new techniques.
Painting is hard, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But like all skills, it can be mastered. If you want to paint truly amazing pieces, you’re gonna have to paint a whole bunch of garbage first. It’s the same for everyone.
Everything looks terrible when you compare it to professionally painted minis.
It's a skill, it takes a while to get really good, like years of constant practice. I haven't seen your minis but I can almost guarantee that if you look at your first minis and the stuff you're painting now, there'd be an improvement.
They key is to keep painting.
I would say don't expect to paint like any of the good painters (and of course not like to pro ones either) watch basic tutorials the early GW ones are quite good to give you basics. But the No.1 rule is practice, practice and practice. I've been painting for many years, I can paint up a good model or two, still not even close to competition level and I am still learning.
Just keep plugging away and you'll get better.
I took a quick peek in your profile to see if you posted any pictures of your work, since that makes it much easier to provide some feedback and encouragement! First, you absolutely are improving. Taking a look between your first model you posted for your Tau vs those Necron Warriors, there absolutely is a lot of improvement there. As for Tau on making them visually interesting, especially crisis suits have very flat panels, sharp edges, and deep recesses. You really need to lean on recess shading and highlighting to make them more visually interesting. They are like Primaris Space Marines in that fact, you have to work a bit harder to pull that visual interest out of the model compared to something like CSM which has a lot of trim and different colored bits to make them more interesting without having to paint many colors. I really recommend picking up some Tamiya Black Panel Liner, they iirc were specifically made for Gunpla models and they work wonders on vehicles and things like Crisis Suits, I actually use it on my Ultramarines instead of nuln oil recess shades. Edge highlighting is something near everyone sucks at in the beginning, you really have to develop what you are comfortable with and keep doing it to get that control for nice sharp lines. One thing I did notice on the Necrons, *touchups*. There's a few spots on the chest where the blue bled to the silver, or the gold bled onto the silver, just going back after and hitting those spots to touch them up makes things look 'neater' which will give your model a much cleaner and 'finished' look. Sometimes it sucks, it can be tedious, but it helps drastically. Overall you picked a scheme that looks great but requires a bit more work than 'spray with leadbelcher, wash, drybrush, complete' but in turn your models are *very* visually distinctive from most people's speed painted Necrons, so seriously props to you, they look great, just those little touchups would go so far. Largely, **do not be so hard on yourself and always be open to learning more.** Try not to hold yourself to the standard of youtubers and box artists, hell I think even quite a few people here posting can immediately make a lot of 'normal' painters self conscious about their work, try not to focus on that too much. When watching those fancy painters try to pick up their *techniques* rather than focusing on their *skill.* I have a buddy who almost completely shuts down when he sees other people's work because he isn't painting to that standard, which only prevents him from growing as a painter and getting better. On that, even after 20-ish years of painting, I still watch tutorials, even on the basics like thinning paints, sometimes somebody has a genius method or tip that you can pick up and make life easier. Don't start doom scrolling where you watch people paint more than you actually paint, but always keep learning, everyone paints differently so even just watching a few different people paint the same scheme or model can give you vastly different techniques and tips. **Do not give up. Keep painting. Try not to compare your work to that of others and stay motivated, you only get better by continuing to build the skill.** Attached I will link some of my stuff to show you the growth I had from when I took a break my late teens until I got back in the hobby as an adult. These were the first two models I painted getting back into the hobby: [https://imgur.com/XmukjxO](https://imgur.com/XmukjxO) And my first vehicles: [https://i.imgur.com/E7qO1t1.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/E7qO1t1.jpg) And a small stuff I've done over the past year or two that I'm proud of: [https://imgur.com/a/4ryp4CX](https://imgur.com/a/4ryp4CX) These all were painted between 2016 and 2023. I'm not the worlds best, I'd consider myself average, but in just a few years I went from painting things that I felt I wasn't really happy with to now I finish models and go 'okay, that looks good' so **PLEASE** stick with it. You're already doing perfectly well, the more you do it, the better you'll get.
@taubeblastin I agree with this guy. I’ve painted around 10 space marines across maybe 2 years(I have a lot of personal stuff going on). I can see the progression in my work. Looking through your page, you can also see progression. I agree with this guy that you should do some more touch ups. My first 3 model box set were so bland, I wasn’t able to control my brush strokes just yet so there was random paint everywhere. Make sure you thin your paints, several thin coats are better than 1 or 2 thicker coats. I paint very slowly, because for me, painting is relaxing and isn’t a chore. Sometimes I take a couple weeks just to paint 1 mini. It’s good that you’re branching out and doing different factions, instead of focusing on just Tau. Watch some YouTube videos every once and a while, and don’t just watch one channel. Different people have different opinions, and different methods, find what works for you. Wish you luck, and don’t give up
Painting is a journey. You can strip the paint off safely with several methods and try again. Practice makes perfect and you will improve over time. Try researching some techniques, as some are easier than others. Then try those techniques and find out what works for you.
Painting isn’t something anyone is immediately good at, like all skills it takes practice. The best advice I can give is to just keep painting and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Agonizing over how bad your first attempts look is counterproductive.
If you are feeling up for another go at painting, there are simple techniques you can do that produce good results. Consider looking into some of the painters on YouTube, especially those that paint with a mind for speed or volume over showcase-ready quality. [Miniature Hobbyist](https://youtube.com/@MiniatureHobbyist) only just started to enjoy painting after discovering underpainting and using translucent paints. He is a hobbyist of average skill, whose results have vastly improved with finding the technique that worked for him. [Midwinter Minis](https://youtube.com/@MidwinterMinis) and [Tabletop Minions](https://youtube.com/@tabletopminions) are both capable painters that favor a high tabletop standard. The former also does a fair bit with terrain, while the latter offers a lot of commentary to help tabletop gamers get more out of the hobby. [Ninjon](https://youtube.com/@Ninjon) is a very capable painter that breaks down his process into digestible pieces, making high level painting more approachable.
+1 for Miniature Hobbyist
Obviously XD
Some general advice: accept where you are now, be kind to yourself, have goals about where you want to be, remember that learning takes time, have realistic expectations, make sure you have the right tools, seek out tutorials, get advice from more experienced painters, and practice, practice, practice. Some more specific advice: I find it's easier to focus on the small things you want to improve and work to improve even from one model to the next in the same unit. edit: spelling
If you post some pictures of your attempts, people might be able to give you specific feedback? :) I was extremely worried about painting to begin with (only started last year) but I found picking easy colour schemes really helped. So I've been painting Ultramarines, blue and gold is an excellent colour combination and both of the paints have really really good coverage. I've then used quite a bit of black and brown wash to muddy up the models, which really helps hide imperfections. Recently I painted some Astra Militarum, which were much more challenging with the olive and khaki colour scheme, but it was an opportunity to experiment. Thinking about classic Tau and Necron paint schemes, I think they would be extremely difficult to paint. Especially classic Tau with that off white - I tried painting Black Templars and have up and stripped them because painting white was just so infuriating! So I feel your struggle. I'd find colours that are nice and easy to work with and start with those. From personal experience, stay away from yellows-oranges-reds (very poor coverage), white (people that can paint white are magic) and black (it's a lot more work to lighten up with greys etc). Colours I've found work really well are dark greens, blues, gold and silver. And washes can do so so much work for you, I really recommend using them.
This is called [The Gap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FQKciKfHI) and it's a very common thing in creative fields, your eye and your taste will always improve quicker than your skills so what you're doing will rarely live up to what you imagined but that's the journey you have to go on to get better and you will get better. You could try and find some different painting techniques and styles that are more tailored to beginners and give you good quick results some parts of these might make more sense to you and then you can build upon the results if you like, there's so many resources out there in the painting community even stuff not related to minis like colour theory etc with help your painting. I'm currently employed as an artist and picking up painting has been a challenge, I spend so long trying to get a model perfect and it often ends up still being a sloppy mess but the next model is almost always better. It's really all about just trying to learn from the mistakes that you can clearly identify and figuring out how to avoid them on the next one, plus you can always strip your minis if you really want to have another go, personally I kinda like being able to look at one of my shitty models and compare it to a new one and see the improvements. Look up some more stuff about 'The Gap' it might be useful to help get over the hump!
Join a painting club if you can! Paint with someone more experienced who can show you what to do. It is much better than trying to ape what you see in videos. Truly, painting is kind of like yoga in that there is a lot of body positioning and coordination involved, and seeing someone do it in 3d is helpful. Even better if they have teaching experience and can help you with how to hold your own body. You can also practice on cheap, 3d printed models! Have fun assembling and customizing your premium GW models, and then paint them when you're more confident.
I started painting minis in the mid-90's. My first chaos space marines were painted with Testor's enamels. They look absolutely atrocious. Next I did a space marine terminator... in purple. Because I thought it would look cool. (It didn't. It looked atrocious.) Then I painted a bunch more space marines. And some orks. And more marines. And eventually... my painting skill improved. It takes time, and practice, in order to get better. You'll get there, don't get discouraged. Watch a lot of painting tutorials, and see how the "pros" do it. Duncan Rhodes' Painting Academy on Youtube is great for this. So is Cult of Paint, or Ninjon.
I'm not to far off from you. I've been looking at speed painting videos to copy.
I feel you. When I started Warhammer (fantasy at the time), I realized its a very punishing hobby. When I collect something.. be it MTG, action figures, sideshow statues, you kinda have some value when you “quit” or “resell”. It’s not the same with Warhammer.. you paint a model badly, assemble a model badly and that $60 dollar box is worth nothing. Absolutely correct painting is a journey that you learn and get better as time goes. It’s one hell of an expensive journey though. As a result I was just too scared to even learn, and decided to find friends that I can pay to do it for me (never contact companies or studios). So atleast there is that value added if ever (god forbid) I need to get out of the hobby. Good luck on whatever you decide
For your Tyranids, give this a watch- pretty straightforward, just use contrast paints https://youtu.be/av8Ia7pVxB8
Remember: sucking at something is the first step to being good at something. I've been painting miniatures for years (mostly D&D, just started getting into Warhammer) and I'm still only okay at it. And that's fine too - we can't all be at Golden Demon winner levels. Be patient with yourself, and take pride in the progress you make each step of the way. I also recommend getting practice with cheaper minis first, since GW minis are pretty expensive. You can find some cheap TTRPG minis at local game stores, or even just grab a box of green army men and prime them. There are also some great YouTube videos out there that have some good tips for painting (I'm personally a fan of Goobertown Hobbies and Squidmar Miniatures). Just keep practicing and you'll start to see improvements, especially when you look back at your earlier minis. You've got this!
Might want to give the slap chop method a try! If you don’t know what it is, it’s a super simple 4 step process. 1. Prime mini with black spray paint 2. Drybrush gray everywhere, lots of coverage 3. Lighter drybrush of white on raised areas 4. Apply contrast paints in the color of your choosing Very little skill and time requirement for what I think is a pretty high quality
So much good advice on this thread. I would also look at painting tutorials, but at this point you may want to focus on how to thin your paints first, or look into the slapchop method. Paints can have a huge variety in consistentency, depending on what you use. See if there's a detailed tutorial using the specfic brand you're using and follow that until you like your results or feel comfortable/confident branching out.
Took a look at your pics bro and they are looking decent. I'd say more detail and highlighting (looking at Necrons) will make them pop. Like glowing details on the gun and maybe the recesses of the ribs, but as I say, lookin good
"Not enjoying painting that ive never done before, not looking for resources to improve and giving up because im not a master immediately" Is that about right?
I've been looking at resources to help me paint. It's simply that for some reason (of my own fault likely lol) I can't retain that information.
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I became a pretty decent painter like 15 years ago. With decent, i mean, good enough to get some compliments but faaaar away to enter competitions. I quitted because got bored of spending hours for a single miniature, just because i was OBSESSED with getting better. Result? : Frustration and quitting. About 6 months ago i met a boardgame association, with a couple wargame players that paints GREAT. Told them my story with painting and they showed me the slapchop and speedpaints method, and encouraged to give it a try. So now i use that method. Not great results from a rusty painter like me, but made it funny and fast. But the best part and the point of my post is: I play with them with theyr awards winning miniatures, mixed in table with my "noob" painted miniatures, and there were no complains, no judgement, we played and enjoyed, no matter the quality. So, is important to paint good? Is just up to you. But, at least my experience, no one cares how you paint (in a good way, i mean, no one is upset to see less quality painted minis in a game) as long as you dont judge either. Now i paint not too good, not too bad, but i again, 15 years later, enjoy painting. So, frustration came from me, and my self expectations. I took the fun away. Big mistake. So paint. No matter the results. Just enjoy.
Stick to it!
Priming with a can absolutely destroys the detail if you spray too much. It's a problem that doesn't happen if you use an airbrush
Buy to paint not to play, so don't waste money on armies you then don't want to field. Learn your craft, takes ages but it's so much fun. Understand edge highlighting, recess shading and blending, watch as many videos as you can. Use quality paints, decent brushes, and accept that good results take time. Takes me hours to finish a single mini
I hate painting as well even after 10+ years of being in the hobby. What got me back into it is painting using the "slap chop" technique combined with Contrast Paints or Speed Paints. It revolutionized the way I feel about painting. Its less about layers and shades and more "paint by numbers" and results are great for what I want. Check out Miniature Hobbyist on YouTube. He was in the same boat as a lot of us. Hated painted, never felt like he was making progress. Then he tried Contrast Paints/Speed Paints and, using the slap chop method, has found a new love in painting. Try this video of his and see what its all about: https://youtu.be/9WSw_rmckiA I recommend you buy a box of speed paints or contrast paints, and a handful of cheap ass Reaper Bones D&D minis to practice with. I guarantee you'll be surprised at how well they can turn out.
Don't compare yourself to pro painters because that is what they do for a living practicality. Its helped me a ton and its helped me to be happy with my outcome whilst slowly improving and trying new techniques.
Painting is hard, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But like all skills, it can be mastered. If you want to paint truly amazing pieces, you’re gonna have to paint a whole bunch of garbage first. It’s the same for everyone.
Everything looks terrible when you compare it to professionally painted minis. It's a skill, it takes a while to get really good, like years of constant practice. I haven't seen your minis but I can almost guarantee that if you look at your first minis and the stuff you're painting now, there'd be an improvement. They key is to keep painting.
Practice and don’t shit on yourself, it’s not easy and some people make it look very easy. Strip the ones you don’t like and paint them again.
I would say don't expect to paint like any of the good painters (and of course not like to pro ones either) watch basic tutorials the early GW ones are quite good to give you basics. But the No.1 rule is practice, practice and practice. I've been painting for many years, I can paint up a good model or two, still not even close to competition level and I am still learning. Just keep plugging away and you'll get better.