So, I've hit The Wall. (Not the Pink Floyd one, I hate post Syd Barrett 'Floyd!). The last real thing I painted was the leader of my Feral Army, and that was way back in September.
I started off 2015 on a roll, throwing out a whole load of painted models, but it slowed down dramatically, especially after a whole bunch of 'community' unpleasantness which I shan't bore you with here, but needless to say, I won't be attending any 'Oldhammer Community' events again. That honestly tarnished my interest in the whole scene, and now when I sit at my desk, I can't even be bothered to paint anything, even new models. I've barely even bought anything recently, which, for a man who easily has five zeros worth of eBay tat in the house, is unheard of. I've bought into a few kickstarters, notable the Diehard Slann and the Macrocosm/Westfalia Halflings. but I've even stopped perusing the eBay listings.
In truth, I've not even sat at my desk in two months, and now I can't even if I wanted to, as the entire room is buried under junk because we've just had new central heating installed and it was a suitable receptacle.
So, anyway, on to the question: How do *you* get past Painter's Block? Is there a knack to it? Should I just ignore it all for a while, and hope the enthusiasm returns? Force myself to paint something? Maybe when the 200+ halflings turn up, I might be more enthused!
Answers please!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel! I spent several months last year with a bad dose of painters block and all the usual remedies of picking up something I've never painted before, swapping to a different project and so on utterly failed to inspire me.
Oddly enough, it was moving to small scale painting that made a real difference and since I started a bit of an Epic project, I seem to have got my painting mojo back. It's not got me perusing my 28mm stuff again and seriously thinking about painting up some more gubbins.
Dunno if that helps much but in previous doldrums, I have also had some success with putting the offending miniature that has caused painters block away out of sight (in my case a Mantic Ork) and picked up something undetailed and simple and the lack of a complex sculpt allows you to just enjoy painting which I suspect is why my Epic project continues to inspire me.
I do also find that painting an entire army is a soul destroying process that really doesn't help fend off painters block so it might be worth a shot painting up a couple of adventurer types for fantasy or one or two renegades for sci-fi and once you start painting an army again, occasionally including something totally different to the mix, be it an orc or gobbo while you are painting halflings or an Eldar while painting Imperial types.
I'm very much of the opinion that the hobby should be fun and a way to relax and not something to dread. I've very nearly given up on miniatures a few times and am glad I haven't as I genuinely enjoy painting little metal soldiers!
As for the community shenanigans, I wouldn't worry. Keep up the blog so folks can choose to read it or not (its a great blog so please do!) and avoid forums and so on if they are not what you are looking for. I've not posted on any of the Oldhammer sites for ages now as my blog is enough to keep me entertained!
Apologies for waffling so much but do keep the faith and hope you break the painters block soon!
All the best
Richard
I made a promise to myself many years ago that 28mm was the One True Scale, and I would never deviate from it's majesty. That way lies madness, Epic Scale, and Flames of War! ;)
DeleteTo be honest, most of my painting projects are skirmish level, I rarely paint large, full armies, and realistically, those poor halflings are going to linger in a drawer with the existing couple of hundred Citadel ones, and take many a year to get completed! When I'm in full swing, I tend to have the painting equivalent of ADHD, with about a dozen projects on the go at any one time, specifically so I don't get bogged down and demoralised by one project. Maybe I should possibly thin the quantity down so that I get more of an accomplishment from actually finishing something, I'm not sure.
As an example, I bought into Frostgrave recently, so I've got a good few lovely Copplestone warbands to be getting on with, but even they've not sparked my imagination, yet.
Also, feel free to waffle, it's always good to hear another point of view, thanks!
A few years back I've hit a wall wich made me mutate into some PS3 freak... then I got behind the desk and painted something just for fun and it reignited my enthusiasm !
ReplyDeleteA couple of months ago I had a lot of models I had to paint with deadlines and for other people, thi swas not a lot of fun and I just picked a chaos champion I turned into a champion of Law for fun, I ended up with a whole warband just because I enjoyed myself.
I do not believe in "forcing" oneself to paint to get the mojo back, just play some fallout or read one of those books you like, whatever floats your boat, try and look into the leadpile, something might pick an interest, just forget about anything else, if it takes your fancy, just try, it might be fun and act as the sparkle that sets fire back to the whole thing really !
Yeah, I'm not forcing myself. I've got plenty of other hobbies, (possibly too many!) and we're also about to engage in some serious house extension building. I'm hoping that at some point I'll need a relaxing break from that, and painting will provide it.
DeleteI've always found the most effective driver is regular gaming, and you're always welcome to take part in any of our games mate.
ReplyDeleteCheers! At some point, I'll get my Death Guard completed to a gameable level and I can face off against your marines.
DeleteThere's always 30k skirmish using Necrumunda, with individual SM squads clashing in the wilderness far from the front lines :-)
DeleteI do have an intrepid unit of Death Guard scouts all painted up!
DeleteThere are generally two ways I've found to get over Mojo Loss.
ReplyDeleteThe first is to go and do something else instead using similar skills. Building a model kit is often a great help. I get to do the same kind of thing but it's not tied to any game - it's purely for me and the joy of doing it. You can build anything from a simple little £3 AIRFIX up to a Star Wars Falcon, whatever takes your fancy. For example, I got over my most recent hump by building and photographing a Battlestar Galactica 1/35th Viper: http://critfailure.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/nothin-but-rain.html
Second, and sort of related to that, is just watch a shed load of movies or read a load of books or comics; anything to 'fill the tank' up with fresh ideas and inspiration. That will then lead on to the need to create something - and usually to the need to buys something to paint. Watching the new Star Wars has got me back into a Space Opera kind of mood so I can see me wanting to paint some Star Wars minis soon...
The important thing is not rush it; it will come back. It might take six months, a year, two years... It doesn't matter. sooner or later the itch will come back...
Love the Viper model! I've actually got a couple I've started butchering for RT gaming, but again, they're currently languishing in a box somewhere.
DeleteI'm just leaving things on the back burner at the moment, and hoping at some point the inspiration will come back, it's sadly lacking at the moment.
I'm currently in a painters slump at the moment too. It's interesting to read some of the other's opinions of how to get back into the saddle.
ReplyDeleteHope your lull -as well as mine- ends soon :)
I've encountered several types of painting slumps over years and each takes it's own remedy:
ReplyDelete-Project slump: A certain project has you bummed: Take something completely different to paint.
-Production line slump: Been batch painting too much: Lavish some love on a single mini. (and vice versa!)
-General painting/hobby malaise: This is a harder one, sometimes it helps me to build some terrain instead (imagining minis moving over it often gets me fired up again). Sometimes sorting out (part of) the lead mountain does the trick as I encounter old minis/projects again. If that doesn't work: Pack up the painting/hobby gear and turn away. Do something else for a while; read some books, watch those movies you didn't get around to seeing, perhaps try a completely different hobby. For as long as it takes to lose the bad vibes and refill the creative reservoir.
These are things that have worked for me, your mileage (and solutions) may vary.
Good luck on rekindling the flame!
We are in a lucky time when most tastes in gaming are covered by at least one game set. I would suggest trying a newer game for a while. It will provide you with regular opponents and was the kick up the arse I needed to get my miniatures painted up. It might just be that you need a new gaming circle. I always find the enthusism of new gamers contagious!
ReplyDeleteMate! I hear you; I too have hit something of a slump recently and I just checked my project list for 2015 I wrote this time last year..... None of them have been completed!
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to go completely off piste! For years I stuck to RT/40k/Epic however I recently decided to branch out into post-apocalyptic antics and model armies based around the computer game Fallout. This gives me something slightly different to get my teeth into; and I have spent time turning out models for the different factions. To keep things interesting I have also started to do a 30k Sons of Horus Army and generate loads of scenery too.
Sometimes I find I just need to man up and force myself to paint... After an hour or so I am back in the swing of things and my slump is long forgotten. As Andy says; the prospect of regular games also motivates me!!!!
I am sorry to hear about your issues in the community; but don't let it out you off mate. It's your hobby; never led anyone else interfere!
I have two things I do.
ReplyDeleteThe first is to take a hobby break - usually by picking up my other big hobby, LARPing, and spending a bit more time at that.
The second is taking a look at why I'm demotivated. It's usually from lack of enjoyment for the work put in. That could be that I'm not focussing on a game or system that I'm enjoying at the moment, or it could be that I'm not managing my painting sensibly and am trying to slog through something that's not getting finished so I'm not getting the buzz of completed work. I usually have a bit of a reorganisation, then start off with something easy and quick to finish so I start getting the buzz of finished projects going.
I hear you Emo. There's a boatload of good suggestions there. I can second the switching to something related but notably different idea. Terrain has done it for me a couple of times. Kits. WWII. Model Railroading. Whatever. Or alternately get the story juices going with role playing, good books, or even just a good walk in a colorful place. (Lovely woods, decaying urban industrial wastelands, desolate canyons, whatever interesting is near-ish-by that calls to you.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know the community jackassery problems all too well. I rarely take my toys to the local gaming shop in my small town because of a string of events years ago. Really ought to at least show the flag before I move back to my slightly larger native town in the next couple of months.
Which brings up another idea: it sometimes helps to imagine that one is the great undiscovered local treasure. Well, regionally/nationally/or in your case internationally known, but locally forgotten treasure. It inspires me to paint more and better sometimes knowing that even though no one here in town knows what I do folks in other cities and even halfway across the world regard my stuff as legit.
But above all else, have fun. This stuff is supposed to be fun. If it's not? . . . eh, go chase the smart pretty folks for a while. That can be great fun. Much more inspiring at times than hanging out in a hobbyshop with a bunch of rude neanderthals that. A bonus?: the smart pretty folks often smell better too. (I should chase my smart pretty wife upstairs at some point this evening and perhaps also tomorrow. . . . It is such a blessing to have someone I can chase so close at hand.)
Anyway, Tear down the Wall!