Do you feel your painting skill has plateaued?

[Diablo Jon]

I was comparing some miniatures I recently painted with some I painted about a decade ago, the other day, and came to the realization that my miniature painting skills don't really seem to have improved in the last ten years.

I don't think I'm a bad painter, I can certainly knock out a decent table top paint job, but it seems I just can't seem to take my paint jobs to that next level.

I've experimented with new techniques, different undercoats, different paints followed more than a few online tutorials and yet my paint jobs hasn't visibly improved in recent years. It feels like I hit my skill ceiling in my mid 30s about a decade ago.

Do you guys feel like your miniature painting is still improving or have you plateaued (or even gone backwards)?

Here's my blog if your interested in what my painting looks like

https://jonsotherwargamesblog.wordpress.com/

[Blackwolf]

Good post Jon! Yep,my painting modelling etc has ups and downs. It has improved,though it’s taken 43 years,I reached a high point when I was about 17,and I’ve been trying to catch up ever since. These days I try and paint for fun,rather than painting armies. Whilst painting large scale figures I’ve always got a couple of Asgard orcs or something on the go,keeps it interesting. And books,I like reading books by the masters,Mike Blank for instance,brilliant inspiration,and I discovered someone else who paints like me .
So stick to it(your painting looks good),the key I think is don’t make it a chore
Cheero
Guy

[Storm Wolf]

Plateaued and at the upper end of a downward slope

But I am happy with my paint style now, if its ok from 3 ft away, its ok.

I am 51 and have been painting models since the late 70s, early 80s mostly Airfix kits then, very badly.

But I am impressed with the GW contrast paints and they have finally allowed me to paint almost exclusively with my own inks method developed over years of trial and many errors

More bristles on your brush

Glen

[Spinal Tap]

I've only been painting for around 3 years and have no artistic predisposition whatsoever; if YouTube didn't exist I world have no clue still.

My rate of improvement was meteoric initially but has slowed tremendously this past 6 months.

I have designs on improving but have resigned myself to never getting to the levels of the truly artistic painters that I see on here.

It's about trying new things in my opinion and having a Bob Ross attitude to things that go wrong.

[voltan]

yes, not because I don't think I can't do better if I put more effort in, but because I've reached a level I'm comfortable with, where the time/irritation to acceptable look of the minis equation has reached my perfect balance.

[Plynkes]

I wish! Currently struggling to get back to where I was two years ago after a medical catastrophe robbed me of the ability to paint. I really felt like I was getting somewhere and would have been quite happy to plateau at that level (hubris got me there, I guess). Still, it gives me something to aim for and lack of inspiration or 'mojo' is no longer a problem. I never get that 'just don't want to do the hobby today' feeling any more. 

[Harry Faversham]

Mine's not plateaued...
it's got worse.

 

[Yuber Okami]

Gone backwards in my case. Too many stuff to worry about I guess

[Digits]

For me, my eyesight is poorer and I struggle with detail so can’t really attempt anything below 28mm with any real hope of success.

However, since lockdown and having been badly affected by Covid last April, what has improved is my ability to tackle batch painting....something I always struggled with before, and I had a blast painting regiments of Napoleonics (which I must get back to).

Moving away from GW paints, something I’ve used exclusively for years, and dabbling with more Matt colours of Vallejo, I have discovered more about mixing colours and feel I have made a few improvements.

I think the main thing is to try different genres, game systems etc....especially as different figures to your norm require you to learn new skills anyway.  Don’t be afraid to look up tutorials on the web...a great source of inspiration.

[zemjw]

I'm with @voltan regarding time/look acceptance.

I find that glazing and drybrushing are the main techniques I use, and I'm relatively happy with where I am with them. However, I do want to explore contrast paints more.

Painting for fun, relaxation and general mental sanity is what I'm after these days

[Bearwoodman]

Sorry to be an annoying voice of enthusiasm and positivity  but I am a relatively recent returnee to the hobby and I feel like I am still improving as a painter (obviously starting from a low base helps!). The equipment now is better than my teenage years but the main difference is all the tips and resources available online.

Some examples:

I am still learning how to get the most out of contrast paints in relation to rank and file figures, and I expect my quality (and speed) to improve the more I use them. 

In addition I have started to experiment with Non Metallic Metal effects on character figures that I want to devote more time too. Again there is a lot to learn but I am confident I will improve.

I have also bought some pigments for weathering vehicles and I can see there is a knack to using them but my confidence is growing.

I made my first wet palette last year and that helped give my painting a boost, I think mainly by helping to keep the paint diluted.

I found a more satisfactory way of dealing with eyes on 28mm scale figures. I now have fewer bug-eyed  or cross-eyed recruits!

There are other techniques to master that I have not even tried yet - Origin Source Lighting for example, or the use of mediums rather than diluting paint with water (which my mate swears by).

I imagine like all skills the better you get at painting  the harder it is to squeeze out further improvements, and at some point perhaps the time and effort it takes is not worth the marginal difference in quality. But at the moment for me I still feel that getting a bit better is a realistic and desirable objective.

[v_lazy_dragon]

yes, not because I don't think I can't do better if I put more effort in, but because I've reached a level I'm comfortable with, where the time/irritation to acceptable look of the minis equation has reached my perfect balance.

This. I made a conscious decision about 5-10 years ago not to paint to my absolute best, but to paint to a level where I was comfortable with the end result, it took minimal effort and was relatively quick

[FierceKitty]

Brushwork will climb no higher, I fear, but perhaps better judgment in selecting colours and shades. At 61, I ask no more.

[Ranthony]

I have been painting for maybe 14 months, my first effort( 15mm French voltiguer) was an absolute disaster.
Since then, I have studied the works of many painters, paying particular attention to Kevin Dallimore, Charles Baynon and Steve Dean.

I feel that my progress is always on the up but do understand what you mean about stagnation.

I can paint very well if I allow myself the time but my hopping from one period to the other perhaps slows me down.
My standard is always improving, I think I can paint FAR better than I do, I just struggle with the will to paint every button as I feel the time/reward aspect has a point where interest can be lost.

Being relatively new to the hobby, I feel swamped by wanting to paint so many things and having so little time to do it.

Perhaps there is a balance, I'm beginning to foster the idea that concentrating on one period and not setting targets is the right way to go.

If I had it my way, I'd have 8 arms, 8 cans of red bull and 8 hours a day free, I don't, so whatever war film I've recently watched seems to determine where I paint next.

I hope to find a way forward.

[v_lazy_dragon]

so whatever war film I've recently watched seems to determine where I paint next.

As someone who has traditionally* been a massive butterfly, I usually found the best way was to keep on track with a project was a constant drip stream of inspiration related material - audiobooks, video games and movies. Obviously, this can be somewhat limiting, and partners/housemates may not appreciate the constant stream of WW2/ACW/Roman/Vietnam/Whatever. Mix it up with stuff that doesn't have much playability (If you're a weirdo like me who seems to pick out the most niche of subjects, there can be very little fodder for tis approach)


*I have some how miraculously spent the last 2 years or so jumping around the period 1550-1700 which is remarkably constrained by my standards