Dear Gentlemen of the Forum.
I painted a big chunk of a Norman army a couple of months ago.
All I need to do is to finish off 60 light archers. That's it.
... and yet.
... and yet, I'm struggling to pick up the brush. The little blighters are sat on their painting sticks, undercoated and base painted, and I just can't seem to muster the motivation to get 'em finished.
Any hints or tips?
Get that all the time, especially when painting figures for eras I'm not interested in.
Leave them there for a few days, go make some terrain (free card buildings or a plastic kit) or read a book on a totally unrelated subject. The mojo will come back, sometimes you need to give it a chance,
Mark
I'll phone you up, and give you a load of abuse.....That'll be good motivation. :D
Cheers - Phil
Get a Byzantine to insult you, so that you're trembling with eagerness to meet him on the field.
I'm not phoning you up.....It's dirt cheap to phone Nobby...I dread to think what it'd cost to phone Thailand. X_X
Cheers - Phil
Divide those 60 stragglers into 4 groups of 15 (of 2 of 20, or 5 of 12 or....).
Make each group about the size you can paint in 45 minutes.
Finish them off one unit at a time.
You may require several passes, on each group.
Quote from: Techno on 18 May 2019, 03:30:19 PM
I'm not phoning you up.....It's dirt cheap to phone Nobby...I dread to think what it'd cost to phone Thailand. X_X
Cheers - Phil
No need. Lee insults me incessantly.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 18 May 2019, 03:43:45 PM
No need. Lee insults me incessantly.
That's coz she knows what you're like! (Or is that what you like?). :D
I wish I knew! Mysterious oriental women, you know....
Nobby phoned.
Threats seem to have worked. ;)
Cheers - Mr Motivator. :P
I am now fired up.
Thanks Techno!
Woot
Quote from: fsn on 18 May 2019, 04:46:55 PM
I am now fired up.
Thanks Techno!
You're welcome, Nobby ! :)
How far did you get with them ?
Cheers - Phil
Base coated tan, and first run through with red-brown. :)
They're not uniformed, which I always struggle with.
I very good suggestion I was given with non-uniformed figures, is break them into groups, and paint each group the same. Then mix the groups up when you get to basing. This gives the speed of painting uniformed figures, with an overall mixed look.
Quote from: fsn on 19 May 2019, 09:06:09 AM
They're not uniformed, which I always struggle with.
Dat be easy -line up the colours that you want to use up, dark to light - check the areas of colour on te figures - say trousers, jacket, sheild, hat. paint the trousers on first figure etc, then count down the stick untill you have gone as far as the number of colours. paint again. Once you reach the end of stick start next colour on unpainted figure. 2nd and subsequent colurs can be added to figures which already have paint on them.
IanS
Quote from: fred. on 19 May 2019, 09:54:50 AM
I very good suggestion I was given with non-uniformed figures, is break them into groups, and paint each group the same. Then mix the groups up when you get to basing. This gives the speed of painting uniformed figures, with an overall mixed look.
I like that idea.
Quote from: ianrs54 on 19 May 2019, 09:59:04 AM
Dat be easy -line up the colours that you want to use up, dark to light - check the areas of colour on te figures - say trousers, jacket, sheild, hat. paint the trousers on first figure etc, then count down the stick untill you have gone as far as the number of colours. paint again. Once you reach the end of stick start next colour on unpainted figure. 2nd and subsequent colurs can be added to figures which already have paint on them.
Oooh ! Mathematical! I like that too!
I was toying with the idea of a spreadsheet to randomly assign colours ... but decided to paint instead :D.
Mine and Ian's suggestions are pretty much the same (I think I should be worried...)
For me it definitely helps to know that I am doing 6 (or whatever) colours, therefore about 1 in 6 should be that colour. Otherwise I think I have too many green or too many blue.
I do realise this is worrying about nothing, but it is the kind of thing that stops progress in painting.
Quote from: fred. on 19 May 2019, 09:54:50 AM
I very good suggestion I was given with non-uniformed figures, is break them into groups, and paint each group the same. Then mix the groups up when you get to basing. This gives the speed of painting uniformed figures, with an overall mixed look.
Warning, may depend on figure count and scale.
I used to do this with 6mms, but found the resulting kalaidescope of irregular troops simply didn't catch teh eye at arms length.
Imagine 6 units of 64 figures using 6 main colours.
I now split the figures into unit sized groups - or multi-unit groups. (If your unit is 24 figures, then 24, 48 or 72).
Each unit has a dominant and a secondary colour, then a bit of variation on details like belts, scabbards, helmet plumes.
Done right there's a a dominant colour scheme for each unit, but variation between figures.
It looks good in a battle array.
With the right sized groups, a single group can receive one coat in 45 minutes.
45 minutes being my painting duration between breaks.
The motivation for me is ALWAYS a game. I have British Falklands infantry in various stages of Nigerian Federal cammo - waiting for the next game date to create a deadline. Perhaps I will have the Saracens to transport them into action by then ? :)
I picked a limited group of colours for my Norman archers.
http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,8391.30.html (http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,8391.30.html)
They are old sculpts so not up to Pendraken current standards so I can imagine hard to motivate to paint them!
Painting the Falklands Argies at the mo for the website and these are really good sculpts :D so no probs with motivation there!
Not so much motivation lacking, but prefer larking about.
Three big projects on, and I'm considering basing up some stuff instead...
Quote from: mad lemmey on 19 May 2019, 02:13:16 PM
Not so much motivation lacking, but prefer larking about.
Three big projects on, and I'm considering basing up some stuff instead...
I always think that if you can move on to 'something/anything else', when you're 'stuck in a rut', you can reinvigorate yourself....Going back to the 'proper project' after a bit of a break.
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: Matt J on 19 May 2019, 02:13:06 PM
I picked a limited group of colours for my Norman archers.
I'm struggling with my Sofia's and you show me your Jayne's.* :( :P
(https://www.thinrichhappy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/envy.jpg)
My Normans have the colour pallette of the Bayeux Tapestry.
*Actually, I'm worried about what the waiter in the background is doing
As to motivation, I am reminded of Crimson Tide. It may simply be a matter of voltage.
Quote from: fsn on 19 May 2019, 05:29:37 PM
Actually, I'm worried about what the waiter in the background is doing
Steady, Nobby... ;D ;D ;D ;D
Cheers - Phil
Well he looks poised to impress the ladies with his "tea towel chicken".
QuoteI'm struggling with my Sofia's and you show me your Jayne's.* Sad Tongue
;D
unlike Jayne Mansfield's breasts, my Normans don't get 'out' much and haven't been played with...
Quote from: fsn on 19 May 2019, 09:06:09 AM
They're not uniformed, which I always struggle with.
Similar to some other suggestions I tend to use a pattern to simulate random. Pick a mix of colours then line up figures on the painting stick with the same number of colours, then I'll take a colour and paint a different item of clothing that colour working along the stick. E.g. hat on fig 1, jacket fig 2, shirt on 3, trousers on 4, gloves on 5 and scabbard on 6.
Then pick the next colour and repeat the pattern until all bits are done. Sometimes it makes sense to group areas together to avoid too many colours, e.g. gloves and hat feather the same.
I'll usually pick a couple of brighter colours then some duller ones like browns and greys so as not to look too garish. If you want an even more muted pallete you could use shades of the same colours rather than different ones.
Then on the next stick pick the colours in a different order. You'll end up with a fairly uniform look to the unit without actually having uniforms, some wearing the same, some different, but in the same colour palette. I tend to assume historically peoples coming from the same place would likely have access to similar dyes and clothing merchants anyway. Though it's easy enough to do half with one colour set and the other half a different one then mix them on the base for more variety.