How much is too much?

Started by fsn, 05 October 2016, 06:25:01 PM

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Obsidian23

Hi all,

Sorry I have not been on much, lots of travel abroad these past months.  I have my Malburians and should get a chance to paint away.  As I have mentioned when I first joined.  I am more a painter than a gamer, so for me it's all about the painting.  If you remember I'd done almost 300 28mm Napoleonics in a month, which includes, 3 levels of highlighting, washes, etc etc.  So here you 5c worth.


1.  Simple techniques, find and try simple techniques, simple because it will be quick and easy and a technique which will be easy to remember and duplicate.
2. The factory process.  Do a unit at a twine, no matter the number, 12, 24, 30 or 100.  Ok maybe not 100 unless it's 6mm😛.
3. Keep track of your paint compilations, eg for red I always use the same set of 3, so I am not wasting time selecting or remembering and it helps with the technique keeping it simple.
4. Lastly and probably most importantly, be neat.  Stay within the detail.  A simple paint job without highlight, shade if it is clean, crisp neat work, looks better than a highlighted shaded figure that is done going outside the detail.

Anyway just some thoughts.

Cheers

These simple rules men's I can put out a 30 figure 10 mm unit in one night, 28mm in a week.  Without neglecting my family, the dog or the lawn mowing.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

I often end up with 70-100 at a time, especially FPW!
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

paulr

Lord Lensman of Wellington
2018 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2022 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2023 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Last Hussar

It's like anything - the law of diminishing returns.  The better you get, the less improvement you get for 'x' hours.  It's like Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the tortoise- always getting closer, but always a bit left to do.
I have neither the time or the crayons to explain why you are wrong.

GNU PTerry

DanJ

somewhere in the dim and distant past (possibly in the Battle magazine) I read an article about painting 25mm figures (that's all we had back then) in which the author said you shouldn't spend more than 1 minute per colour pass per figure.  That is if you have 10 figures you should be able to do all the brown, blue, red bits on all the figures in 10 minutes per colour.

It struck me as a good idea and although it's difficult to equate to 10mm figures I'm currently painting some Pendraken 10mm arabs in 40 man units and recon anything more than 30 minutes for a complete pass of a colour is taking too long. The 40 units are taking about 4 hours each on average which I'm happy with.  However the basing is taking longer than it should,

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Gawd! Mine take days! Then there is the basing...
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

Leman

Basing is taking longer than it should? How long is a piece of string. If at the end of basing it looks the way you want it to then that's how long it should have taken. I've seen the way some folk do quick basing and it looks appalling - basing didn't take long enough, at least to satisfy my eye.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

d_Guy

I am a member of the short string school  :)
Sleep with clean hands ...

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner