Painting miniatures for the sake of it?

[tallyho]

My army's number in the thousands.

Looks like it's nor just me then that's made this newbie mistake; thank you for the wise words of you folk who have been doing this much longer than me.

I guess most of my ‘armies’ end up with somewhere between 75 - 300 figures. Typically 150 - 200.

I can't even imagine this scale of endeavour.

[Cubs]

As far as the hobby goes, if it ain't fun, I don't do it. Of all the reasons for why I choose to collect and paint miniatures - because the conflict, the figure range or the rulebook interests me (most likely combinations of those) - feeling pressured because I need them for a game never applies, for the simple reason that I don't actually game with the figures. Oh, I make plans to game, I kind of, in a way, sort of plan a force around a ruleset (or two) just as an excuse to collect the figures, but they never actually get used in action. That way I can guiltlessly swap between one half-finished project and the next as the fancy takes me.

[syrinx0]

Gaming plans have definitely grown more vague over the last decade while the painting plans have actually improved as I have focused in on painting what I like.   While I have some larger projects, I have no set dates for completion on any of them.   

I do try to lay out multiple units in a winter painting plan for priming sessions while the weather is better but even then its not a hard and fast commitment.

[Paratrooper 42]

I paint what I want when I can - my job prevents me spending too much time on the hobby so I try and make the most of my limited painting time.  I'm an average painter which helps as there's no point me agonising over the details as I don't have the skill to pull it off  .

My advice would be if you're not enjoying it, do something different.

[Diablo Jon]

I hardly ever game so I paint armies and build scenery for fun with the occasional solo game thrown in. Generally I enjoy painting and try to paint stuff I like sometimes an army requires a unit I really don't fancy and ill bite the bullet and paint it but those can feel like a chore. The other problem I encounter is starting some miniatures, with enthusiasm, but then for some reason they aren't turning out how I envisioned them, that kills the enthusiasm. Then I struggle to finish them to the point I've had half finished minis sit around for months, even years, that I just cant face finishing off.

[Captain Blood]

The other problem I encounter is starting some miniatures, with enthusiasm, but then for some reason they aren't turning out how I envisioned them, that kills the enthusiasm. Then I struggle to finish them to the point I've had half finished minis sit around for months, even years, that I just cant face finishing off.

I think that happens to all of us

I have a whole box full of primed and / or half painted figures. Dozens of them. Figures I started full of enthusiasm, but just couldn't get on with for one reason or another.
I have now learned to put them away, rather than push to finish painting something I am simply not enjoying.
Occasionally I will go back a year or two later and finish one or two of these off, if I find I need them for something. But if they've sat there for years (and some of them have), I'll probably just give 'em a respray and move them on via eBay... I've had that kind of clear-out a few times, and am probably due another one

[Sinewgrab]

What the good Captain says is truth - I just recently sold off my entire unpainted 4th edition Warhammer Dark Elves - because I had never painted more than one of them.  After collecting, I found painting them unappealing, but it took me about 20 years to admit I wasn't going to paint them.

[OB]

I too only paint figures I feel like painting.  That means projects go on hold for a while others temporarily take there place. 

Everything still gets done in the end so it really isn't a problem.  This is our hobby not our work it is there to be enjoyed at our own pace.

[Bearwoodman]

I am currently (and unwittingly) more or less following Captain Blood's advice (just on a smaller scale). I have a handful of projects on the go (including a 28mm fantasy army, 20mm WW2, and some Sci-fi vehicles) with no end date or deadline for any of them. When I get some hobby time I dip into whichever one I feel like. Or just paint a random figure that fits with none of them for a bit of variety.

It probably helps that my small gaming group have enough figures and terrain between us already to play our favourite games, so we do not have the pressure of needing to finish a lot of painting in order to get a game in. Anything we produce now is a bonus.

We have also in the past (whisper it) played with unpainted or part-painted figures. No one would claim that this is ideal, but by separating the gaming from the painting it takes the pressure off the latter. If the game is fun those unpainted miniatures are likely to have received some attention the next time they hit the table.

Occaisionally in the past I have felt a bit of pressure to stay up late in order to get something done for a specific game; usually a piece of terrain for a Frostgrave scenario or similar, but never a project that has felt overwhelming.

I did have a situation once where a good friend of mine was keen on a new game and we went halves on a starter set. I was not so enthusiastic on the setting but was happy to join in because of friendship and because I knew he was willing to try things other games I had suggested. But when it came to it the models were large and detailed and started to take much longer than I had expected. It did not fire my imagination and it began to feel like a chore, and I could not help but think of other things I would prefer to be painting. In the end I did a couple of key characters as best as I could and the rest of the gang received basic base colours and I left it at that.

I am now much more wary of making commitments of that sort, but also much less likely to try and rope reluctant friends into spending painting time or money on games they are not particularly interested in. Which is why I am going to have to do both sides for any historical game I want to play. Given my slow rate of painting and lack of focus and discipline it means it will be years before I will be in a position to put on a game of e.g. Chain of Command, but that is a different problem to the one we are discussing in this thread. In the meantime I intend to just try and relax and enjoy the slow process of assembling forces.

[Spinal Tap]

Sage advice from all of you - thanks.

The silly thing with me is that these deadlines are not even around getting stuff done so I don't let other people down - they are just self imposed.

I get an idea, I make a list, I start making/doing, keep adding and refining list, start wanting to see the completed work, refine list some more, then add even more ideas, want to see the finished article even more, add a few more things to the list etc. until it becomes unmanageable.

I have now deleted my Zona Britaniya project list and will be adding bits when I feel like it.

If anyone sees me making a list please slap me.

 

[warrenpeace]

I've never really gotten into painting. Would have been nice to have figured that out 18 years ago. Would also have been nice to find a rules system that required only a handful of figures to make a new faction of some sort. Pulp Alley is doing that for me now. Only need from 1 to 12 figures to make a new "league" (about 3 to 7 figures is typical). So finally started painting again last weekend after 3 years off. And there's no current pressure for a specific game.

[Sinewgrab]

I've never really gotten into painting. Would have been nice to have figured that out 18 years ago. Would also have been nice to find a rules system that required only a handful of figures to make a new faction of some sort. Pulp Alley is doing that for me now. Only need from 1 to 12 figures to make a new "league" (about 3 to 7 figures is typical). So finally started painting again last weekend after 3 years off. And there's no current pressure for a specific game.

I am going to politely not comment - because I know you, and the snark is trying to come out, Warren.
 

[Spinal Tap]

I am going to politely not comment - because I know you, and the snark is trying to come out, Warren.
 

You really should 

[bluewillow]

I need to do something similar, I do get board with hanging out large armies so I tend to get some terrain or even some fantasy figures for a break from historical legions of men. I also paint large scale 200mm busts of figures that are great for a break. This winter I intend to paint in more of a haphazard way doing little dioramas and table clutter.

Cheers
Matt

[nozza_uk]

I'm fortunate enough that my job hasn't been significantly impacted by Covid and the lockdown the UK had earlier this year. That said, I am working longer hours from home, which impacts hobby time.

I was very enthusiastic when the initial lockdown started. I managed to complete all of my outstanding building kits that had sat untouched for years. I progressively worked through my lead mountain until I had less than 100 unpainted figures left. I found my investment in 'Contrast' paints really paid off and allowed me to address projects that I had long forgotten about and helped me tackle over 300 zombie figures I had been avoiding! Seems I'm a sucker for a bargain too, as I found lots of figures packs that had been bought in various sales.

However, as lockdown restrictions lifted, I found that I actually wanted to spend less time painting and more time playing. So much so, that I haven't touched a paint brush in 3 months. What has rekindled my interest in painting is that I've purchased a number of rule books over the course of the summer and I need to build up the required army lists.

I'm now at the age where I paint for enjoyment and not because I have to.