That moment you realise it's all been worth it...

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

What ho all,
Reached the stage last night with the current batch of troops, where applying just one colour, after weeks of highlight, washes, detail, faffing and thinking that your not good, you get that moment of...
"Yeah, these are going to be great!"

I'm not finished on this batch, but suddenly the figures work.
Anyone else ever feel this?
Is this why we do it?
Or do I need to swap from pink to purple pills?

[paulr]

Happens to me 

Often with black/dark grey for some reason

Skin colour, which I tend to do late in the process, always brings them alive...

[Steve J]

Yep, when I get the faces and hands done, they suddenly seem to come together.

[FierceKitty]

I start with faces and hands. For me they come to life when I'm painting flags or shields.

[Leman]

I also have that moment when the faces go on, and again when the drybrushing on the bases is applied.

[Subedai]

Three moments for me.

1.) when the flesh goes on -normally near the end.
2.) When the varnish goes on.
3.) when the static grass goes on the dry brushed bases. This one is my favourite.

[Hertsblue]

Actually, I'm the other way around. I finish basing a unit and think "you could have done that a lot better". Mind you, I sometimes open up a box of troops I've painted some time ago and think "hey, they're not as bad as I thought". Maybe I need the pink pills.... 

[Ithoriel]

Yep, I'm another one who adds flesh colour late in the process and at that point the figures suddenly "pop".

But the moment I realise it's all been worth it is when I go down to humiliating defeat in a game and realise that all people are talking about after the game is my army's paint job. Not a regular occurrence but an immensely satisfying one!

[petercooman]

I try to keep the flesh colour for last, except when they have helmets, then i do the helmets after that.

I like it more when the bases get drybrushed and the figures stand out from the base!

[jchaos79]

Paining is relaxing and an activity I enjoy. And that is enough for me. It is working.

[Fenton]

When the ink wash dries and you realise that you did need that extra drop of water to thin it down more

[Maenoferren]

Faces and hands for me too. Also the moment when I realised with the Sudan stuff that I actually had enough to play with.

[Bodvoc]

I really enjoy painting figures, basing them I find a real chore and enjoy the moment when they are finished. I also find that my freshly painted troops are always the first to die in their first game, the curse of the freshly painted troops!

[wurrukatte]

Definitely the faces (check for typo) yes faces.

W

[petercooman]

 

Definitely the faces (check for typo) yes faces.

W

[Techno]

 

Very good.
Cheers - Phil

[Leman]

.......and when it hasn't; that flippin' basing system is not working for me!!!

[getagrip]

Yep, but it's the basing for me.  When the pva dries and the unit sort of "pulls together"; great feeling. 

[Luddite]

I paint 'deepest out' so  the flesh is almost always first on.  For me, the technique I use means that when the overall wash dries is the 'eureka' moment.  Therafter, the final statc grass bit on the base.

Personally I don't enjoy painting,  so getting it done quickly is my goal.

[FierceKitty]

I paint 'deepest out' so  the flesh is almost always first on.

Doesn't every painter who knows one end of a brush from the other?