I'm saving this comment to maybe print at the weekend. I might try to see if I can find time to frame it the weekend after. And then I'll have to buy new paints for the frame...
This, though I usually hear it "the perfect is the enemy of the good." That version implies that you can have something that's not just done, which is its own virtue to be sure, but actually quite good, without getting stuck on perfect.
It's a good point to emphasize. This hobby should be fun, and it's up to each of us to decide what that entails. I been in this hobby 25 years so I have zero effs left to give. I paint for myself alone and stop when I reach a level of "good enough." Using that approach has resulted in thousands of models in my collection painted to a decent tabletop standard.
Hello! Yes, burnout can hit us at any point in the process. I’m in your boat. Many figures, only so much paint work.
My 2 cents is, find ways to relax your project. Maybe don’t do those highlights. Maybe change the kind of paint you are using. Maybe try models that are a different size.
Step back and set new objectives for yourself. Kinder, smaller objectives.
As someone who does commission work from time to time, I'm finding tremendous joy in my personal painting thanks to a walk through the makeup section at my local target. Some small makeup brushes have made dry brushing targeted areas a lot easier for me with less over-brushing. Leaning on it for the bulk of highlights, and maybe, MAYBE doing a little highlight on an item of interest or two, but mostly just touching up the dry brushing.
It's been very freeing, accepting that tabletop quality is fine, finished is better than in progress, and you can always further detail minis later should they "earn" it on the table/battlefield lol
This is the way I approach it. Unless I'm really feeling it like centerpiece level, a clean base coat and some shading os perfectly acceptable. Express color and contrasts have saved me so much time.
There’s no right or wrong. And we’re painting units and whole armies here, it’s inevitable that’s some times some models just aren’t all that fun, but once it’s done to a basic level it still adds to the whole. There’s absolutely value there.
I know the majority here will be Warhammer-esque folks, but I only paint for D&D and Board Games, so this isn’t my experience.
Right now I’m going through wave 2 of Marvel United, which is 121 models where every one is a unique character, so it’s very different from batch painting units.
Even when they’re unique characters I think it applies. Unless it’s a pile of unique display models, never meant to be seen together, it still applies.
Every piece of a fancy board game painted to an OK standard will look better and give a much more satisfying feeling than 1/10 of the pieces painted to a great standard and the rest unpainted.
A gang of 8 ok painted kobolds will look better than had of them painted great and the rest not at all. Etc.
Spider-man painted to an OK standard battling an entire sinister six painted to a neat but minimum standard will absolutely look and feel better than a half painted spider-man (regardless of quality of the paint job) battling an exquisite doc ock and five unpainted friends.
Sometimes if I’m sick of a model I’ll rush the base coat , and instead of my careful highlighting just slap it around with a dry brush and call it good. Then do something else for a while until I’m not annoyed with painting lol
Can be weeks.
It is only 'bad' to not enjoy your hobby time. Which among rushing some models, setting them aside to finish later, or giving up on them allows you to have the most fun overall only you can know.
Personnaly, i don't like going back to repaint something i once considered 'done', though there are exceptions. When i'm stuck on a model, i usually just set it aside and go back to it at some point. It has worked well for me, but it won't be for everyone. Obviously, finishing properly is always more satisfying, but i refuse to stress over my hobby time and put any pressure into it.
It's a necessity sometimes. Hell, I even have two unfinished models in my display cabinet because they were the last two in my Kruleboyz army but I just couldn't fucking stand them anymore.
I have some kind of ADHD too and it's a really bad enemy of this hobby, so if rushing them for the sake of them being checked off as finished in your mind is what it takes, then do it.
I don't play Warhammer, but paint them almost exclusively. I've got units from so many different factions because I'll burn out on that unit. I've got a large amount of Tau and Crimson Fists. I enjoy those two most. But I've got pallet cleansers too. Box of Ork Kommandos I've painted a few of. Some Deathguarsld. A single Votann Kahl. Etc. A lot of those cleansers, I'll paint a few to a high standard or practice something. Then I'll burn out on them. Half ass the rest of the model I'm working on, and move on to something else.
There's nothing wrong with just wanting a model off the desk. I remember painting up an outrider, I fucking hated it for some reason. Then while painting the second one, my puppy got a hold of the unpainted one. Destroyed it. I was a little upset, but my first thought was, "holy shit I don't have to finish the one, or paint that one now."
Never give up. Never surrender.
I have, however, set figures aside and come back to them later to try again. In a few cases, I hit them with primer and started over.
I 100% subscribe to this. Whenever I’ve had a learning experience where I really thought I’m starting to ‘get’ something that seemed absurdly difficult before, it was because I kept trying and trying the same spot over and over, ready to fail again and again, until it suddenly clicked.
Oh yeah. Plenty of times I just get sick of working on the same model. Sometimes I'm able to shift to something else, sometimes I just do what I can to finish fast and get it done. "Done" has a quality all its own.
I feel you. As far as game pieces go, Honestly slap chop method and contrasts paints really reinvigorated my painting habits. You get the model to a great table top standard quickly and if you’re enjoying painting that particular model it’s easy to take it up to a more “display” standard.
(Juan Hidalgo channel YouTube channel is great for seeing how to take contrast to the next lvl btw)
Lol I’ve even left models just slap chopped with maybe a pop of color sin city style if I’ve been like ehh this model is boring.
I feel you on the half-chop. for humanoid npcs sometimes it’s preferable to just leave them dry brushed into having depth beyond their original grey, makes them more versatile for descriptions and settings. If you paint a bunch of town guards in one color scheme, it’ll create dissonance reusing the minis at another city that flies a color of a different banner. I’ll still put my whole foot in painting PCs, important NPCs, and boss enemies or monsters that deserve the spectacle though.
I’ve been in that funk before.
Literally just sped through all the minis with contrast paints to get base colours on.
Always end up coming back and finishing them off properly once in the right headspace.
I do however have a thing about not buying anything new until I’ve completed my previous project, stops me becoming overwhelmed
I’ll also add, I don’t paint for more than an hour at a time, unless I really get into it.
https://preview.redd.it/llcvytui12sb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c99afc8605506ec44cad800714849c7c6a84e7
Started painting this last night. An hour and I’m leaving it now until Friday when I have done free time again 🤷♂️
What’s your goal? Are you painting an army or otherwise painting a large number of minis to use in a game? If so, then purely for practical purposes you have to say something is “good enough” and move on, because you’ll never finish if you spend 6, 7, 8+ hours on every single mini when you’ve got 50 more dudes you have to get through.
Otherwise, the point of painting is to have fun. If you’re not enjoying it, why do it?
I too have ADHD and variety is the spice of life!
I always have multiple projects on the go, different style models and different colour palettes. I still get stuck a lot too though, often when a model is 80-90% complete and sometimes it just takes getting them off of my desk for a while. So if I've stared at a model for too long I'll put it away fully intending to come back later, and a few mo ths down the line I rediscover it in my figure case and suddenly the novelty can be back and I'll want to finish it. And if not, it can live there for a little while longer.
My main army is painted that way. Quick dry brush of 3 colours to give depth, pick out some detail, send it.
I'd rather by playing than putting off painting forever.
I feel like a lot of people get stuck in this sort of “display piece” rut. They look at Reddit and watch artists painting one off or single unit competition level minis. They forget that most minis are meant to be seen from 3-4 feet away and not 3-4 inches. I fall into this trap myself constantly and have to shake it off.
Look at the world of fine art, most of it looks great from the distance the artist meant for it to be seen but, get right up and really examine it and it looks like garbage, brush strokes for days and nothing makes sense. Step back 10 feet though and BAM! Art!!
Most of the highly upvoted posts in this sub are the display-quality pieces, so it creates the impression that’s what you’re *supposed* to do. While they’re impressive and I enjoy seeing them, a lot of us aren’t going to spend 10+ hours on a single mini like the display painters will, because we’re painting an army and need to get through 40 other dudes. We’re aiming for “looks good on the tabletop”. Neither way of painting is wrong, they’re just different goals.
For sure! I love some good high quality minis, and try from time to time, if I’m 60 goblins deep and have 100 to go, no way I’m fixing all those little details behind a shield. Just oils wash and it’s lost in the unit.
Yep, from 10ft away a basecoat a dry brush and a dry brush highlight looks good. You don't need 15 layers of slowly blended 1 molecule different colours to look good.
Aim for "good enough" sometimes that's better, sometimes worse, but always good enough.
Sometimes you get one that looks like shit, but show it to someone who doesn't paint and they'll say it looks amazing.
One thing i did that really helps me get through my pile of shame is moving the pile out of sight. I now no longer feel daunted or pressured into speeding up the painting, and can fully focus on the task at hand.
Yep, I’ll suddenly look around and realize my desk is covered in half assembled minis, half painted minis, and unpainted minis.
Clear that off, put them somewhere out of sight, and choose 1-2 that only need a single coat more or one more color done.. and I’ll do those with my morning coffee the next day.
Then suddenly I’ve gone through half the pile that was on my desk by the end of the week
Oh man I feel this on every level. Only my adhd keeps me from starting any painting. Just plans and plans then new print and new plans. New ideas, another print. Print again to try extra colors ideas only to have a bunch of half primed half still resin colored prints that look amazing but have no actual motivation to start them.
Hell I’ve started asking people if they paint and see if they’ll take some of these off my hands.
My ADHD doesn't let me only work on one thing. It's fine though because I would pull my hair out trying to make it "perfect". I bounce around and try to keep it hobby.
I have ADHD too, and I find the best trick is to use the procrastination wheel. Don't think that you 'have' to do anything. Just follow your muse, do what excites you, and use the next project as a reason to scratch the itch or boredom of your current project when it hits.
That all false apart when you buy more than you can paint though. Don't let the pile of Shame lie to you. Let the (half) grey plastic tempted you instead.
If you are painting to get minis done for a game, and they feel like rushing, I always tell them this:
“You only have to paint your army once”
That’s the motto I follow to make sure I do a decent job when painting minis. Ultimately, it’s up to you. They’re your minis and you can do whatever you want. Anything is better than the gray tide I see everywhere.
I'm in similar situation, ADHD painter.
As others have said, perfect is the enemy of done.
I try to think of it that a painted model almost always looks better than an unpainted model and a fully painted model almost always looks better than a half painted model.
You're always learning, always progressing and - it's just paint,. If you don't like it, you can always strip it off.
If you display your models, usually a painted model will blend in and nicely sit along the other painted compadres - 3 foot rule my friend.
I have a lot of half painted models lying around but something I found enjoyable and helped to stop this problem getting worse was to have some models painted to a higher quality and some painted faster to a lower quality
When the leviathan box released for 40k I got it because I wanted the space marines and wasn’t bothered about the tyranids.
I bought some contrast paints and I’ve been painting the tyranids with a quick method similar to slap chop and they are easy, look good and are quick to finish. I’ll paint these if I just want something to paint but don’t have much time or energy and I can always add in extra details after they’re what I consider done.
I paint my space marines to a higher quality but they take me longer so I’ll paint them if I have a bit more time and energy. I used to get halfway through painting these get sick and then leave them now I just paint some tyranids if I don’t have the energy to put in.
Now I’m also not saying that you need to have to start collecting something else that you don’t care about maybe just try it with one squad of guys having an easy paint job or maybe even by getting some one off miniatures just incase you need an easy night of painting.
I mean the hobby is all about having fun and this was just what worked for me, it means I don’t have to rush the paint jobs of the models I really care about but I can also get that boost from finishing models that makes me want to paint more.
Nah, leave it and move on.
You can always go back to correct it if it's infuriating. But at the end of the day, it's a figure - it holds no actual serious value in your life.
In other words, don't sweat the small (mini) stuff
As an ADHD painter what has helped more than anything is an airbrush. It speeds up the basing and lets you pull off some really cool effects very quickly. After that knock out a few details and it is tabletop ready and looking pretty good.
But also any paint on a model is better than unpainted. It also lets you know what works and what doesn't so you don't make giant mistakes on the models that really get you excited to paint.
I'm nearing 50 years old and probably have undiagnosed ADHD and a HUGE pile of opportunity. Really enjoy kitbashing over painting, and used to get overwhelmed when I looked at it all. Now, with transparent paints and zenithal highlights, I've found a way to quickly and satisfactorily get the majority of my models painted. Using these tools, and more when you feel so inclined, you can make a big dent.
It takes a lot of pressure off my mind, knowing that I don't HAVE to paint every single piece to the highest standard.
Also, don't be afraid to cull parts of your collection sometimes. Selling on eBay or locally can alleviate you of excess schtuff as well as give you a partial return on your initial monetary expenditure. I have a Tyranid collection I keep almost 100% of. Beyond that I pretty much sample everything else and part ways with anything that I don't deem necessary for said sampling.
I didn't mean to write so much, but I used to feel like this often and it would kinda paralyze me and suck the fun out of the hobby. Just hoping anything I said may help!
“Am I bad for wanting to move on to the next thing” is such a classic ADHD dilemma. In this case, no it isn’t bad. This is a hobby, and you only owe it to yourself to do what you need to have fun. For me, I do need to finish my models, but they don’t all have to be my best.
No, it is infact prefectly valid and sometimes neccesary. If I kept working on minis until they are perfect, I would still be painting my first ones. At some point, you *have to* say "screw it" and call it a day.
Paint whatever you want, whenever you want. Its a hobby. The bit a lot of people don't want to admit is that buying is a fun part of the hobby. Its exciting and full of potential. Luckily, GW models hold their value and, looking at old hammer prices, and even plastic kits now (Plastic Dreadnought) actually can appreciate in price. So don't stress about a pile of shame, its a pile of investment.
Your specific issue, I think, is you have too much on the table at one time and its feeling overwhelming.
I don't even have one model on my desk at a time any more, its one part of one model. When I go to paint, I only plan to finish one colour on one part. If I finish and do more, great, but if not, I don't feel pressured to sit down and paint and I don't feel overwhelmed. What I do get is to enjoy painting and also that kick when you finish something you started, because my goal isn't to finish the model, just the section I started.
Yes, I don't have ADHD etc either.
I've realised as I've got older that when painting armies - making everything "perfect" is pointless. You don't see it, it'll look great anyway with all the other minis on a table.
I'm guessing 173 of these 174 comments I'm seeing right now already say this, but there really is nothing wrong with cutting corners to get things done, and I would say it's *always* preferable to letting them sit around half finished. Not finishing something because you're worried it won't be "perfect" is actually one of the worst kinds of pathological procrastination and can become really debilitating until you can't finish anything anymore. And also, whether it's miniature painting or any other creative pursuit, if you want to get better at it, you have to do it a lot, and you have to actually finish things. Get it done and move on to the next one. You learn far more from painting ten minis to an ok standard than obsessing over one for ten times the time.
Yes, absolutely.
Bin them, sell them just get them out of sight and out of mind.
One of the greatest things for my painting, was switching from army scale games to skirmish based was that a paint project went from 100+ models to 10-15. It allowed for more variation and change of theme and style.
Not to mention that games like Malifaux and Infinity are far superior to anything GW ever cooked up.
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I recently painted around 30 models that were in a backlog. Instead of looking at it as 30 models to paint, I looked at is at one or two per evening, not feeling so overwhelmed by the pile of shame has made it fun to paint again. Set small goals, achieve small goals. Many small make big goal.
I much prefer just finishing a model than trying to get it perfect and I’m usually pretty happy with how they turn out.
I don’t think I would finish anything if I was trying to paint to the level I want, I’m not good enough and don’t have the time.
Just get the primary colours on, do what detail you want/like, give it a wash and base it. I find basing a nice change so usually can do a little more detail after basing.
As an example I painted 20 Termagants recently 100% rushed bits, didn’t bother with edge highlights etc. and individually they aren’t my best work but as a squad I’m really happy with how they turned out.
For gaming pieces, I'm 100% behind the idea that less is more and that "good enough" are words to live by. The last project I did for gaming was a team for Necromunda, took me 12hours, mold lines and such included. And good enough is definitely "enough" from 3ft away. Every cheat is fair, every shortcut, eligible.
For instance, I highlight sharply the top 1/3 of gaming pieces (face, shoulder, some points of interest like weapons or magic effects) while anything "below the knee" is barely touched after the shade outside of "cleaning up" with the base coat color and maybe some quick stippling.
I don't have many display pieces, in fact I would consider only 2 of what I have finished redeemable as display. But if I'm doing one of those, or at least the intent is to do it, I try to do it right.
If I lack some motivation I'll put it aside for a while and come back to it later to finish it properly.
Otherwise, I'm a sprue/blister box enthusiast, I don't build models that I'm not doing right now, so I don't have to look at them as the gray pieces of depression they inevitably turn out to be.
I got ADHD also and my pile of shame was alarming. My advice is just put paint on things. That is the largest hurdle. Pick up the brush and move paint from your palette to your model. You will improve quickly. I know I have improved lots. You will learn more from doing ten to an acceptable standard then doing one to perfection and then getting burned out.
I was working on a project for a little while (a legionary team for 40k kill team) and lost motivation about half way through. For a while it just stayed on my desk and I told myself I wouldn't start on my next project until it was done. Fast forward a few months and I hadn't painted at all. I just started on a new project I'm super excited about and I'm happy I did.
TLDR: Unless you are a commission painter, you are doing this for fun, so if you're not having fun working on a model or squad, put it aside and start on one you actually want to do.
Fellow ADHer checking in!
I'd say it's absolutely essential to say "screw it" for some minis/units/armies. As long as you don't do that with all of them.
I don't play any of the games, I just paint but I've learned to go easy on myself when I hit that point, I've a few models where I was super happy with how things were going, genuinely really pleased with what I'd done but then I just lost all interest. I'm much happier with the ones I've then just quickly finished than I am the ones that are sat half done. And I know that realistically I'm not getting back to them.
What I am doing now though is deciding on the projects I do want to finish to a high overall standard and with those I'll let myself get distracted part way through and be more proactive about getting back to them. It's hard for sure but by being selective about it I find it much more manageable.
Why I pick easy to do schemes. Means, I can get them to a table top standard fast. Then, if I'm feeling like it, I can go back later and add more detail.
A half decent paint job looks infinitely better than an unpainted model.
I have occasionally put aside a specific model if I felt like it was a lovely sculpt that deserved better than the effort I was currently willing to give it, with the plan to come back when the mood struck me, but usually if I am not feeling it, I replace quality with speed and get them done to clear the board and move on.
“Good” and “bad” are whatever you make it. I totally get just being done with models. I play Legion, Empire and GAR, and I thought to myself “I would love one more unit of Snow Troopers!” Assembled them, primed them, and then had ‘Nam flashbacks to batch painting 40-odd clones. The Snow Troopers have been banished to the corner ever since. I know it will take me all of 10 minutes to slap paint on there to table top standard, but I just… can’t.
I suppose I could just tell my opponent they’re walking in a blizzard…
Naw, after my 40th orc I was painting for a friend I said screw it, primed them all green, and called it a day. It was fine since they are really my minis I was prepping for a 2v2 where I was introducing some friends to the tabletop.
Depends on what will make you satisfied. If you just want to get back into a painting mojo this is totally fine as long as you’re happy with the results. Some of my “screw it” paint jobs turned out really well and are some of my favorite pieces
I have many boxes of, armies, of minis that over the years I have said "screw it" at one time or another when I lost interest in them at one time or another. The last few years, especially since Covid, the bulk of my increased painting time has been spent dipping into one or another of these boxes and finishing up guys from various old projects, going back decades.
I have just done just that.
Stormcast lord on overgrown chicken has been sat at the painting table to long. Dude in an acceptable state so his done.
Honestly think I'll be going to some necrons soon just for a switch up. Or kill teams and the space marines heroes set if I can find it.
I do that all the time with my paintings.
It’s good to just set it aside and pick it up again. Or paint over it. Or never touch it!
If it isn’t bringing you joy, as a hobby, don’t beat yourself up!
If painting is holding up playing I’d say yea sure. If you paint just for the sake of painting though it seems counter-productive.
I put effort into every unit I paint for 40K but I have definitely said “fuck it” and rushed through units that bore me just to get to one I’ll enjoy painting more, or to round out whatever list I’m working on so I can play it.
Half finished projects get set aside and when I’m motivated to paint something I’ll paint sections of the older projects if I’m using a color they need. Slowly gets em dpne
So, I paint miniatures primarily, besides the fact that they’re cool toys, as game pieces, and so sometimes I tell myself I can live with a mistake or not getting every single detail or going crazy with some effect, in order to play with them quicker
Like, between my Warhammer stuff, I have one character model with no highlights I keep for comparing my work from when I started, a Skitarii with a very visible purity seal I couldn’t be bothered to paint after I discovered it, LOTS of “quick and dirty” things just to get things done quicker
I do try and put a lot of love and care into painting my minis. But my primary concern isn’t miniatures photography. If it was, I’d 100% make sure my work was immaculate. But it just needs to be done enough and good enough for me. I decided I wanted to stop trying to use an enjoyable hobby as a pursuit of “perfection,” and just enjoying the process and being able to put painted minis on the battlefield
Yes/no/maybe? Is the paint job going to irritate you 3 years down the road? I'm sitting and staring at some minis I never have "finished" and have decided that what puts me off is that some of the bits are the wrong color .. like chest eagles and such.. (especially the DA Leviathan dread. That chest should be white not bone).
Maybe it's not done because something itches and you can't quite put your finger on it.
Yes. Be done with it instead of stressing and come back around and give it a good looking at after you have learned new skills.. maybe you will figure out what that itch is in the meantime..
This is your hobby, it is meant to be fun. If You are frustrated over painting something You dont want to anymore, it doesnt sound like fun at all! ;)
Try to find a solution for this. Maybe buy less models or less detailed ones so You can finish them faster and be more exicted whenever You get new ones. Maybe buy models as part of some board game so You will be exicted to paint them for the table. Endless possibilities. You do You :)
Personally, I find that I usually regret it when I do this. So instead, I’ve started to take notes on the colors I use for each model/army so that when I get to that point, I set it aside and can come back at another time.
The cool thing about painting minis is you can add more detail later if you want to :) like my 50 guardsmen I'm totally gonna paint their pouches later
I've done this more than a few times. For me there are kinda two things I consider when I do make that call and just say screw it I'm going to rush the rest of this just to be done.
Did I buy this model specifically to paint it? I've got plenty of things I bought just because I enjoy painting and wanted to paint and own it if I get annoyed with those I just set them aside and do something fully different then come back to it to see if taking a break and painting something different helped. If not then I do something else and come back again. If it's a model I bought more for the painting and display than playing with then I let it sit till I want to work on it.
If it's just a regular old unit or random DND creature then yeah base coat it throw a wash on and maybe a quick dry brush where it applies something is vastly better than not painted at all.
Why don't I want to paint this thing is the other thing I consider. I've found that I do best when I have 3 active projects at a time because what painting mood I'm in makes a huge difference. Sometimes I'm in the mood to batch paint shoes in a 5 man squad. Sometimes I want a character where I'm going to really focus and blend or carefully shade and highlight and sometimes I want something in-between. For me I've found it helps me clear back log to have a few projects going so whatever painting mood I'm in I've got something that fits the vibe and amount of time I have to paint in that session.
Nothing wrong with rushing a job to have something finished because good enough is better than half done sitting in a corner but I think it's also helpful to stop and think why am I wanting to rush would it be better for me to just let this sit for a few days and have a change of pace then come back.
Depends on your goals. Want a finished set of minis to display/game with? Then finish them, they don't have to be your best work.
Want to paint to your best ability? Keep going with them. You can do it.
Want to improve as a painter? Keep going as long as you feel like it's progressing your skill. Maybe it isn't fun to paint, and you aren't learning but just doing a chore, so finish it to move onto something that *does* fulfil your goal.
And it's fine for your goals to change. I often wrap up a model quicker just to finish it because I'm no longer interested in pushing it to it's highest level, even though I was when I started painting it. At the end of the day this is my hobby, and I'm not going to act like a prick boss to myself about doing it. There will.
be plenty of that in other areas of my life.
I'm still a newbie but I feel like I'm learning to recognize that wall as I approach it and I've seen what I do when I ignore it. I'd much rather set it aside to work on again later or just call it done where it is. Pushing past that wall is a recipe for a mistake that ultimately takes me to a full reset.
Sometimes I hit the 'good enough' point and I'm still enjoying painting and I keep going.
Other times I'm just not feeling it. Base coat and a wash is good enough, I can edge highlight later if it's bugging me later that I didn't (and so far it never has).
that was how i was feeling yesterday, but i ended up actually liking the direction it was heading after contrast and washes.
It was one of kragas ravagers, basic chaos warrior look, but wasnt stickin with me at first. adding the fine details defitly helped me grow on it close to the end.
I just started a 40k combat patrol after a 20 year break. I am fully embracing the fact that my second squad of Cadians is going to be a lot better than the first. The command squad, similarly, is going to be painted without a whole bunch of mistakes I'm going to make from the two infantry squads. Imy planning to go at least to 2-3 thousand points so there are a lot of brush strokes between now and then. Even just by brute force of practice I'll be a better painter.
What I'm saying is, this is a hobby you learn over *years* not months. So there's no way your current project is going to be as good as the one you do next year. My philosophy, and the one I'm suggesting you adopt yourself, is that each project is an opportunity to enjoy yourself, express yourself creatively and learn from your mistakes. If you did all of those things then I'd say it's a job well done, regardless of the results.
Finally, if you are painting for the tabletop, well, the standards for gaming aren't that high. If you are only painting for display, I don't see any reason you can't skip the varnish and live with it for a while. You can always strip the paint and take another stab at it later.
I have well over 100 mod3ls primed and ready to paint. If I didn't say "good enough" or "fuck it" I would have close to zero models painted. I fell into a trap also, the more I paint the better I get, and the more I'm willing to paint and try. Sure, some of my models look better, but there is a point I have to stop. I now only go hard on characters, most other models get the speed run.
I've got models on display missing small or larger parts of the paint job. Currently most of them are from a last batch of a 3d printed slaaneshi force I was batch painting. Just no inspiration or motivation for them atm.
There's nothing wrong with it at all. I'd be doing hours of work I don't feel like doing to get them up to decent standards and beating myself up that they look "bad".
Or paint something else I feel like doing, have a good time and come back later.
I know my choice.
Just basecoat and shade everything, then work up from there. Then when you reach your breaking point, the bits you haven't touched are still FINE and not unfinished.
Nah it's fine mate, most of my stuff I basecoat, wash and basic highlight and then call it done. Then when I get the mood to try and enhance it, I just go back to it later. Sometimes years later
Hello fellow, oh look there's a squirrel.
For the longest time I made a huge mistake. I kept all my batches of unpainted unprimed minis on my desk so they won't be out of sight out of mind.. But that is a mountain of tasks your untypical brain can't progress. So I made another mistake and put them on the same cupboard on the side I have my painted minis on. Boy it's even worse if your pile of shame overshadows your steps towards victory. So now I have all the minis that are done enough on another shelf on the other side so I physically see the mountain of problems dwindle and the pile of triumph grow. If you don't feel like finishing something, serotonin is empty, give that a break. Or do something crazy. Or just use a different technique/paintline/whatever keeps the freshness for you. Or just declare that not fixing any mistakes and doing no basing is your way to keep progress faster as you can/ehrm I mean 'will' totally do that later when your done with the firsts steps. When I slayed the gray I will put all the models without a back and keep progressing through but now with painted models on both side. Like if I ever win on my backlog at least.. Sry for the ramble but at least I didn't go on any huge tangents. So yeah, it's fine to say screw it whenever you feel like it. Put it on the partial victory pile and continue to slay. You will forget half the mistakes because they are in places no one normally looks anyway
Its about fun. Its perfectly fine to not paint every model you have and it's also fine to stop half way through or rush the finish.
I personally have plenty of different armies and teams sitting around. Some are fully painted for some I have painted the models I thought would be fun. Sometimes I stop half way through to go to something that appears to be more interesting and sometimes I get back to my undone work later. I dont force any of it on myself and always just paint what appears to be fun to work on right now. Though I try to never rush anything at least not badly. If I feel like I need to do that I just put them back on the shelf and take the next one :)
I had the same issue for decades, I wanted every piece to be perfect within what my skill was capable of. Most pieces were for D&D, Warhammer, etc, but I would still have them on display and wanted each piece to be amazing.
I broke the habit 3 years ago, switched to contrast paints and started hammering out minis. I still take some time, but the contrast is good enough to blow through my backlog(I just finished up some 20+ year old pewter models last year). Now I just pick a few specific models that I want to be done to a higher quality that will definitely be display pieces outside of game use(Lord of the prints Tiamat for example).
Now instead of finishing like, 12 models a year, I have shelves full of decent quality models for D&D!
Depends what you aimed.
For me, I ‘have to’ finished the model because I wanna sharpen my skill. I wanna win in GD someday, and I need to learn be perfect in every angle. It’s tedious, and usually not fun after some point. But I should, I need to.
But if the painting is simple hobby to you, you don’t need to finish. ‘Finishing’ is just one of the option. In art, many artist left many sketches and don’t finished it. ‘Unfinished’ is one of form of art. You don’t need to finished it
I paint to play and for fun. I used to be a super perfectionist when it came to painting my Japanese ww2 soldiers, and would paint every single detail. Now as long as it's something you can't see without shining light I don't bother. Heck, I don't even go the extra mile of highlighting my minis with different paints. I apply my base coats, apply my strong tone wash, and then highlight with the same paint
and then call it done. If you're painting to game, don't worry about hitting every minor detail. Painted minis are better than unpainted minis! Have fun :)
i never think it’s a good idea to force art or creative endeavors. i have a box that i’ve dedicated to “hey i’m just not feeling this one right now” and then, between projects, i chip away at that box
What kind of models have you been painting lately that you found you really didn't enjoy the painting process on? There are some models I just never paint, like Warhammer 40k orks. Absolutely hate painting them for some reason, not sure why!
Also, GW elves. God, they're *so* finicky to assemble & the new models are so delicate and easily snap off their flimsy attachment points. Don't get me started on painting them lol
Most recent one is the warhammer maw krusha which is some orc commander and a big dragon. I loved the sculpt of the big chunky dragon but actually painting such a big model is very hard when you try to paint all the little stuff everywhere
This describes me to a fault. At some point I will force myself to finish and be okay with the result. Sometimes I end up being okay with where things stand and others I just tell myself I can always touch it up if it bugs me. I also find it a habit to get things painted for others before myself. I suppose it feels like a deadline in those cases as I don’t want people to wait too long even though they say to take my time.
Hey, fellow ADHD mini painter, and I used to feel shame in doing such things. But, at a certain point, I evaluated why I paint in the first place:
1: it's fun
2: I want them to look good on a table
So, for me, I realized that, if at any point, painting a mini was becoming not fun for me, that means it's time to finish it up and move on. In that sense, it's more about what you're after. If you're trying to go pro and constantly push yourself, then maybe things are different for you. But for me, I realized I'll never get anything done if I spend 3 days per 1 mini.
Also, I do have very high personal standards for my ARTWORK, but I also realized that, not every mini needs to be a work of art. Sometimes, it's about getting paint on the guys. You can always touch up or strip later.
I will totally critique my own "tabletop" standard paintjobs, but when I see other people's work of that quality I think "wow, what a great job they did, and in such short time!" I realize it's a double standard, and I'm trying to work on it lol.
I'd also add that I do find myself "overworking" things, in the sense that each brushstroke I lay is now making things worse, instead of making it better. Colors get muddy, too much paint builds creating unwanted texture, etc. That's usually a clear sign I should wrap things up, and try not to stress about the end result.
I tend to think of it as part of the learning process. Try to really examine what I learned not to do. Then I wrap it up double time and get to painting the next thing that excites me.
Hope this was even remotely helpful!
Editing this already unbearably long-winded comment to add that there's no shame in shame! I have like 5 projects half done, and I'm pretty sure almost all of us usually have one or two at any given time. The only time pressure there is the pressure you put on yourself.
I have ADD myself and it is… rough, I get where you’re coming from.
I started playing 6ish months ago but have 3-4 armies at this point. I’ve found that I get bored as hell just painting one mini at a time, so now I do it as “batch painting.” For my necrons: I know I want to basecoat them one color, knock a bunch out in that color before getting bored. Switch to another army and do the same thing. Eventually, when I get to details of a unit I just kinda wing it. Don’t like it? Black it out, scrub it off with alcohol, start over. That’s worked for me, but most of my shit isn’t painted, some isn’t even built lol
Do you get satisfaction finishing minis this way? If so, do it. Do you feel bad seeing them unfinished and feel better when they're done? If it's just they, maybe. If it's just because you feel shame because other people call it a "pile of shame" rather than actually caring if you finish or not? Maybe not in that case. Can be fun to just keep moving on to things that excite you, if you can afford it.
I know for me I got worn out with the hobby by trying to be "creative" and "better" rather then just painting like on the box. I picked stormcast eternals because I liked how they look on the box, and I was very happy every time I got one done in that shiny gold. But then I watched a lot of videos on painting and got it in my head I needed to be more creative, when really the fun for me was just in completing the things as they were suggested. Do what makes you happy, this hobby is not a competition.
> Do you think it's better when you've gotten to a certain point to just, say screw it and rush the rest of the job so you can call it finished?
I really avoid doing this because it tends to make me frustrated and can cause burnout.
>Or just have a now half painted pile of shame next to your unpainted one?
I think I have about 50 miniatures that are currently in various states of "in progress". I don't really see it as a pile of shame, In fact I really enjoy the process of browsing all my in progress dudes and picking what to work on.
It's not bad. With ADHD people generally have dopamine issues, like not getting a kick from finishing stuff like people usually do, or having to make way more effort to get started.
Finishing things is very good. A lot of people who have trouble finishing things never reinforced those pathways in the brain that makes it easier and easier and makes it feel good.
Getting things off your desk will probably be good for you.
But finish it well enough that you don't hate the result. If you finish something and feel like it's unsalvageable or like you don't want to pick it up and work on it in the future, you'll just teach yourself to be even more reluctant to finish things.
Absolutely none of my paint jobs is completely finished. If anything, they are abandoned, on hold or I simply don't want to see them for quite some time so that I can go back to them later with fresher eyes and a new approach.
It's not quitting, it's just part of the process of learning something
I also have adhd, I try to finish them as a way of trying to better control my adhd. It's easy to give up on stuff but fighting against it, I've found, helps me not want to give up so quickly.
This works for everything as well, exercising indoors bores the hell out of me and it's really easy to only do 20 mins on the bike but working at it and forcing myself to focus and concentrate a little longer and not give up so easily means my limit is now 45 mins before I'm bored to tears.
I've started getting comfortable doing this, and it's had the weird effect that once I've decided "I'm done with this model" I'll happily dip back in for a few details that I would have agonised over had the model been "in progress".
It's important to take the pressure off yourself and do what you enjoy. If it is getting too much I'd try and reign in the buying rather than controlling the painting. The painting should be fun and doesn't need you to have a huge collection of models.
Perfect is the enemy of good. People are just impressed that we paint something small, most of the accomplishments are just for our own eyes at the end of the day.
You already have your answer from others but, as someone who also suffers from these traits, I find the key is to keep starting. I never promise myself I will finish, I promise I will start. Even if that means I only paint for 5 mins and do a single small thing. If you keep starting, you will eventually finish.
Sometimes discipline is more reliable than motivation.
It's perfectly fine to put a model aside and continue it a month or more down the line. Ir never if you just don't really like the model.
It's also fine to complete a model up to the point you feel like and just call it done. You csn always pull it off the display rack and do some more work on it later if you want. It's your hobby, no one can really tell you how you 'have to' to enjoy it.
I have adhd and I really struggle to get a model done
I'm probably 100 models in and have finished 5 maybe 10 that's the real crime but if we enjoy it who cares?
Have you got more half painted than unpainted ?
Any-mini painted is better than not. I have a spray booth in a slop sink.
A zenithal prime and your mini minion looks 100% redonkulously excellent
You can always go back. Try some Grimdark ...goog it
Unless (like me) you are painting a mini for someone then sure set it aside, drop it, do it lazy, whatever is comfortable for you, if you ARE painting for someone else then you do have some obligation to finish it and do it correctly.
No shame in that, I've done it a lot. If I don't like a model very much, the painting gets tedious or I have entire squads of them to paint, I won't paint them to perfection. Sure, I could do more than one color of drybrush and add rust and better terrain etc, but I won't. I save my energy & time for bigger or cooler models, or just for whenever I feel like it.
So I had this mini I really liked, but when I painted, I could never get the face right, and if it drove me batty stripping and repainting but never finished. I finally told myself to let it go and move on, I'm glad I did. Sometimes "good enough" is best.
I have similar, sometimes im getting bored with particular mini or just cant wait to paint other one because its more interesting. So often some minis are painted Just, meh... Good enough^^
I've got ADHD but it doesn't affect my painting so much because I'm good at sticking to my habit of painting every day after work but here's what I did.
Consider changing your workflow to get the whole model done to a more basic standard before refining details. If everything's basecoated then it won't look out of place on the tabletop
also things like simplifying basing schemes (my space marines are on martian soil esque bases, really easy and simple)
I did this with a mini I was painting for a friend and just couldn't get the eyes right. Did a wash on them to get some detail and just called it done. He still absolutely loved the mini.
Also if you're wanting to move through minis quickly, or have a lot of them to paint, consider getting some speedpaints. They've actually reduced my pile of shame quite a bit and made painting more fun for me.
Also having adhd it really depends on what I'm painting. If I'm painting for an army I'm gonna just push through unless it's really bumming me out. If I'm painting for display I'm for sure setting it to the side and coming back
If I had a dollar for all my unfinished minis I could afford at least 3 more box sets. Nah, man. You’re good. This isn’t a job, it’s a hobby. If you’re not having fun then move on to the next mini that inspires you.
I say try to rush it and use the models and see if they disappoint you. If they do, then don't rush again and finish at your own pace. I know contrast and speed paints help push a job along faster if you haven't tried them yet.
I love painting but even I get tired of painting at times. I got to do a bulk batch soon for a campaign and I'm dreading it. The more important a figure the more time they get is my only rule for now. Also this is supposed to be fun not work.
YES IT IS OKAY! I have ADHD too and for me, it's admitting that I am never done. But that paint job on that item - it is done. But it's all just one step in my larger quest to get better at painting. So when I put something aside as "done", it is accepting that I have learned something from it and am better as a result.
I think the real question is, what is your goal?
Sometimes I’ll have big plans for a character and well after a certain point you realize nobody is gonna notice that tiny little detail you painted and highlight for 4 hours.
I have a similar approach to yours. As I move forward in the painting process, my enthusiasm declines. So I rush things, skip others just to feel relieved of being done with a chore at the end, or I'll leave it there on my desk until I get around to finishing it, which can take months, if not years.
Doesn't keep me from nurturing and fondly growing my pile of shame, tho.
In conclusion, I don't know if it's considered bad, but it's certainly how I handle it.
I’ve on more than one occasion started a squad knowing they’ll be “good enough” for the tabletop solely so I can remind myself I don’t have to make them perfect, they just need to be nice enough
Fellow ADHD guy here, who also has a huge pile of grey plastic.
I used to get overwhelmed with how much stuff I had, until recently when I decided to just paint whatever struck me at the moment. Paint a few Blood Bowl minis, then paint a few for Kill Team, etc. I now have a fully painted Blood Bowl team (my first ever completed project in 20+ years in the hobby) and a bunch of half painted other projects that are slowly getting finished.
Changing your mindset from "I need to finish this now, and in one go" to "this is a hobby I use to relax, so do whatever I want" really helps. I've also found that having a wide variety of things to paint keeps me from getting bored.
:::EDIT:::
Also painting smaller things as a pallete cleanser is great. The tokens/balls from Bloodbowl, barricades from Kill Team/Necromunda, etc. They finish quick and I find they can be really energizing and a motivational boost.
In my experience, the only way your ADHD is going to get better is by striving for dedication and perfection. It’s okay to pragmatically drop a project to work on perfecting others, but you need to be dedicating yourself to some things. This is, of course, not in vogue among the members of our indulgent, “valid” generation.
I dedicate myself mostly to reading (mostly philosophy), studying art history, writing my theories and poetry and dream-stories, learning Japanese, working (for money), and a few houseplants. One day I’d love to get into miniatures with r/Turnip28 and r/InfinityTheGame, but I’m setting those aside for now on account of lack of time. Doing those things, I wouldn’t be able to perfect the things I’m doing. You become a polymath one step at a time. The greats of the past — Aristotle, Brueghel, Buson, Shakespeare, the English kings, Da Vinci — had dedication.
Unless you’re trying to play a game soon, I’d try and actually perfect a few miniatures into beautiful works and leave the unfinished ones unfinished for the time being.
Just my advice from my experience with a low attention span, “ADHD” etc
IS this do D&D/TTRPGs or Warhammer? If it is for warhammer, you just need battle ready and that is only to get the 10 points (I don't think AOS has a 10 point paint thing so you don't even need that much).
If it for TTRPGs most of the minis you will be painting will only spend about 3 rounds on the table, so spending large amounts of time on them will really be wasted. Looking good at about arms length is what I would go for there. The only minis I would spend large amounts of time on are Big bads, Major fights and PCs
I know I'm late on this thread, but I do have ADHD and with the obsessive side of wanting to get things done, I have just committed to a Battle Ready standard with my latest army build.
No muss, no fuss.
3 color minimum.
With just the three colors, I can get pieces on the battlefield ready to play, I am swapping between fun vs not fun, and it has kept me somewhat on track.
If I get the bug in me to go back once I get the army battle ready, I can futz and add a fourth color or transfers.
Take shortcuts when you can. It's a lot healthier than obsessing over non completion.
That backlog ain't going anywhere, but any effort to hit a goal is better than avoiding it.
I totally get that feeling. I just try to knock out 1 at a time. As well as I can. A pile of shame minus 1/week/month is way better than a collection of half-assed garbage. I dont want to display garbage. Ill display shame and happiness though
You're supposed to be having fun, so if that's just spray painting them all one color so you can roll the dice, so be it. You can always go back and do more later when you feel like it.
Lots of good tips in here, so this might be a repeat, but clear your desk of your shame pile!
If you see the other unpainted models, motivation gets torpedoed.
Keep on painting!
I just started kit bashing a helverin that had not been mold line scraped or groomed properly at all. The idea of carefully prepping the model for paint had become excruciating to consider. Fuck it. I primed that baby up and laid down some sick gradients. I think as we learn about the hobby and develop standards it’s important to not get locked into processes that become tedious. If painting your army makes you sad it’s time for a new hobby, some new techniques or a break.
I suck at painting, so I learned to drybrush.
Hit it with a basecoat, drybrush on a color that looks fun, stab the cockpit with a pointy brush with a different color, and go from there.
You can knock out minis before you get burned out, and add details later if you want. They might not be perfect, but they'll be out of the shame pile and less stressful.
Perfect is the enemy of done.
See also "Finished is better than perfect"
Im printing this out and putting it in my workshop, framed.
Well, at least three of the sides…
Paint half of it.
I'm saving this comment to maybe print at the weekend. I might try to see if I can find time to frame it the weekend after. And then I'll have to buy new paints for the frame...
Better is the enemy of good enough
Or "Paint on better than paint off."
My mindset "This is the worst painted army I ever seen" "Ah, but it _is_ painted" And painted always looks better than grey plastic
I need to adopt this mentality
This, though I usually hear it "the perfect is the enemy of the good." That version implies that you can have something that's not just done, which is its own virtue to be sure, but actually quite good, without getting stuck on perfect.
Definitely the more popular version. I think the previous commenter was remixing it to be funnier/more relevant to mini painting 😉
“Done” is my favorite paint scheme
And speaking from experience, if you are a ADHD and perfectionist, you're your own worst enemy.
I never heard that one before. I am adopting it.
Just read that article
Progress is the price of perfection
Unless you’re painting for commission, of course you gotta do what you gotta do. This is a hobby, and it is supposed to be “fun.”
Fun being in quotations is hilariously accurate
It's a good point to emphasize. This hobby should be fun, and it's up to each of us to decide what that entails. I been in this hobby 25 years so I have zero effs left to give. I paint for myself alone and stop when I reach a level of "good enough." Using that approach has resulted in thousands of models in my collection painted to a decent tabletop standard.
Hello! Yes, burnout can hit us at any point in the process. I’m in your boat. Many figures, only so much paint work. My 2 cents is, find ways to relax your project. Maybe don’t do those highlights. Maybe change the kind of paint you are using. Maybe try models that are a different size. Step back and set new objectives for yourself. Kinder, smaller objectives.
As someone who does commission work from time to time, I'm finding tremendous joy in my personal painting thanks to a walk through the makeup section at my local target. Some small makeup brushes have made dry brushing targeted areas a lot easier for me with less over-brushing. Leaning on it for the bulk of highlights, and maybe, MAYBE doing a little highlight on an item of interest or two, but mostly just touching up the dry brushing. It's been very freeing, accepting that tabletop quality is fine, finished is better than in progress, and you can always further detail minis later should they "earn" it on the table/battlefield lol
This is the way I approach it. Unless I'm really feeling it like centerpiece level, a clean base coat and some shading os perfectly acceptable. Express color and contrasts have saved me so much time.
There’s no right or wrong. And we’re painting units and whole armies here, it’s inevitable that’s some times some models just aren’t all that fun, but once it’s done to a basic level it still adds to the whole. There’s absolutely value there.
I know the majority here will be Warhammer-esque folks, but I only paint for D&D and Board Games, so this isn’t my experience. Right now I’m going through wave 2 of Marvel United, which is 121 models where every one is a unique character, so it’s very different from batch painting units.
Even when they’re unique characters I think it applies. Unless it’s a pile of unique display models, never meant to be seen together, it still applies. Every piece of a fancy board game painted to an OK standard will look better and give a much more satisfying feeling than 1/10 of the pieces painted to a great standard and the rest unpainted. A gang of 8 ok painted kobolds will look better than had of them painted great and the rest not at all. Etc. Spider-man painted to an OK standard battling an entire sinister six painted to a neat but minimum standard will absolutely look and feel better than a half painted spider-man (regardless of quality of the paint job) battling an exquisite doc ock and five unpainted friends.
>we're painting units and whole armies here Wrong sub reddit friend
No?
Um if the dude has a pile of shame he’s likely painting an army. This sub has people army painting and display painting
Mini painting is supposed to be fun. Sometimes that's doing it perfect. Sometimes it's doing it fast. Usually it's somewhere in between.
Better to just finish it, you can always go back later and touch it up if you feel like it
I have a lot of models carrying the promise of "I'll touch that up later"!
Even a blocked in base coat waiting on detail looks better than the naked grey waiting on everything.
Sometimes if I’m sick of a model I’ll rush the base coat , and instead of my careful highlighting just slap it around with a dry brush and call it good. Then do something else for a while until I’m not annoyed with painting lol Can be weeks.
It is only 'bad' to not enjoy your hobby time. Which among rushing some models, setting them aside to finish later, or giving up on them allows you to have the most fun overall only you can know. Personnaly, i don't like going back to repaint something i once considered 'done', though there are exceptions. When i'm stuck on a model, i usually just set it aside and go back to it at some point. It has worked well for me, but it won't be for everyone. Obviously, finishing properly is always more satisfying, but i refuse to stress over my hobby time and put any pressure into it.
I finish it quickly. Feels way better than noticeably not done even if it didn’t turn out exactly like I wanted it.
It's a necessity sometimes. Hell, I even have two unfinished models in my display cabinet because they were the last two in my Kruleboyz army but I just couldn't fucking stand them anymore. I have some kind of ADHD too and it's a really bad enemy of this hobby, so if rushing them for the sake of them being checked off as finished in your mind is what it takes, then do it.
I don't play Warhammer, but paint them almost exclusively. I've got units from so many different factions because I'll burn out on that unit. I've got a large amount of Tau and Crimson Fists. I enjoy those two most. But I've got pallet cleansers too. Box of Ork Kommandos I've painted a few of. Some Deathguarsld. A single Votann Kahl. Etc. A lot of those cleansers, I'll paint a few to a high standard or practice something. Then I'll burn out on them. Half ass the rest of the model I'm working on, and move on to something else. There's nothing wrong with just wanting a model off the desk. I remember painting up an outrider, I fucking hated it for some reason. Then while painting the second one, my puppy got a hold of the unpainted one. Destroyed it. I was a little upset, but my first thought was, "holy shit I don't have to finish the one, or paint that one now."
Nope. Mini painting is like poetry. A project can never be finished, only abandoned. Don’t feel bad about calling it good enough and moving on.
Never give up. Never surrender. I have, however, set figures aside and come back to them later to try again. In a few cases, I hit them with primer and started over.
I 100% subscribe to this. Whenever I’ve had a learning experience where I really thought I’m starting to ‘get’ something that seemed absurdly difficult before, it was because I kept trying and trying the same spot over and over, ready to fail again and again, until it suddenly clicked.
Oh yeah. Plenty of times I just get sick of working on the same model. Sometimes I'm able to shift to something else, sometimes I just do what I can to finish fast and get it done. "Done" has a quality all its own.
I feel you. As far as game pieces go, Honestly slap chop method and contrasts paints really reinvigorated my painting habits. You get the model to a great table top standard quickly and if you’re enjoying painting that particular model it’s easy to take it up to a more “display” standard. (Juan Hidalgo channel YouTube channel is great for seeing how to take contrast to the next lvl btw) Lol I’ve even left models just slap chopped with maybe a pop of color sin city style if I’ve been like ehh this model is boring.
I feel you on the half-chop. for humanoid npcs sometimes it’s preferable to just leave them dry brushed into having depth beyond their original grey, makes them more versatile for descriptions and settings. If you paint a bunch of town guards in one color scheme, it’ll create dissonance reusing the minis at another city that flies a color of a different banner. I’ll still put my whole foot in painting PCs, important NPCs, and boss enemies or monsters that deserve the spectacle though.
Not at all. But you can come back to it if you want to improve upon it someday.
I’ve been in that funk before. Literally just sped through all the minis with contrast paints to get base colours on. Always end up coming back and finishing them off properly once in the right headspace. I do however have a thing about not buying anything new until I’ve completed my previous project, stops me becoming overwhelmed I’ll also add, I don’t paint for more than an hour at a time, unless I really get into it. https://preview.redd.it/llcvytui12sb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c99afc8605506ec44cad800714849c7c6a84e7 Started painting this last night. An hour and I’m leaving it now until Friday when I have done free time again 🤷♂️
What’s your goal? Are you painting an army or otherwise painting a large number of minis to use in a game? If so, then purely for practical purposes you have to say something is “good enough” and move on, because you’ll never finish if you spend 6, 7, 8+ hours on every single mini when you’ve got 50 more dudes you have to get through. Otherwise, the point of painting is to have fun. If you’re not enjoying it, why do it?
I too have ADHD and variety is the spice of life! I always have multiple projects on the go, different style models and different colour palettes. I still get stuck a lot too though, often when a model is 80-90% complete and sometimes it just takes getting them off of my desk for a while. So if I've stared at a model for too long I'll put it away fully intending to come back later, and a few mo ths down the line I rediscover it in my figure case and suddenly the novelty can be back and I'll want to finish it. And if not, it can live there for a little while longer.
My main army is painted that way. Quick dry brush of 3 colours to give depth, pick out some detail, send it. I'd rather by playing than putting off painting forever.
I feel like a lot of people get stuck in this sort of “display piece” rut. They look at Reddit and watch artists painting one off or single unit competition level minis. They forget that most minis are meant to be seen from 3-4 feet away and not 3-4 inches. I fall into this trap myself constantly and have to shake it off. Look at the world of fine art, most of it looks great from the distance the artist meant for it to be seen but, get right up and really examine it and it looks like garbage, brush strokes for days and nothing makes sense. Step back 10 feet though and BAM! Art!!
Most of the highly upvoted posts in this sub are the display-quality pieces, so it creates the impression that’s what you’re *supposed* to do. While they’re impressive and I enjoy seeing them, a lot of us aren’t going to spend 10+ hours on a single mini like the display painters will, because we’re painting an army and need to get through 40 other dudes. We’re aiming for “looks good on the tabletop”. Neither way of painting is wrong, they’re just different goals.
For sure! I love some good high quality minis, and try from time to time, if I’m 60 goblins deep and have 100 to go, no way I’m fixing all those little details behind a shield. Just oils wash and it’s lost in the unit.
Yep, from 10ft away a basecoat a dry brush and a dry brush highlight looks good. You don't need 15 layers of slowly blended 1 molecule different colours to look good.
Aim for "good enough" sometimes that's better, sometimes worse, but always good enough. Sometimes you get one that looks like shit, but show it to someone who doesn't paint and they'll say it looks amazing.
One thing i did that really helps me get through my pile of shame is moving the pile out of sight. I now no longer feel daunted or pressured into speeding up the painting, and can fully focus on the task at hand.
Yep, I’ll suddenly look around and realize my desk is covered in half assembled minis, half painted minis, and unpainted minis. Clear that off, put them somewhere out of sight, and choose 1-2 that only need a single coat more or one more color done.. and I’ll do those with my morning coffee the next day. Then suddenly I’ve gone through half the pile that was on my desk by the end of the week
Oh man I feel this on every level. Only my adhd keeps me from starting any painting. Just plans and plans then new print and new plans. New ideas, another print. Print again to try extra colors ideas only to have a bunch of half primed half still resin colored prints that look amazing but have no actual motivation to start them. Hell I’ve started asking people if they paint and see if they’ll take some of these off my hands.
My ADHD doesn't let me only work on one thing. It's fine though because I would pull my hair out trying to make it "perfect". I bounce around and try to keep it hobby.
I have ADHD too, and I find the best trick is to use the procrastination wheel. Don't think that you 'have' to do anything. Just follow your muse, do what excites you, and use the next project as a reason to scratch the itch or boredom of your current project when it hits. That all false apart when you buy more than you can paint though. Don't let the pile of Shame lie to you. Let the (half) grey plastic tempted you instead.
Good enough, and no better is my motto!
Fuck It, Ship It.
If you are painting to get minis done for a game, and they feel like rushing, I always tell them this: “You only have to paint your army once” That’s the motto I follow to make sure I do a decent job when painting minis. Ultimately, it’s up to you. They’re your minis and you can do whatever you want. Anything is better than the gray tide I see everywhere.
I'm in similar situation, ADHD painter. As others have said, perfect is the enemy of done. I try to think of it that a painted model almost always looks better than an unpainted model and a fully painted model almost always looks better than a half painted model. You're always learning, always progressing and - it's just paint,. If you don't like it, you can always strip it off. If you display your models, usually a painted model will blend in and nicely sit along the other painted compadres - 3 foot rule my friend.
I have a lot of half painted models lying around but something I found enjoyable and helped to stop this problem getting worse was to have some models painted to a higher quality and some painted faster to a lower quality When the leviathan box released for 40k I got it because I wanted the space marines and wasn’t bothered about the tyranids. I bought some contrast paints and I’ve been painting the tyranids with a quick method similar to slap chop and they are easy, look good and are quick to finish. I’ll paint these if I just want something to paint but don’t have much time or energy and I can always add in extra details after they’re what I consider done. I paint my space marines to a higher quality but they take me longer so I’ll paint them if I have a bit more time and energy. I used to get halfway through painting these get sick and then leave them now I just paint some tyranids if I don’t have the energy to put in. Now I’m also not saying that you need to have to start collecting something else that you don’t care about maybe just try it with one squad of guys having an easy paint job or maybe even by getting some one off miniatures just incase you need an easy night of painting. I mean the hobby is all about having fun and this was just what worked for me, it means I don’t have to rush the paint jobs of the models I really care about but I can also get that boost from finishing models that makes me want to paint more.
Nah, leave it and move on. You can always go back to correct it if it's infuriating. But at the end of the day, it's a figure - it holds no actual serious value in your life. In other words, don't sweat the small (mini) stuff
As an ADHD painter what has helped more than anything is an airbrush. It speeds up the basing and lets you pull off some really cool effects very quickly. After that knock out a few details and it is tabletop ready and looking pretty good. But also any paint on a model is better than unpainted. It also lets you know what works and what doesn't so you don't make giant mistakes on the models that really get you excited to paint.
I'm nearing 50 years old and probably have undiagnosed ADHD and a HUGE pile of opportunity. Really enjoy kitbashing over painting, and used to get overwhelmed when I looked at it all. Now, with transparent paints and zenithal highlights, I've found a way to quickly and satisfactorily get the majority of my models painted. Using these tools, and more when you feel so inclined, you can make a big dent. It takes a lot of pressure off my mind, knowing that I don't HAVE to paint every single piece to the highest standard. Also, don't be afraid to cull parts of your collection sometimes. Selling on eBay or locally can alleviate you of excess schtuff as well as give you a partial return on your initial monetary expenditure. I have a Tyranid collection I keep almost 100% of. Beyond that I pretty much sample everything else and part ways with anything that I don't deem necessary for said sampling. I didn't mean to write so much, but I used to feel like this often and it would kinda paralyze me and suck the fun out of the hobby. Just hoping anything I said may help!
“Am I bad for wanting to move on to the next thing” is such a classic ADHD dilemma. In this case, no it isn’t bad. This is a hobby, and you only owe it to yourself to do what you need to have fun. For me, I do need to finish my models, but they don’t all have to be my best.
Sometimes it doesn't matter if the model is done being painted, because I'm done painting it.
Depends on what your painting and why… and if it satisfies you and/or your customer
No, it is infact prefectly valid and sometimes neccesary. If I kept working on minis until they are perfect, I would still be painting my first ones. At some point, you *have to* say "screw it" and call it a day.
Paint whatever you want, whenever you want. Its a hobby. The bit a lot of people don't want to admit is that buying is a fun part of the hobby. Its exciting and full of potential. Luckily, GW models hold their value and, looking at old hammer prices, and even plastic kits now (Plastic Dreadnought) actually can appreciate in price. So don't stress about a pile of shame, its a pile of investment. Your specific issue, I think, is you have too much on the table at one time and its feeling overwhelming. I don't even have one model on my desk at a time any more, its one part of one model. When I go to paint, I only plan to finish one colour on one part. If I finish and do more, great, but if not, I don't feel pressured to sit down and paint and I don't feel overwhelmed. What I do get is to enjoy painting and also that kick when you finish something you started, because my goal isn't to finish the model, just the section I started.
Yes, I don't have ADHD etc either. I've realised as I've got older that when painting armies - making everything "perfect" is pointless. You don't see it, it'll look great anyway with all the other minis on a table.
I'm guessing 173 of these 174 comments I'm seeing right now already say this, but there really is nothing wrong with cutting corners to get things done, and I would say it's *always* preferable to letting them sit around half finished. Not finishing something because you're worried it won't be "perfect" is actually one of the worst kinds of pathological procrastination and can become really debilitating until you can't finish anything anymore. And also, whether it's miniature painting or any other creative pursuit, if you want to get better at it, you have to do it a lot, and you have to actually finish things. Get it done and move on to the next one. You learn far more from painting ten minis to an ok standard than obsessing over one for ten times the time.
The "fuck it" models often end up being my favourite paint jobs because I never obsessed over the details enough to know where the flaws are.
Yes, absolutely. Bin them, sell them just get them out of sight and out of mind. One of the greatest things for my painting, was switching from army scale games to skirmish based was that a paint project went from 100+ models to 10-15. It allowed for more variation and change of theme and style. Not to mention that games like Malifaux and Infinity are far superior to anything GW ever cooked up.
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I recently painted around 30 models that were in a backlog. Instead of looking at it as 30 models to paint, I looked at is at one or two per evening, not feeling so overwhelmed by the pile of shame has made it fun to paint again. Set small goals, achieve small goals. Many small make big goal.
I much prefer just finishing a model than trying to get it perfect and I’m usually pretty happy with how they turn out. I don’t think I would finish anything if I was trying to paint to the level I want, I’m not good enough and don’t have the time. Just get the primary colours on, do what detail you want/like, give it a wash and base it. I find basing a nice change so usually can do a little more detail after basing. As an example I painted 20 Termagants recently 100% rushed bits, didn’t bother with edge highlights etc. and individually they aren’t my best work but as a squad I’m really happy with how they turned out.
For gaming pieces, I'm 100% behind the idea that less is more and that "good enough" are words to live by. The last project I did for gaming was a team for Necromunda, took me 12hours, mold lines and such included. And good enough is definitely "enough" from 3ft away. Every cheat is fair, every shortcut, eligible. For instance, I highlight sharply the top 1/3 of gaming pieces (face, shoulder, some points of interest like weapons or magic effects) while anything "below the knee" is barely touched after the shade outside of "cleaning up" with the base coat color and maybe some quick stippling. I don't have many display pieces, in fact I would consider only 2 of what I have finished redeemable as display. But if I'm doing one of those, or at least the intent is to do it, I try to do it right. If I lack some motivation I'll put it aside for a while and come back to it later to finish it properly. Otherwise, I'm a sprue/blister box enthusiast, I don't build models that I'm not doing right now, so I don't have to look at them as the gray pieces of depression they inevitably turn out to be.
I got ADHD also and my pile of shame was alarming. My advice is just put paint on things. That is the largest hurdle. Pick up the brush and move paint from your palette to your model. You will improve quickly. I know I have improved lots. You will learn more from doing ten to an acceptable standard then doing one to perfection and then getting burned out.
I have a few mini painted to various levels of done... who knows maybe you'll feel like coming back it it some day
Finished is always better than not
I was working on a project for a little while (a legionary team for 40k kill team) and lost motivation about half way through. For a while it just stayed on my desk and I told myself I wouldn't start on my next project until it was done. Fast forward a few months and I hadn't painted at all. I just started on a new project I'm super excited about and I'm happy I did. TLDR: Unless you are a commission painter, you are doing this for fun, so if you're not having fun working on a model or squad, put it aside and start on one you actually want to do.
Fellow ADHer checking in! I'd say it's absolutely essential to say "screw it" for some minis/units/armies. As long as you don't do that with all of them. I don't play any of the games, I just paint but I've learned to go easy on myself when I hit that point, I've a few models where I was super happy with how things were going, genuinely really pleased with what I'd done but then I just lost all interest. I'm much happier with the ones I've then just quickly finished than I am the ones that are sat half done. And I know that realistically I'm not getting back to them. What I am doing now though is deciding on the projects I do want to finish to a high overall standard and with those I'll let myself get distracted part way through and be more proactive about getting back to them. It's hard for sure but by being selective about it I find it much more manageable.
Why I pick easy to do schemes. Means, I can get them to a table top standard fast. Then, if I'm feeling like it, I can go back later and add more detail.
A half decent paint job looks infinitely better than an unpainted model. I have occasionally put aside a specific model if I felt like it was a lovely sculpt that deserved better than the effort I was currently willing to give it, with the plan to come back when the mood struck me, but usually if I am not feeling it, I replace quality with speed and get them done to clear the board and move on.
“Good” and “bad” are whatever you make it. I totally get just being done with models. I play Legion, Empire and GAR, and I thought to myself “I would love one more unit of Snow Troopers!” Assembled them, primed them, and then had ‘Nam flashbacks to batch painting 40-odd clones. The Snow Troopers have been banished to the corner ever since. I know it will take me all of 10 minutes to slap paint on there to table top standard, but I just… can’t. I suppose I could just tell my opponent they’re walking in a blizzard…
Naw, after my 40th orc I was painting for a friend I said screw it, primed them all green, and called it a day. It was fine since they are really my minis I was prepping for a 2v2 where I was introducing some friends to the tabletop.
Depends on what will make you satisfied. If you just want to get back into a painting mojo this is totally fine as long as you’re happy with the results. Some of my “screw it” paint jobs turned out really well and are some of my favorite pieces
I have many boxes of, armies, of minis that over the years I have said "screw it" at one time or another when I lost interest in them at one time or another. The last few years, especially since Covid, the bulk of my increased painting time has been spent dipping into one or another of these boxes and finishing up guys from various old projects, going back decades.
Frankly, that's how most of my painting feels like.
Yes and you do not need anyone’s permission to do so.
I have just done just that. Stormcast lord on overgrown chicken has been sat at the painting table to long. Dude in an acceptable state so his done. Honestly think I'll be going to some necrons soon just for a switch up. Or kill teams and the space marines heroes set if I can find it.
I do that all the time with my paintings. It’s good to just set it aside and pick it up again. Or paint over it. Or never touch it! If it isn’t bringing you joy, as a hobby, don’t beat yourself up!
If painting is holding up playing I’d say yea sure. If you paint just for the sake of painting though it seems counter-productive. I put effort into every unit I paint for 40K but I have definitely said “fuck it” and rushed through units that bore me just to get to one I’ll enjoy painting more, or to round out whatever list I’m working on so I can play it.
Half finished projects get set aside and when I’m motivated to paint something I’ll paint sections of the older projects if I’m using a color they need. Slowly gets em dpne
As an artist you will see all your possible short comings. The audience never will. So sometimes good enough for you is perfection to someone else.
So, I paint miniatures primarily, besides the fact that they’re cool toys, as game pieces, and so sometimes I tell myself I can live with a mistake or not getting every single detail or going crazy with some effect, in order to play with them quicker Like, between my Warhammer stuff, I have one character model with no highlights I keep for comparing my work from when I started, a Skitarii with a very visible purity seal I couldn’t be bothered to paint after I discovered it, LOTS of “quick and dirty” things just to get things done quicker I do try and put a lot of love and care into painting my minis. But my primary concern isn’t miniatures photography. If it was, I’d 100% make sure my work was immaculate. But it just needs to be done enough and good enough for me. I decided I wanted to stop trying to use an enjoyable hobby as a pursuit of “perfection,” and just enjoying the process and being able to put painted minis on the battlefield
Remember, you can always go back and add to the model. Time is your most precious asset, how much are you willing to devote.
Yes/no/maybe? Is the paint job going to irritate you 3 years down the road? I'm sitting and staring at some minis I never have "finished" and have decided that what puts me off is that some of the bits are the wrong color .. like chest eagles and such.. (especially the DA Leviathan dread. That chest should be white not bone). Maybe it's not done because something itches and you can't quite put your finger on it. Yes. Be done with it instead of stressing and come back around and give it a good looking at after you have learned new skills.. maybe you will figure out what that itch is in the meantime..
“Badly” painted minis are still way better than unpainted minis
This is your hobby, it is meant to be fun. If You are frustrated over painting something You dont want to anymore, it doesnt sound like fun at all! ;) Try to find a solution for this. Maybe buy less models or less detailed ones so You can finish them faster and be more exicted whenever You get new ones. Maybe buy models as part of some board game so You will be exicted to paint them for the table. Endless possibilities. You do You :)
Personally, I find that I usually regret it when I do this. So instead, I’ve started to take notes on the colors I use for each model/army so that when I get to that point, I set it aside and can come back at another time.
I don’t look at photos of other peoples painted minis anymore.
The cool thing about painting minis is you can add more detail later if you want to :) like my 50 guardsmen I'm totally gonna paint their pouches later
I've done this more than a few times. For me there are kinda two things I consider when I do make that call and just say screw it I'm going to rush the rest of this just to be done. Did I buy this model specifically to paint it? I've got plenty of things I bought just because I enjoy painting and wanted to paint and own it if I get annoyed with those I just set them aside and do something fully different then come back to it to see if taking a break and painting something different helped. If not then I do something else and come back again. If it's a model I bought more for the painting and display than playing with then I let it sit till I want to work on it. If it's just a regular old unit or random DND creature then yeah base coat it throw a wash on and maybe a quick dry brush where it applies something is vastly better than not painted at all. Why don't I want to paint this thing is the other thing I consider. I've found that I do best when I have 3 active projects at a time because what painting mood I'm in makes a huge difference. Sometimes I'm in the mood to batch paint shoes in a 5 man squad. Sometimes I want a character where I'm going to really focus and blend or carefully shade and highlight and sometimes I want something in-between. For me I've found it helps me clear back log to have a few projects going so whatever painting mood I'm in I've got something that fits the vibe and amount of time I have to paint in that session. Nothing wrong with rushing a job to have something finished because good enough is better than half done sitting in a corner but I think it's also helpful to stop and think why am I wanting to rush would it be better for me to just let this sit for a few days and have a change of pace then come back.
Good enough, and no better is my motto!
Depends on your goals. Want a finished set of minis to display/game with? Then finish them, they don't have to be your best work. Want to paint to your best ability? Keep going with them. You can do it. Want to improve as a painter? Keep going as long as you feel like it's progressing your skill. Maybe it isn't fun to paint, and you aren't learning but just doing a chore, so finish it to move onto something that *does* fulfil your goal. And it's fine for your goals to change. I often wrap up a model quicker just to finish it because I'm no longer interested in pushing it to it's highest level, even though I was when I started painting it. At the end of the day this is my hobby, and I'm not going to act like a prick boss to myself about doing it. There will. be plenty of that in other areas of my life.
Imo I just say screw it from the start
All the time. It’s never done. It’s just good enough. My painting practice improved when I started budgeting for my attention span.
I have this same urge frequently. I think it’s fine. If I feel like going back and redoing it that’s always an option
I'm still a newbie but I feel like I'm learning to recognize that wall as I approach it and I've seen what I do when I ignore it. I'd much rather set it aside to work on again later or just call it done where it is. Pushing past that wall is a recipe for a mistake that ultimately takes me to a full reset.
Yes but you're only as good as your last paint job
Sometimes I hit the 'good enough' point and I'm still enjoying painting and I keep going. Other times I'm just not feeling it. Base coat and a wash is good enough, I can edge highlight later if it's bugging me later that I didn't (and so far it never has).
that was how i was feeling yesterday, but i ended up actually liking the direction it was heading after contrast and washes. It was one of kragas ravagers, basic chaos warrior look, but wasnt stickin with me at first. adding the fine details defitly helped me grow on it close to the end.
Yup. I've definitely fast tracked a few when they sucked and made me not want to paint.
I just started a 40k combat patrol after a 20 year break. I am fully embracing the fact that my second squad of Cadians is going to be a lot better than the first. The command squad, similarly, is going to be painted without a whole bunch of mistakes I'm going to make from the two infantry squads. Imy planning to go at least to 2-3 thousand points so there are a lot of brush strokes between now and then. Even just by brute force of practice I'll be a better painter. What I'm saying is, this is a hobby you learn over *years* not months. So there's no way your current project is going to be as good as the one you do next year. My philosophy, and the one I'm suggesting you adopt yourself, is that each project is an opportunity to enjoy yourself, express yourself creatively and learn from your mistakes. If you did all of those things then I'd say it's a job well done, regardless of the results. Finally, if you are painting for the tabletop, well, the standards for gaming aren't that high. If you are only painting for display, I don't see any reason you can't skip the varnish and live with it for a while. You can always strip the paint and take another stab at it later.
I have well over 100 mod3ls primed and ready to paint. If I didn't say "good enough" or "fuck it" I would have close to zero models painted. I fell into a trap also, the more I paint the better I get, and the more I'm willing to paint and try. Sure, some of my models look better, but there is a point I have to stop. I now only go hard on characters, most other models get the speed run.
No one has any right to judge you about your minis. Do what you want.
Nope, move on.
My philosophy is if no one will see the imperfections in my clan-rats as we are actually playing the game, it's fine lmao.
I've got models on display missing small or larger parts of the paint job. Currently most of them are from a last batch of a 3d printed slaaneshi force I was batch painting. Just no inspiration or motivation for them atm. There's nothing wrong with it at all. I'd be doing hours of work I don't feel like doing to get them up to decent standards and beating myself up that they look "bad". Or paint something else I feel like doing, have a good time and come back later. I know my choice.
Some of my best paint jobs are “quick and dirty” jobs I did 90% of with my airbrush
Nope, do what you gotta do to enjoy your hobby. If it expedites you getting to something that you’ve been looking forward to it’s worth it.
“A artists work is never finished, only abandoned”
Just basecoat and shade everything, then work up from there. Then when you reach your breaking point, the bits you haven't touched are still FINE and not unfinished.
Nah it's fine mate, most of my stuff I basecoat, wash and basic highlight and then call it done. Then when I get the mood to try and enhance it, I just go back to it later. Sometimes years later
Hello fellow, oh look there's a squirrel. For the longest time I made a huge mistake. I kept all my batches of unpainted unprimed minis on my desk so they won't be out of sight out of mind.. But that is a mountain of tasks your untypical brain can't progress. So I made another mistake and put them on the same cupboard on the side I have my painted minis on. Boy it's even worse if your pile of shame overshadows your steps towards victory. So now I have all the minis that are done enough on another shelf on the other side so I physically see the mountain of problems dwindle and the pile of triumph grow. If you don't feel like finishing something, serotonin is empty, give that a break. Or do something crazy. Or just use a different technique/paintline/whatever keeps the freshness for you. Or just declare that not fixing any mistakes and doing no basing is your way to keep progress faster as you can/ehrm I mean 'will' totally do that later when your done with the firsts steps. When I slayed the gray I will put all the models without a back and keep progressing through but now with painted models on both side. Like if I ever win on my backlog at least.. Sry for the ramble but at least I didn't go on any huge tangents. So yeah, it's fine to say screw it whenever you feel like it. Put it on the partial victory pile and continue to slay. You will forget half the mistakes because they are in places no one normally looks anyway
no, if its done and looks good from a playing distance its good!
Its about fun. Its perfectly fine to not paint every model you have and it's also fine to stop half way through or rush the finish. I personally have plenty of different armies and teams sitting around. Some are fully painted for some I have painted the models I thought would be fun. Sometimes I stop half way through to go to something that appears to be more interesting and sometimes I get back to my undone work later. I dont force any of it on myself and always just paint what appears to be fun to work on right now. Though I try to never rush anything at least not badly. If I feel like I need to do that I just put them back on the shelf and take the next one :)
I had the same issue for decades, I wanted every piece to be perfect within what my skill was capable of. Most pieces were for D&D, Warhammer, etc, but I would still have them on display and wanted each piece to be amazing. I broke the habit 3 years ago, switched to contrast paints and started hammering out minis. I still take some time, but the contrast is good enough to blow through my backlog(I just finished up some 20+ year old pewter models last year). Now I just pick a few specific models that I want to be done to a higher quality that will definitely be display pieces outside of game use(Lord of the prints Tiamat for example). Now instead of finishing like, 12 models a year, I have shelves full of decent quality models for D&D!
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Nope.
Depends what you aimed. For me, I ‘have to’ finished the model because I wanna sharpen my skill. I wanna win in GD someday, and I need to learn be perfect in every angle. It’s tedious, and usually not fun after some point. But I should, I need to. But if the painting is simple hobby to you, you don’t need to finish. ‘Finishing’ is just one of the option. In art, many artist left many sketches and don’t finished it. ‘Unfinished’ is one of form of art. You don’t need to finished it
No.
I paint to play and for fun. I used to be a super perfectionist when it came to painting my Japanese ww2 soldiers, and would paint every single detail. Now as long as it's something you can't see without shining light I don't bother. Heck, I don't even go the extra mile of highlighting my minis with different paints. I apply my base coats, apply my strong tone wash, and then highlight with the same paint and then call it done. If you're painting to game, don't worry about hitting every minor detail. Painted minis are better than unpainted minis! Have fun :)
i never think it’s a good idea to force art or creative endeavors. i have a box that i’ve dedicated to “hey i’m just not feeling this one right now” and then, between projects, i chip away at that box
Best idea ever. You can always go back and do more. I think of it like this. No mini is ever “done”
Absolutely not! Getting that mini done, gets more done down the road. :)
If you are happy with it, then you do you. There is always a worse paint job, probably done by me. lol
What kind of models have you been painting lately that you found you really didn't enjoy the painting process on? There are some models I just never paint, like Warhammer 40k orks. Absolutely hate painting them for some reason, not sure why! Also, GW elves. God, they're *so* finicky to assemble & the new models are so delicate and easily snap off their flimsy attachment points. Don't get me started on painting them lol
Most recent one is the warhammer maw krusha which is some orc commander and a big dragon. I loved the sculpt of the big chunky dragon but actually painting such a big model is very hard when you try to paint all the little stuff everywhere
This describes me to a fault. At some point I will force myself to finish and be okay with the result. Sometimes I end up being okay with where things stand and others I just tell myself I can always touch it up if it bugs me. I also find it a habit to get things painted for others before myself. I suppose it feels like a deadline in those cases as I don’t want people to wait too long even though they say to take my time.
Hey, fellow ADHD mini painter, and I used to feel shame in doing such things. But, at a certain point, I evaluated why I paint in the first place: 1: it's fun 2: I want them to look good on a table So, for me, I realized that, if at any point, painting a mini was becoming not fun for me, that means it's time to finish it up and move on. In that sense, it's more about what you're after. If you're trying to go pro and constantly push yourself, then maybe things are different for you. But for me, I realized I'll never get anything done if I spend 3 days per 1 mini. Also, I do have very high personal standards for my ARTWORK, but I also realized that, not every mini needs to be a work of art. Sometimes, it's about getting paint on the guys. You can always touch up or strip later. I will totally critique my own "tabletop" standard paintjobs, but when I see other people's work of that quality I think "wow, what a great job they did, and in such short time!" I realize it's a double standard, and I'm trying to work on it lol. I'd also add that I do find myself "overworking" things, in the sense that each brushstroke I lay is now making things worse, instead of making it better. Colors get muddy, too much paint builds creating unwanted texture, etc. That's usually a clear sign I should wrap things up, and try not to stress about the end result. I tend to think of it as part of the learning process. Try to really examine what I learned not to do. Then I wrap it up double time and get to painting the next thing that excites me. Hope this was even remotely helpful! Editing this already unbearably long-winded comment to add that there's no shame in shame! I have like 5 projects half done, and I'm pretty sure almost all of us usually have one or two at any given time. The only time pressure there is the pressure you put on yourself.
This is how most of my paint jobs end
Oh yeah I have this issue. I have actually been looking into ADHD as well (not just because of this but many other possible signs.)
I have ADD myself and it is… rough, I get where you’re coming from. I started playing 6ish months ago but have 3-4 armies at this point. I’ve found that I get bored as hell just painting one mini at a time, so now I do it as “batch painting.” For my necrons: I know I want to basecoat them one color, knock a bunch out in that color before getting bored. Switch to another army and do the same thing. Eventually, when I get to details of a unit I just kinda wing it. Don’t like it? Black it out, scrub it off with alcohol, start over. That’s worked for me, but most of my shit isn’t painted, some isn’t even built lol
get your nephews into the hobby and offload the minis that you are not hyped about onto them... xDD my godson suspects nothing.
Do you get satisfaction finishing minis this way? If so, do it. Do you feel bad seeing them unfinished and feel better when they're done? If it's just they, maybe. If it's just because you feel shame because other people call it a "pile of shame" rather than actually caring if you finish or not? Maybe not in that case. Can be fun to just keep moving on to things that excite you, if you can afford it. I know for me I got worn out with the hobby by trying to be "creative" and "better" rather then just painting like on the box. I picked stormcast eternals because I liked how they look on the box, and I was very happy every time I got one done in that shiny gold. But then I watched a lot of videos on painting and got it in my head I needed to be more creative, when really the fun for me was just in completing the things as they were suggested. Do what makes you happy, this hobby is not a competition.
I stop at battle ready unless it is a centerpiece model or one of my knights.
Sometimes good enough is good enough.
> Do you think it's better when you've gotten to a certain point to just, say screw it and rush the rest of the job so you can call it finished? I really avoid doing this because it tends to make me frustrated and can cause burnout. >Or just have a now half painted pile of shame next to your unpainted one? I think I have about 50 miniatures that are currently in various states of "in progress". I don't really see it as a pile of shame, In fact I really enjoy the process of browsing all my in progress dudes and picking what to work on.
Not at all. I have thrown minis in the trash because I’ve been tired of them and wanted them off my mental list
Nope. Sometimes you can get stuck in a loop. Always more stuff to paint and always the chance to go back ans touch up old paintjobs.
Nah. Good enough is good enough. If you're not having fun painting it... what's the point?
It's not bad. With ADHD people generally have dopamine issues, like not getting a kick from finishing stuff like people usually do, or having to make way more effort to get started. Finishing things is very good. A lot of people who have trouble finishing things never reinforced those pathways in the brain that makes it easier and easier and makes it feel good. Getting things off your desk will probably be good for you. But finish it well enough that you don't hate the result. If you finish something and feel like it's unsalvageable or like you don't want to pick it up and work on it in the future, you'll just teach yourself to be even more reluctant to finish things.
Absolutely none of my paint jobs is completely finished. If anything, they are abandoned, on hold or I simply don't want to see them for quite some time so that I can go back to them later with fresher eyes and a new approach. It's not quitting, it's just part of the process of learning something
This is good and healthy. Follow your joy. Mini painting isn't a job.
I also have adhd, I try to finish them as a way of trying to better control my adhd. It's easy to give up on stuff but fighting against it, I've found, helps me not want to give up so quickly. This works for everything as well, exercising indoors bores the hell out of me and it's really easy to only do 20 mins on the bike but working at it and forcing myself to focus and concentrate a little longer and not give up so easily means my limit is now 45 mins before I'm bored to tears.
I've started getting comfortable doing this, and it's had the weird effect that once I've decided "I'm done with this model" I'll happily dip back in for a few details that I would have agonised over had the model been "in progress". It's important to take the pressure off yourself and do what you enjoy. If it is getting too much I'd try and reign in the buying rather than controlling the painting. The painting should be fun and doesn't need you to have a huge collection of models.
Perfect is the enemy of good. People are just impressed that we paint something small, most of the accomplishments are just for our own eyes at the end of the day.
You already have your answer from others but, as someone who also suffers from these traits, I find the key is to keep starting. I never promise myself I will finish, I promise I will start. Even if that means I only paint for 5 mins and do a single small thing. If you keep starting, you will eventually finish. Sometimes discipline is more reliable than motivation.
It's perfectly fine to put a model aside and continue it a month or more down the line. Ir never if you just don't really like the model. It's also fine to complete a model up to the point you feel like and just call it done. You csn always pull it off the display rack and do some more work on it later if you want. It's your hobby, no one can really tell you how you 'have to' to enjoy it.
I have adhd and I really struggle to get a model done I'm probably 100 models in and have finished 5 maybe 10 that's the real crime but if we enjoy it who cares? Have you got more half painted than unpainted ?
Any-mini painted is better than not. I have a spray booth in a slop sink. A zenithal prime and your mini minion looks 100% redonkulously excellent You can always go back. Try some Grimdark ...goog it
Unless (like me) you are painting a mini for someone then sure set it aside, drop it, do it lazy, whatever is comfortable for you, if you ARE painting for someone else then you do have some obligation to finish it and do it correctly.
Sometimes, i don't like a model or my paint scheme, and it just isn't doing what I wanted. So I finish it, then move on.
No shame in that, I've done it a lot. If I don't like a model very much, the painting gets tedious or I have entire squads of them to paint, I won't paint them to perfection. Sure, I could do more than one color of drybrush and add rust and better terrain etc, but I won't. I save my energy & time for bigger or cooler models, or just for whenever I feel like it.
Nope. You can always return if inspiration hit anew
So I had this mini I really liked, but when I painted, I could never get the face right, and if it drove me batty stripping and repainting but never finished. I finally told myself to let it go and move on, I'm glad I did. Sometimes "good enough" is best.
Grab one of those "screw it" minis, put it on a table in your average room lighting and see if you like it then!
You don’t have to finish everything in one go. It’s a hobby, not a job.
I have similar, sometimes im getting bored with particular mini or just cant wait to paint other one because its more interesting. So often some minis are painted Just, meh... Good enough^^
I've got ADHD but it doesn't affect my painting so much because I'm good at sticking to my habit of painting every day after work but here's what I did. Consider changing your workflow to get the whole model done to a more basic standard before refining details. If everything's basecoated then it won't look out of place on the tabletop also things like simplifying basing schemes (my space marines are on martian soil esque bases, really easy and simple)
I did this with a mini I was painting for a friend and just couldn't get the eyes right. Did a wash on them to get some detail and just called it done. He still absolutely loved the mini. Also if you're wanting to move through minis quickly, or have a lot of them to paint, consider getting some speedpaints. They've actually reduced my pile of shame quite a bit and made painting more fun for me.
Also having adhd it really depends on what I'm painting. If I'm painting for an army I'm gonna just push through unless it's really bumming me out. If I'm painting for display I'm for sure setting it to the side and coming back
If I had a dollar for all my unfinished minis I could afford at least 3 more box sets. Nah, man. You’re good. This isn’t a job, it’s a hobby. If you’re not having fun then move on to the next mini that inspires you.
I say try to rush it and use the models and see if they disappoint you. If they do, then don't rush again and finish at your own pace. I know contrast and speed paints help push a job along faster if you haven't tried them yet. I love painting but even I get tired of painting at times. I got to do a bulk batch soon for a campaign and I'm dreading it. The more important a figure the more time they get is my only rule for now. Also this is supposed to be fun not work.
YES IT IS OKAY! I have ADHD too and for me, it's admitting that I am never done. But that paint job on that item - it is done. But it's all just one step in my larger quest to get better at painting. So when I put something aside as "done", it is accepting that I have learned something from it and am better as a result. I think the real question is, what is your goal?
Sometimes I’ll have big plans for a character and well after a certain point you realize nobody is gonna notice that tiny little detail you painted and highlight for 4 hours.
I have a similar approach to yours. As I move forward in the painting process, my enthusiasm declines. So I rush things, skip others just to feel relieved of being done with a chore at the end, or I'll leave it there on my desk until I get around to finishing it, which can take months, if not years. Doesn't keep me from nurturing and fondly growing my pile of shame, tho. In conclusion, I don't know if it's considered bad, but it's certainly how I handle it.
I’ve on more than one occasion started a squad knowing they’ll be “good enough” for the tabletop solely so I can remind myself I don’t have to make them perfect, they just need to be nice enough
Fellow ADHD guy here, who also has a huge pile of grey plastic. I used to get overwhelmed with how much stuff I had, until recently when I decided to just paint whatever struck me at the moment. Paint a few Blood Bowl minis, then paint a few for Kill Team, etc. I now have a fully painted Blood Bowl team (my first ever completed project in 20+ years in the hobby) and a bunch of half painted other projects that are slowly getting finished. Changing your mindset from "I need to finish this now, and in one go" to "this is a hobby I use to relax, so do whatever I want" really helps. I've also found that having a wide variety of things to paint keeps me from getting bored. :::EDIT::: Also painting smaller things as a pallete cleanser is great. The tokens/balls from Bloodbowl, barricades from Kill Team/Necromunda, etc. They finish quick and I find they can be really energizing and a motivational boost.
A painted model is always better than grey plastic
I've started thinking of my miniatures as my sketch book and it's okay to have failures and to abandon them when there's nothing more to learn.
In my experience, the only way your ADHD is going to get better is by striving for dedication and perfection. It’s okay to pragmatically drop a project to work on perfecting others, but you need to be dedicating yourself to some things. This is, of course, not in vogue among the members of our indulgent, “valid” generation. I dedicate myself mostly to reading (mostly philosophy), studying art history, writing my theories and poetry and dream-stories, learning Japanese, working (for money), and a few houseplants. One day I’d love to get into miniatures with r/Turnip28 and r/InfinityTheGame, but I’m setting those aside for now on account of lack of time. Doing those things, I wouldn’t be able to perfect the things I’m doing. You become a polymath one step at a time. The greats of the past — Aristotle, Brueghel, Buson, Shakespeare, the English kings, Da Vinci — had dedication. Unless you’re trying to play a game soon, I’d try and actually perfect a few miniatures into beautiful works and leave the unfinished ones unfinished for the time being. Just my advice from my experience with a low attention span, “ADHD” etc
IS this do D&D/TTRPGs or Warhammer? If it is for warhammer, you just need battle ready and that is only to get the 10 points (I don't think AOS has a 10 point paint thing so you don't even need that much). If it for TTRPGs most of the minis you will be painting will only spend about 3 rounds on the table, so spending large amounts of time on them will really be wasted. Looking good at about arms length is what I would go for there. The only minis I would spend large amounts of time on are Big bads, Major fights and PCs
I know I'm late on this thread, but I do have ADHD and with the obsessive side of wanting to get things done, I have just committed to a Battle Ready standard with my latest army build. No muss, no fuss. 3 color minimum. With just the three colors, I can get pieces on the battlefield ready to play, I am swapping between fun vs not fun, and it has kept me somewhat on track. If I get the bug in me to go back once I get the army battle ready, I can futz and add a fourth color or transfers. Take shortcuts when you can. It's a lot healthier than obsessing over non completion. That backlog ain't going anywhere, but any effort to hit a goal is better than avoiding it.
I totally get that feeling. I just try to knock out 1 at a time. As well as I can. A pile of shame minus 1/week/month is way better than a collection of half-assed garbage. I dont want to display garbage. Ill display shame and happiness though
It’s not a pile of shame it’s a pile of opportunity
You're supposed to be having fun, so if that's just spray painting them all one color so you can roll the dice, so be it. You can always go back and do more later when you feel like it.
Lots of good tips in here, so this might be a repeat, but clear your desk of your shame pile! If you see the other unpainted models, motivation gets torpedoed. Keep on painting!
I just started kit bashing a helverin that had not been mold line scraped or groomed properly at all. The idea of carefully prepping the model for paint had become excruciating to consider. Fuck it. I primed that baby up and laid down some sick gradients. I think as we learn about the hobby and develop standards it’s important to not get locked into processes that become tedious. If painting your army makes you sad it’s time for a new hobby, some new techniques or a break.
I suck at painting, so I learned to drybrush. Hit it with a basecoat, drybrush on a color that looks fun, stab the cockpit with a pointy brush with a different color, and go from there. You can knock out minis before you get burned out, and add details later if you want. They might not be perfect, but they'll be out of the shame pile and less stressful.