Prufrock's Wargaming Blog

Prufrock's Wargaming Blog

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

A new approach to figures

This year has been pretty heavy going on the painting front. I really enjoy putting finished units and armies on the table, but I've not painted anything for months, and when I have sat down and tried to, I simply haven't been able to bring myself to put in the effort required.

I will, for example, pull out my three-quarters done Samnites and find I simply don't want to do the work. The paint jobs are uninspired, what I've done on the body armour looks shoddy, I hate to think about what approach to take for shields, there are areas that my block painting has missed, and the feeling that I'm not sure if I can get the figures looking as good as I want them to has become strangely insurmountable.

It's not usually my style to baulk at finishing figures off - starting them has always been more my problem - so I haven't been quite sure what to do.

And it's a similar story for all the other partly or nearly finished figures I have lying around - the 380 Caesarian Romans, the DBA Saxons, the extra cataphracts for Magnesia, the 6mm WWII armies, and a few other bits and pieces.

In short, as far as motivation and imagination go, I'm running on the smell of an oily rag.

Some of this stems from my last trip back to NZ, when it was brought home to me that I only have a limited time to make the most of work and self-improvement options, and spending the evenings locked away with a paint brush and mornings scouring the web for new figures is not a productive use of time and energy right at this moment.

So, what to do?

I want to be able to continue gaming, so it seems to me that the only thing for it is to send some of the things away to get painted.  I've found it hard to justify the expense in the past but I think that now it just has to be done.

To this end I've taken up a small extra job writing columns for a webzine and am going to use the income from that, and savings from halting all unnecessary hobby purchases, to pay to get the figures done.

Funnily enough I find it far easier putting together a 1000 word article than I do painting figures, so hopefully it will be a win-win situation.

Also, getting the bulk of the figures done professionally will ideally enable me to later attend to the partly-painted ones at my leisure and perhaps with a returning sense of enjoyment rather than a surfeit of subconscious guilt!

We'll see how it goes, anyway...




25 comments:

  1. Good luck. I've also been suffering from painter's block. I have a desk full of figures and I just can't bring myself to put paint on them.

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    1. You too? That's no good. I hope you get through yours ASAP. You paint too well to not be using the gift!

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  2. Good luck, Aaron! Perhaps one day, the painting motivation will return. Until it does, please keep your enjoyable BatReps coming!

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. Hope it's sooner rather than later, but in the meantime it'll be nice to know they (at least some of them) will be in safe hands!

      Cheers!

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  3. Good luck, Aaron. Once your painting mojo starts to come back, do the job that will take the least time to complete. That way it's not too daunting and you'll see results quickly.

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    1. Thanks! I've got a few tricks I use to circumvent the block but they really haven't worked at all this time. Might try your method when I get back into it and see if that makes a difference.

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  4. Doldrums happen. Do what you need to, in order to get past them.

    FMB

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    1. Thanks. Hopefully seeing the lead mountain reduce a little (even if it's not me doing the actual painting) will prove a tonic!

      Cheers

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  5. Sounds like a plan.

    One of the things that drive my painting is a shared goal. I find that a project shared with others, with a delivery date, moves (lead) mountains. Perhaps something like that would help?

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    1. Thanks for the advice, Simon. The communal approach certainly seems to do wonders at the bat cave (and bat terrace!)

      Cheers!

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  6. It's a plan!

    I've found over time that the more complicated the job becomes and the more pressed for time I become, the one hour painting session in the evening before bed (target = one colour per night) has ensured that my mind clears and sleep is easier and more productive too. Sometimes I will do two or three colours because I am relaxed and enjoying it. The relaxation of the discipline of painting is hard to give up now - mind you, it has been four weeks and likely to be another two before I am ensconced in a new condo and reunited with painting materials.

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    1. Thanks Thomo: excellent choice of words - the discipline of painting. That's one of the things I'm missing at the moment. Problem is, there are about five other disciplines to juggle as well, so I guess it's inevitable that there will be times when you're concentrating on some things over others.

      Thanks for the encouragement, and good luck with the new batch in the new condo!

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  7. Hopefully this bout of painter's block won't last. When I find painting is becoming a chore I step away and do something completely different, and before long I've got my mojo back!

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    1. Thanks Pendragon, and good to hear that your method works. I hope that there will be a similar revival of mojo in the domus Prufrock down the track too!

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  8. [edited, it's always a good idea to proof read before one posts]

    Dude! What a great idea, will you take a side job for me so I can get some professionally done figures as well;)

    Seriously though I find us gamer types go through cycles. I haven't really done anything with painting for the last couple of years. I'd rather have my teethed pulled (kind of I don't want to paint) than paint. Then this past late Winter I got into Saga a skirmish type Dark Ages game. Only having to paint a few figures I thought to myself would be a breeze. It wasn't and it took me about four months to do about 40 figs. But it was a start. Now I find myself painting about once a week and have taken my time and actually enjoying it again. Been working on 12 Franks for these last two weeks, but it doesn't matter. The key is that I am enjoying it again, inspired again, reading more stuff on the subject again.

    So don't worry my man, you are not alone. It will come back to you or it won't, the key thing is to enjoy yourself and make the best use of your spare time doing what you want to do.

    Cheers
    Kevin

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    1. LOL Kevin, and many thanks for your kind words. Glad to hear that you're back inspired again, and I'll take your comments 'enjoy yourself and make the best of your spare time doing what you want to do' to heart!

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  9. Painting is a creative process and as such requires a mind that is fresh and keen. Long days at work and other real life events will kill that stone dead at times. You'll get back to it when you're ready and in the interim why not have a plan to keep moving forward?

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    1. Thanks Michael - much appreciated. Hopefully the 'send them to someone else' plan is going to bear fruit!

      Cheers,
      Aaron

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  10. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, all. It's very much appreciated!

    Cheers,
    Aaron

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  11. Aaron
    I went through a period of painter's block this past month. Too many hours at work and too many projects to take care of for the wife on my days off. When I had time, all I felt like doing was nothing. When I paint it is way to relax and unwind. At some point the doldrums will pass and you will feel better. best wishes,
    Bill

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    1. Thanks Bill, hope that your block passes quickly as well!

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  12. Hi Aaron, sorry to be so long without commenting. I think that it is good that you have come to a decision on this. Although, or maybe because, the years fly by these days we need to focus on the joys of life. If the hobby side of the hobby is an albatross then do what is necessary to focus on the fun aspects.

    I'm apparently not super coherent this morning. I just wanted to say good for you and hopefully we all can take a lesson from you.

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    1. You make perfect sense to me, Sean :) I hadn't thought of it that way, but you are probably right - painting has possibly become a bit of an albatross around the old neck. By the sounds of it I may not be the only one! Hope that you're getting a bit done these days!

      Cheers, and always nice to have you here.
      Aaron

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  13. Sometimes, just sometimes, its nice to get something done there and then and paying for it. I have taken this approach to DIY all my adult life! Lately with time a luxury and too many committments to shake a stick at, I have started getting DIY done by someone else! I think this approach to figure painting is pretty reasonable and may do it myself soon.
    Too many figures (hundreds undercoated and in varying stages of completion :( ) mean I too have to be realistic

    Anyway, as soon as you do get some done, post some pictures Aaron :)

    cheers, Dave

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    1. Cheers Dave; know what you mean about 'outsourcing' sometimes being the best option for our DIY needs ;-) I hope to get a batch of figures off before Christmas, so I imagine February is when there will be some progress to report.

      Cheers!

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