I tend to prefer "darker" models, but I am currently painting some up for my friends PCs and trying to clear off some of the started but not finished ones.
When you say show your work to people, it reminded me of the time I showed my Skorpek Destroyer to my non-painting friend because I was particularly proud of the color transition on the blades... which was promptly ignored as he focused on "the incredible details painted" on the rock at his feet... which was a simply base shade drybrush 5 minutes not counting drying time job.
its so true! I painted a full anime figure with transparent effects and nice shading and most of the comments were on the drybrushed rocks under his feet lol. Literally the easiest step in the process
Oh man, I felt this. I showed it to people on FB who I thought would appreciate my first mini a little bit and man…the only commentary I got was “You need to drill your barrels.” Or some other stuff that just railed me lol. Luckily, I’m sticking with it and going forward. Most important lesson from this I think was her point on comparing against yourself rather than other people.
I subscribed a few weeks ago. I feel you offer the most cogent critical thinking about the hobby and you speak the most frankly about things. I say that because I was having a rough day, I'm a single dad until Christmas and the grind of the the third load of laundry on the day and vacuuming and... just caring for my family really had me down to the point where I did not paint; I didn't want to ruin my love of it. This sounds weird, as I am a grown up. Thank you for giving me permission to not push myself into it. I needed another adult to tell me that today, thank you.
These tips are great, find myself being a little discouraged seeing others work. Found that actively being apart of groups that are constructive, and being a supporter of others are ways i get not only inspired but see that new people are in the hobby as well
I watched many UA-cam videos before I ventured into Painting Mini's from tutorials to guides. the one thing I had to accept was that I would never achieve that level of detail. I suffer from Neurological damage in my shoulders and arms and have permanent double vision due to a severe skull fracture all stemming from Military service. What i love about the hobby is that you can have 10 people paint the same thing and it can be 10 different interpretations: meaning uniquely yours! Therefore I hold on to that, everything is uniquely mine, and as long as I am happy its a job well done. I strive for the best tabletop standard I can achieve and marvel at my success. Painting for me is part of the hobby and part fo the games I play, but more importantly I use it as a way to relax when dealing with PTSD and it works as my release.
I’m also a vet and re-started painting as a form of physical therapy to regain some fine motor control, I had to move to a smaller scale because I was getting frustrated at not being able to do the details I used to be able to, but thanks to some people at one of my local game stores showing me some techniques to make my painting look better to me (washes for one were a huge help) and sometimes just using a spray can to base coat as a start so I can get them on the table. I’ve been complemented on some of my work and even though I don’t think they are as great as some of the other player’s pieces it still feels good. Keep it up and may the dice rolls be in your favor.
@@gadget19k76 Completely understand, just as you do. Its a great hobby, I find great pride in it and in the end it also helps me. Shades, Contrasts and even ProArcyls Transparent, all help so much. Also I have a Neo TRN Trigger airbrush, That is my savior for terrain. The one thing I took to long to figure out was GOOD BRISHES, specifially ones with a rubber outer cover (MR Brush, rocks for that). But yeah I do a good table top standard, I wont win prizes but I will enjoy every moment and every game!
This video couldn't have come at a better time for me! I haven't painted in ages because I got so frustrated with my skill level not matching up with my own expectations. I know I just have to keep chipping at it and know that I will see improvements over time.
Experimenting with weird color combinations is really one of the best ways to improve. For example I painted most of a massive dragon dark green and then decided to heavily drybrush it red,realized that dark green makes for an incredible shadow colour for red and after a lot of glazing and some stippling I ended up with by far the best dragon I've ever painted.
Experimenting is probably my favorite of your tips! I'd also suggest if you're in a hobby funk painting some low effort minis from your backlog from start to finish. The dopamine from finishing a project (even an easy one) can help get your enthusiasm back for the more complicated stuff. Board game minis often need to be in "player colors" but a quick wash, drybrush and then some heavy varnishing is dead easy, can really bling up that board game AND will give you that sense of accomplishment. Other low hanging fruit is rarely used D&D monsters, since they'll rarely hit the table, you don't need to put nearly as much effort into them as you might for a Warhammer mini, or a D&D PC mini.
I've really struggled with painting motivation since the pandemic started, and I've realized that using minis in in-person games is my motivation to paint. With lockdown and multiple group members moving to different cities for whatever reason, I've ended up with all online games and don't get to use my minis or terrain any more, and it makes showing minis to others harder too (which was definitely a thing when playing in person). I guess I'm going to need to reconstitute my local RPG groups.
Compare against yourself - so true. The fact of the matter is that whatever you do there will always be people who are way better at it, at least initially. Be inspired by the masters, seek to emulate them, but don't measure yourself against them, it's a path to discouragement. Far healthier to look at where you started and where you are now, I can almost guarantee you'll see a progression. That progression will be due to hard work and practice and that's the way keep it moving forward.
The last bit of advice is the best, but can sometimes be the hardest to sink in. Both my partner and I are crafty, but in places where we don't overlap (such as minis for me or drawing for her), we each tend to take those initial compliments fairly lightly. It's that we both know that professionals can do such a better job than what we do, that we each reject the compliment or explain how it could be so much better. Persistence in positivity can break through some times, or if we can recognize us having some deeper understanding of the craft, such as where we overlap (i.e. knitting), I notice that we resist the feedback less. I'm so glad that I've discovered your channel. Thank you for all these wonderful videos as I've been binging through your videos while painting, which has also helped prevent frustration as I finish up my current set of minis.
I do share my work with my friends, family, and neighbors. They all love it. Though my ex of 9 years didn't understand it. And when we bought a house, she quickly said "I don't want those (minis) in a cabinet in the living room. I've had a couple other women I briefly dated look down on me when I showed them my collation (which I'm very proud of). But now I have an 'F' them attitude. It, along with my music playing, are part of me. So I will now show off my best pieces in a glass cabinet in the living room so they can see what I do up front. I don't want to be with someone who is embarrass of my loves and hobbies!
This was a lovely video. For me, it took moving across to abstract mini schemes to make me fall back in love with painting. Moving away from anything remotely realistic. It's really freeing to try and represent an IDEA on a miniature as opposed to 'this is what X might look like in Y battle zone'
I often get frustrated by the sea of grey rather than the process itself. I’m fairly lucky that as soon as I put that first brush-stroke down, it all kinda melts away and I stick with the mini until I’m at least ready to abandon it (no piece of art is ever finished, just abandoned lol) I very much agree with taking a little break if the paint job gets frustrating, I was attempting to wetblend the other day (yes, I’m practicing) and it just was absolutely not working for me, I just seemed to be wiping away the colours rather than blending them. Anyway, I went out with my family, had a nice cold drink and went back to it and the result was.... pretty not-bad. ^_^ #NotificationSquad
Getting started is the worst part for me, which is why contrast/speedpaint is such a blessing. I've been staring at a mini on my desk for a couple weeks, primed and zenithal'd. Finally bit the bullet the other night and forced myself to get some speedpaint and an oil wash on it (total elapsed time: 30 minutes) and now I'm psyched to make it look good this weekend. Human psychology is weird.
Luckily enough I am already doing all 5 of these. I am also fortunate enough that I do terrain crafting as well - when I am burnt out on one hobby, I swap to the other, it gives me a natural way to take that break while still getting things done.
A very helpful video for me. Thank you. When I get out of my mini painting grove, I usually work on terrain crafting. And then vice versa. Thanks again.
Hi Lyla Mev, thanks for your tips, I often found in some in those situations, looking at the mini I was working on made me want to run away, or just made me want to put it in a box to never be seen again, but sometimes, asking an opinion to my nephew who paint minis like me, makes me understand that the most important thing is to have fun painting, and you can always come back and strip and repaint a old mini that you want to make better, thank you so much
Keeping things fresh and fun is key. I have managed to paint nearly every day for over 8 months now with exception to a few trips and games played. Great advice
I like how you show footage of your painting in all different stages in these videos. It's interesting seeing how different your painting style is compared to mine. When establishing colours onto a model you seem to be much more free in your application. I'd say "messy" but that sounds negative and it really isn't. The finished results have those lovely blends across the cloak. I am a bit scared of wet blending and tend to just glaze stuff instead. You also pick such interesting colours on the model shown in this video. About the topic of the video itself I think it was great advice all round. Comparing your work to other people's can sometimes be demoralising but in this case as I said above it was really interesting.
Thanks for this video. I'm only 6 months into the hobby, I don't have a huge number of miniatures painted yet. I tend to compare myself with other artists when I see their painted minis on Inst. or on FB groups or I demand a lot of myself, and that's why I tend to decline in my desire to continue painting, I know I've progressed but I'm kind of impatient. I will use your tips to be more patient and enjoy painting my miniatures more.
Thanks for the advice. Not only with miniatures but with anything in life. My biggest problem is comparing myself to others. Definitely enjoying your videos.
Another great video, Lyla! Keeping old models around is a really valuable tool that I think a lot of people disregard. Sure, there's the value you get from actually seeing the improvements you've made made manifest by comparison, but you also have a catalog of all the ideas you had that you thought would work great and maybe didn't. Helps me keep from making the same mistakes, or at least from making the same mistakes in the same way. You *could* keep a hobby journal about the choices you make, but I'm sort of a degenerate and don't do that, even though I know I should, so this is a easy compromise.
I did some contrast painting on tabeltop mini's. Some worked out, some didn't. Didn't feel it anymore and returned to normal paints. Now suddenly I wanted to contrast again and got so much better in technique and ideas. So sometimes giving something a rest for a few months actually improves your work.
I like to put of lore videos as background while I paint, it helps give me visualizations in my mind as I work. When I’m painting a lot of infantry for my Flames of War/ Team Yankee games, I’ll pick a color and an item on the figures (Boots, faces, helmet) and put a little paint on my pallet, then I’ll start painting those parts until I run out of paint. If I run out and still feel motivated I’ll add a little more, but if I’m tired I can stop but still feel like I’ve accomplished something and gotten my figures a little closer to the table. I also switch it up sometimes jumping from infantry to tanks, a different faction, or even a completely different game so I can use different colors.
The Sea of Grey can't be avoided I feel!! I removed myself from 40K and thought I'd only play smaller system mostly blood bowl and still have a bloody backlog !! 😭 I'll take that though, compare against yourself not others my Mate always tells me this.....Best advice I think I've had, you take breaks from a hobby come back and so much changes etc or you feel you paintings not up to scratch! The introduction of contrast and speed paints though have been a blessing mind!
This is so me right now. Haven't painted I'm weeks. Just lost all drive to do it. Sucks because it's my most favorite hobby by far. Just burnt out. I'll hopefully get back at it soon.
All the things you mentioned are things I've done/that I do on the regular to fire myself up again, and they always work--I've discovered I really like painting 75 mm scale. In fact? Today a coworker of mine handed me a Pokemon Zapados 3-D printed mini that he asked me to paint for him and another one also asked me to paint up a dragon head bust for her, and there's even money involved, so I must be doing something right or something. After approximately 13 years of painting, the first half of which I spent dithering about and not really pushing myself from lack of confidence, I finally said SCREW THIS and started buying better paints and products. I buckled down, and all of a sudden began seeing improvement! We always tend to notice the plateau more than the improvement, don't we? As it is now, I'm at a point where I like about every other mini I paint and the rest I say "Eh, better luck next time," about. I've a ton of minis on my bookshelf from over the last several years and the improvement and progression are immediately obvious when you put them side by side. Now to keep pushing, because dangit, I WILL get the hang of NMM at some point!
Those are some great points, I’ve only been seriously mini painting for 6 months and can’t realistically compare myself to someone who has done it for years, for a living. One day I’ll master that NMM, though!
A "cheat" I've learned for NMM is to paint the basics in NMM style, but then do the highlights (often just a light drybrush) with metallic paints. I find this is often is more convincing then either using metallics or NMM on their own.
I tend to create a background for my minis while I paint them...give them a name and a story. Creatures I imagine the world they live in. Music helps too!
Every video, of your's, that I have watched has helped me advance my hobby enjoyment. As well as my confidence in my own painting, just by your excellent outlook on the entire process. That is why I am your newest subscriber. Thanks.
I have been putting off painting for a few months and I think it's because I am intimidated. I have expanded my tools and paint selection and now I have so many options it's a bit overwhelming at times. That and I cant find anybody to play D&D. Smh. The only game store in town closed down and now I would have to drive an hour and a half to find one. I am a veteran so most of my close friends live so far away in unrealistic to visit often. Where I live I don't have any like-minded people to enjoy the hobby with. I am just a bit down and sad. I have been watching mini painting videos to find my inspiration and muse. My 3d printer is ready to go as soon as I find what evokes my passion again. Thank you for the video and a place to externalize my thought.
Assuming you have a variety of paint brands, don't just look at the paints as colors, but look at their different consistencies, too. Different paints work better for different things, so once you know what technique you want to use it should help you narrow down your choices for paint.
I got suckered in by that thumbnail. I'm curious about that contrarian opinion on Nuln Oil. I remember when I got back in I had washes pushed hard by somebody who was doing the Army Painter route, I sort of dug in my heels on my first project and stuck with my high school area drybrushes, but because we were going to play a platoon scale game and they dragged their heels on making their force happen, I ended up getting into GW washes because the floor polish and matte varnish technique seemed too labour intensive given the price of one pot of wash, and did my second faction - as a loaner force - with shade-base-highlight tied together with Seraphim Sepia. (I found this the most labour intensive of any of my factions and have not repeated it, since the results didn't justify it, but it was an excellent introduction to shade-base-highlight and washes from my old high school drybrushes. The closest brick and mortar hobby store was sold out of Agrax Earthshade.) As a tool for doing small areas that are a nuisance to shade, such as puttees, or a quick cheat to pound out simple shading on accent areas like webbing, I think Nuln Oil in particular is great. I have been told Army Painter knockoff Contrasts are superior by a source I trust, and my local chain of discount retailers sells a consistency of craft paints which work fine for most miniatures - I evolved a system of saving blends in a brand of local vitamin bottle that screws shut close to airtight - but IMHO GW washes are top notch. When I muddled the mixture making my own contrasts on the last faction I completed - thankfully not on any of the main colours - I was able to rescue the shading on the chunks of the minis where my matte medium didn't flow properly with Nuln Oil. Is it more that as a studio painter your advice for people to break away from tabletop to display quality is to give up on the premade washes? Sorry that turned into something closer to an essay about premade washes than I had intended.
I like to paint regiments. Currently working on Battle Masters and Hero Quest ( also some Warhammer experience of course). It is fun because the end result of a regiment looks cool, all figures likes the same for an untrained eye but the twist is in the details. Symbols on the shields, feathers on the helmets wich one of the figures does have a little different colour to make it the regiment leader, one of the 3 horses painted grey instead of brown etc etc. So I like the fun of variation within the same unit of soldiers.
I totally agree with the first point. When I first started I started painting with a Space Marine set. Then I moved on to fantasy miniatures and I was not having any fun. I bought the fantasy D&D minis because they were cheaper, but I still haven't painted them a year later because I don't enjoy them. I much rather prefer the futuristic armor and "Space Marine" look.
Something I noticed when starting this hobby and binging on UA-cam videos about it: watching highly edited 15-20 minute videos of someone far above my skill level painting a miniature grossly distorts my perception of how long it should take. Paint layers dry within 2 seconds (and a cut), base coating is done after blocking in a couple of areas (and a cut) and the whole miniature is highlighted after a single careful brush stroke along an edge (and a cut). Not to mention the whole preparation of selecting a color scheme for the model, cutting off sprues and grinding down mold lines. I'm still looking for videos / streams of the *whole* process. Someone showing their process from start to finish, thinking aloud at every step and most importantly, no cuts (or at least, no cuts with time skipping, just to change camera angle).
a video of "miniature painting from beginning to end" is actually on my list! Four youtube sake, it will be cut and polished, but hopefully it will help answer a few of your questions!
Regarding experimenting: Using different brands of paints can be a thing. Army Painter is very different in texture, thinness, etc than Citadel. Citadel Contrast paints use very different techniques than Citadel's normal line of paints, etc, etc.
Another tip I would add, if you're painting one scheme for a whole army and wish to keep your sanity (I learned the hard way) maybe keep the fancy stuff like NMM, OSL, and even lots of blending to single projects. Otherwise if you're like me, you'll find yourself wanting to jump off a cliff after about five models.
I used to hate the building part of painting models... Until I had so many leftover bits the building became awesome with all the kitbashing I could pull off. 🤣
2:46 That is a damn good job on that little guy! You should still be proud of it too, as I would assume you are by keeping it around as a reminder. Sadly, I know I'm sitting about the best I can do painting minis by hand right now. Mind you, that's not a knock against me. I have lack of feeling in both hands so I will constantly challenge myself to try something new but until I can figure out a way to paint faces using only three fingers or an airbrush, then there isn't much more I can easily accomplish in the hobby. Instead, I've been working on making and painting terrain and mats recently. Making battle mats is pretty helpful as I can see the progress and I can make it as abstract as I want.
I hear ya. I have degenerative joints in my hands, so the past year I've been playing the 'How abstract/stylized can I make these while still feeling satisfied with my results' game.
Great stuff, thanks. I am sure we all struggle from time to time with burnout or loss of interest especially when a click of a button can bring you images of shit thats just out of this world and feels so far beyond anything you could ever accomplish- you just never know though, with enough practice and improvement more is possible than one might think. I know that inspiration and the actual enjoyment of something can be a main driver for just how much of myself I put into something so sometimes those outta this world images of minis can be helpful also just... in moderation.
I really needed this today, the kitsune I've been painting is so fiddley has so many tiny details. My problem is I know what I want and how I want it to look but my hand/paintbrush has different ideas.
I watched this hoping it would help me, but alas I still find painting to be the biggest chore in miniature wargaming. Great content as always, but it seems this video is for people who like painting to begin with.
Strangely enough I’ve got frustrated painting my Sisters of battle & found much more fun painting my Skaven & Malifaux minis at the moment. I belong to a painting group where I used to live & the guy who runs it sets challenges each month & we have a year long challenge to paint 100 models. Sometimes it’s good to paint outside your comfort zone.
Skaven have the benefit of even if you do it messy and what not, it still looks good. Since skaven are just messy to begin with. I have the same issue with my Eldar, making sure they are nicely painted, compared to all of my skaven which I can make them look good by being "bad"
@@SultanFilm yeh just did 60 clanrats & kept it simple, no rust etc, but can add that at a later date if I wish. Next up 20 stormvermin. Luckily I only have 15 sisters, triumph & 2 Rhinos to go.
@@paulausten5786 For rust / tarnished I like using warplock bronze for base, layer on some brass scorpion and then use cryptek as a shade, comes out really nice
When it stops being fun I either take a week off, or paint something else. I am about half way done with a Black Templars army, but on the side I also do knights and Chaos marines. And some Grognards from WarGames Atlantic. I know I am not the best, and that I still have a ways to go in terms of skill, but it is still fun to do.
Great video mate. Sharing your progress with someone else can be a real motivator for me. Something to just point out though, your audio mixing lately has been too heavy in the midrange and almost hurts my ears. Not sure if other peoples ears are as sensitive but it's very boxy and boomy, even on low volume. Not to rag though; just wanted to give you a heads up. Keep 'em coming!
I wind up taking breaks from painting for... Significantly longer than I intend to. Every couple of years I find that I wind up not painting for an entire year then get back on the horse and I'm significantly better than I was when I took a break
a good suggestion from my experience is getting a second hobby. If you are starting to feel frustrated, just do something else you enjoy. I hop between gaming and minature painting.
While you should be enjoying a hobby, you also need to be realistic. Are you painting up a 2k horde list? Yeah at some point you won’t have anymore fun with that and the only way forwards is through despite your dislike for the hefty task in front of you. Pacing is good and all, but you also have to learn to do bulk and if you space that out it’ll be years before you’re done and you’ll still not be having fun with it.
One healthy way to compare yourself to others is to focus on the ways that they painted their model. You shouldn't focus on their finished work, focus on how they got there, and how you can replicate some of their techniques to achieve better personal work
I love painting my mini miniatures. Just for my own enjoyment, to put on display on my own shelf in bedroom but... for the life of me i cannot wet blend/shading. I find i try to and give up and end up painting anyway but thinking "its missing something"
when i first started painting 40K I was super happy with my results and all my friends who had been doing it for years said I was really good at it. Fast forward six months, I can't fkn do it anymore, i start painting and just get extremely frustrated and feel like smashing things, so I stop
i have a hard time getting color to my mins they tend to be tactical colors camo for d and d mis how do i go about getting bright bold colors on the table through my mins
Hello! Any chance you're still offering your painting review service? I recently started painting miniatures and while your videos are amazing I still feel like I'm missing something with my models.
All part of life’s rich tapestry… basically it’s ok to feel like that - pretty natural, if not a lot of fun. Comes of being human. If you are banging your head on the wall, the pain is a hint to stop for a bit! More productive in the long term. One off the wall comment though - for a split second at “Experiment” a cat was in full screen. I thought “No, she wouldn’t…” On the other hand, how do the pair of them stay paint-free?
99% of the time they are paint free. There has only been a single instance otherwise: when cardamom was in my lap and he accidentally swished his tail into my wet palette.
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What your favorite type of model to paint?
I tend to prefer "darker" models, but I am currently painting some up for my friends PCs and trying to clear off some of the started but not finished ones.
My Instagram is fine!
I recommend starting with reaper paints and models (not the bones classic, do bones black). They're basic but cheap, same with their paint
What makes a model "dark?"
@@Sergio-sr5wf fixed! Thank you!
When you say show your work to people, it reminded me of the time I showed my Skorpek Destroyer to my non-painting friend because I was particularly proud of the color transition on the blades... which was promptly ignored as he focused on "the incredible details painted" on the rock at his feet... which was a simply base shade drybrush 5 minutes not counting drying time job.
Compliments are compliments!
And I bet that rock looked amazing ;)
its so true! I painted a full anime figure with transparent effects and nice shading and most of the comments were on the drybrushed rocks under his feet lol. Literally the easiest step in the process
Probably had a disconnect with the model. My guess either didn't know necrons.
People tend to praise what they understand and we have all seen rocks.
Oh man, I felt this. I showed it to people on FB who I thought would appreciate my first mini a little bit and man…the only commentary I got was “You need to drill your barrels.” Or some other stuff that just railed me lol. Luckily, I’m sticking with it and going forward. Most important lesson from this I think was her point on comparing against yourself rather than other people.
I subscribed a few weeks ago. I feel you offer the most cogent critical thinking about the hobby and you speak the most frankly about things.
I say that because I was having a rough day, I'm a single dad until Christmas and the grind of the the third load of laundry on the day and vacuuming and... just caring for my family really had me down to the point where I did not paint; I didn't want to ruin my love of it. This sounds weird, as I am a grown up. Thank you for giving me permission to not push myself into it. I needed another adult to tell me that today, thank you.
That means a lot! UA-cam has been hard lately so this comments really help me.
I love knowing I can come here and get encouragement and feel inspired! 👍👍
These tips are great, find myself being a little discouraged seeing others work.
Found that actively being apart of groups that are constructive, and being a supporter of others are ways i get not only inspired but see that new people are in the hobby as well
Community is so important!
I watched many UA-cam videos before I ventured into Painting Mini's from tutorials to guides. the one thing I had to accept was that I would never achieve that level of detail. I suffer from Neurological damage in my shoulders and arms and have permanent double vision due to a severe skull fracture all stemming from Military service. What i love about the hobby is that you can have 10 people paint the same thing and it can be 10 different interpretations: meaning uniquely yours! Therefore I hold on to that, everything is uniquely mine, and as long as I am happy its a job well done. I strive for the best tabletop standard I can achieve and marvel at my success. Painting for me is part of the hobby and part fo the games I play, but more importantly I use it as a way to relax when dealing with PTSD and it works as my release.
I’m also a vet and re-started painting as a form of physical therapy to regain some fine motor control, I had to move to a smaller scale because I was getting frustrated at not being able to do the details I used to be able to, but thanks to some people at one of my local game stores showing me some techniques to make my painting look better to me (washes for one were a huge help) and sometimes just using a spray can to base coat as a start so I can get them on the table. I’ve been complemented on some of my work and even though I don’t think they are as great as some of the other player’s pieces it still feels good. Keep it up and may the dice rolls be in your favor.
@@gadget19k76 Completely understand, just as you do. Its a great hobby, I find great pride in it and in the end it also helps me. Shades, Contrasts and even ProArcyls Transparent, all help so much. Also I have a Neo TRN Trigger airbrush, That is my savior for terrain. The one thing I took to long to figure out was GOOD BRISHES, specifially ones with a rubber outer cover (MR Brush, rocks for that). But yeah I do a good table top standard, I wont win prizes but I will enjoy every moment and every game!
This video couldn't have come at a better time for me! I haven't painted in ages because I got so frustrated with my skill level not matching up with my own expectations. I know I just have to keep chipping at it and know that I will see improvements over time.
Experimenting with weird color combinations is really one of the best ways to improve.
For example I painted most of a massive dragon dark green and then decided to heavily drybrush it red,realized that dark green makes for an incredible shadow colour for red and after a lot of glazing and some stippling I ended up with by far the best dragon I've ever painted.
Experimenting is probably my favorite of your tips! I'd also suggest if you're in a hobby funk painting some low effort minis from your backlog from start to finish. The dopamine from finishing a project (even an easy one) can help get your enthusiasm back for the more complicated stuff. Board game minis often need to be in "player colors" but a quick wash, drybrush and then some heavy varnishing is dead easy, can really bling up that board game AND will give you that sense of accomplishment. Other low hanging fruit is rarely used D&D monsters, since they'll rarely hit the table, you don't need to put nearly as much effort into them as you might for a Warhammer mini, or a D&D PC mini.
Removing a model from my pile of shame always brightens my day
I've really struggled with painting motivation since the pandemic started, and I've realized that using minis in in-person games is my motivation to paint. With lockdown and multiple group members moving to different cities for whatever reason, I've ended up with all online games and don't get to use my minis or terrain any more, and it makes showing minis to others harder too (which was definitely a thing when playing in person). I guess I'm going to need to reconstitute my local RPG groups.
Compare against yourself - so true. The fact of the matter is that whatever you do there will always be people who are way better at it, at least initially. Be inspired by the masters, seek to emulate them, but don't measure yourself against them, it's a path to discouragement. Far healthier to look at where you started and where you are now, I can almost guarantee you'll see a progression. That progression will be due to hard work and practice and that's the way keep it moving forward.
The last bit of advice is the best, but can sometimes be the hardest to sink in. Both my partner and I are crafty, but in places where we don't overlap (such as minis for me or drawing for her), we each tend to take those initial compliments fairly lightly. It's that we both know that professionals can do such a better job than what we do, that we each reject the compliment or explain how it could be so much better. Persistence in positivity can break through some times, or if we can recognize us having some deeper understanding of the craft, such as where we overlap (i.e. knitting), I notice that we resist the feedback less.
I'm so glad that I've discovered your channel. Thank you for all these wonderful videos as I've been binging through your videos while painting, which has also helped prevent frustration as I finish up my current set of minis.
I do share my work with my friends, family, and neighbors. They all love it.
Though my ex of 9 years didn't understand it. And when we bought a house, she quickly said "I don't want those (minis) in a cabinet in the living room. I've had a couple other women I briefly dated look down on me when I showed them my collation (which I'm very proud of).
But now I have an 'F' them attitude. It, along with my music playing, are part of me. So I will now show off my best pieces in a glass cabinet in the living room so they can see what I do up front.
I don't want to be with someone who is embarrass of my loves and hobbies!
This was a lovely video. For me, it took moving across to abstract mini schemes to make me fall back in love with painting. Moving away from anything remotely realistic. It's really freeing to try and represent an IDEA on a miniature as opposed to 'this is what X might look like in Y battle zone'
I often get frustrated by the sea of grey rather than the process itself. I’m fairly lucky that as soon as I put that first brush-stroke down, it all kinda melts away and I stick with the mini until I’m at least ready to abandon it (no piece of art is ever finished, just abandoned lol) I very much agree with taking a little break if the paint job gets frustrating, I was attempting to wetblend the other day (yes, I’m practicing) and it just was absolutely not working for me, I just seemed to be wiping away the colours rather than blending them. Anyway, I went out with my family, had a nice cold drink and went back to it and the result was.... pretty not-bad. ^_^ #NotificationSquad
Thank you for your comment, and good luck wet blending!
After 25 Years in the Hobby i just recently started painting minitaures and finally enjoyed it. Thanks for your great advise!
Getting started is the worst part for me, which is why contrast/speedpaint is such a blessing. I've been staring at a mini on my desk for a couple weeks, primed and zenithal'd. Finally bit the bullet the other night and forced myself to get some speedpaint and an oil wash on it (total elapsed time: 30 minutes) and now I'm psyched to make it look good this weekend. Human psychology is weird.
This video should be required viewing for anyone getting in the hobby. Fantastic advice here.
That means a lot!
Paint what you like/love. Can't stress this enough! Great point!
I always have a really hard time painting things i don't want to paint.
Awesome one, I literally keep my first painting attempts, and the comparison just speaks for itself on the progress!
Luckily enough I am already doing all 5 of these. I am also fortunate enough that I do terrain crafting as well - when I am burnt out on one hobby, I swap to the other, it gives me a natural way to take that break while still getting things done.
This was really helpful! Thank you for the positivity.
Thank you for your comment! I try to be a positive light in the community :)
A very helpful video for me. Thank you. When I get out of my mini painting grove, I usually work on terrain crafting. And then vice versa. Thanks again.
I really want to work on terrain more. It is a really nice break!
Great advice and tips. Thanks! I'm a tough critic of myself..
I'm a sucker for robes, the lower one in that guy was GORGEOUS
Hi Lyla Mev, thanks for your tips, I often found in some in those situations, looking at the mini I was working on made me want to run away, or just made me want to put it in a box to never be seen again, but sometimes, asking an opinion to my nephew who paint minis like me, makes me understand that the most important thing is to have fun painting, and you can always come back and strip and repaint a old mini that you want to make better, thank you so much
Keeping things fresh and fun is key. I have managed to paint nearly every day for over 8 months now with exception to a few trips and games played. Great advice
I love your videos they’re very helpful, I’ve only been painting for 11 months and your such a big help.
I'm not into mini painting. No idea why I was recommended this channel, but I liked this a lot. It's good advice for a lot of things tbh.
I like how you show footage of your painting in all different stages in these videos. It's interesting seeing how different your painting style is compared to mine. When establishing colours onto a model you seem to be much more free in your application. I'd say "messy" but that sounds negative and it really isn't. The finished results have those lovely blends across the cloak. I am a bit scared of wet blending and tend to just glaze stuff instead. You also pick such interesting colours on the model shown in this video. About the topic of the video itself I think it was great advice all round. Comparing your work to other people's can sometimes be demoralising but in this case as I said above it was really interesting.
Thanks for this video. I'm only 6 months into the hobby, I don't have a huge number of miniatures painted yet. I tend to compare myself with other artists when I see their painted minis on Inst. or on FB groups or I demand a lot of myself, and that's why I tend to decline in my desire to continue painting, I know I've progressed but I'm kind of impatient. I will use your tips to be more patient and enjoy painting my miniatures more.
This is definitely a very useful video! Gonna share it with other people in the hobby!
Thanks for the advice. Not only with miniatures but with anything in life. My biggest problem is comparing myself to others. Definitely enjoying your videos.
It's definitely something I deal with as well!
I really love the colours you´ve painted on this mini.
Thank you! She was very fun
I only recently found your channel and so far, each and every video I've watched was absolutely great. I love your content!
Another great video, Lyla! Keeping old models around is a really valuable tool that I think a lot of people disregard. Sure, there's the value you get from actually seeing the improvements you've made made manifest by comparison, but you also have a catalog of all the ideas you had that you thought would work great and maybe didn't. Helps me keep from making the same mistakes, or at least from making the same mistakes in the same way. You *could* keep a hobby journal about the choices you make, but I'm sort of a degenerate and don't do that, even though I know I should, so this is a easy compromise.
LOL I'm humble painting my first space marines and you guys showing off all these incredibly realistic models LOL !
Really needed this video today, thank you.
I've taken to painting holiday themed models for my friends and family who may or may not play.
Thats sweet!
I did some contrast painting on tabeltop mini's. Some worked out, some didn't. Didn't feel it anymore and returned to normal paints. Now suddenly I wanted to contrast again and got so much better in technique and ideas. So sometimes giving something a rest for a few months actually improves your work.
I love your clear shelves!😊
I like to put of lore videos as background while I paint, it helps give me visualizations in my mind as I work. When I’m painting a lot of infantry for my Flames of War/ Team Yankee games, I’ll pick a color and an item on the figures (Boots, faces, helmet) and put a little paint on my pallet, then I’ll start painting those parts until I run out of paint. If I run out and still feel motivated I’ll add a little more, but if I’m tired I can stop but still feel like I’ve accomplished something and gotten my figures a little closer to the table. I also switch it up sometimes jumping from infantry to tanks, a different faction, or even a completely different game so I can use different colors.
The Sea of Grey can't be avoided I feel!! I removed myself from 40K and thought I'd only play smaller system mostly blood bowl and still have a bloody backlog !! 😭
I'll take that though, compare against yourself not others my Mate always tells me this.....Best advice I think I've had, you take breaks from a hobby come back and so much changes etc or you feel you paintings not up to scratch! The introduction of contrast and speed paints though have been a blessing mind!
Another wise video,thank you Lyla.
This is so me right now. Haven't painted I'm weeks. Just lost all drive to do it. Sucks because it's my most favorite hobby by far. Just burnt out. I'll hopefully get back at it soon.
Great thoughts and suggestions….thanks very much!
It means a lot!
All the things you mentioned are things I've done/that I do on the regular to fire myself up again, and they always work--I've discovered I really like painting 75 mm scale. In fact? Today a coworker of mine handed me a Pokemon Zapados 3-D printed mini that he asked me to paint for him and another one also asked me to paint up a dragon head bust for her, and there's even money involved, so I must be doing something right or something. After approximately 13 years of painting, the first half of which I spent dithering about and not really pushing myself from lack of confidence, I finally said SCREW THIS and started buying better paints and products. I buckled down, and all of a sudden began seeing improvement! We always tend to notice the plateau more than the improvement, don't we? As it is now, I'm at a point where I like about every other mini I paint and the rest I say "Eh, better luck next time," about. I've a ton of minis on my bookshelf from over the last several years and the improvement and progression are immediately obvious when you put them side by side. Now to keep pushing, because dangit, I WILL get the hang of NMM at some point!
Those are some great points, I’ve only been seriously mini painting for 6 months and can’t realistically compare myself to someone who has done it for years, for a living. One day I’ll master that NMM, though!
A "cheat" I've learned for NMM is to paint the basics in NMM style, but then do the highlights (often just a light drybrush) with metallic paints. I find this is often is more convincing then either using metallics or NMM on their own.
@@YanniCooper ooooo interesting.
@@YanniCooper that’s a great idea, which I’ll try and use! Thank you!
I tend to create a background for my minis while I paint them...give them a name and a story. Creatures I imagine the world they live in. Music helps too!
Every video, of your's, that I have watched has helped me advance my hobby enjoyment. As well as my confidence in my own painting, just by your excellent outlook on the entire process. That is why I am your newest subscriber. Thanks.
That means so much to me!
I have been putting off painting for a few months and I think it's because I am intimidated. I have expanded my tools and paint selection and now I have so many options it's a bit overwhelming at times. That and I cant find anybody to play D&D. Smh. The only game store in town closed down and now I would have to drive an hour and a half to find one. I am a veteran so most of my close friends live so far away in unrealistic to visit often. Where I live I don't have any like-minded people to enjoy the hobby with. I am just a bit down and sad. I have been watching mini painting videos to find my inspiration and muse. My 3d printer is ready to go as soon as I find what evokes my passion again. Thank you for the video and a place to externalize my thought.
Assuming you have a variety of paint brands, don't just look at the paints as colors, but look at their different consistencies, too. Different paints work better for different things, so once you know what technique you want to use it should help you narrow down your choices for paint.
I got suckered in by that thumbnail. I'm curious about that contrarian opinion on Nuln Oil. I remember when I got back in I had washes pushed hard by somebody who was doing the Army Painter route, I sort of dug in my heels on my first project and stuck with my high school area drybrushes, but because we were going to play a platoon scale game and they dragged their heels on making their force happen, I ended up getting into GW washes because the floor polish and matte varnish technique seemed too labour intensive given the price of one pot of wash, and did my second faction - as a loaner force - with shade-base-highlight tied together with Seraphim Sepia. (I found this the most labour intensive of any of my factions and have not repeated it, since the results didn't justify it, but it was an excellent introduction to shade-base-highlight and washes from my old high school drybrushes. The closest brick and mortar hobby store was sold out of Agrax Earthshade.) As a tool for doing small areas that are a nuisance to shade, such as puttees, or a quick cheat to pound out simple shading on accent areas like webbing, I think Nuln Oil in particular is great. I have been told Army Painter knockoff Contrasts are superior by a source I trust, and my local chain of discount retailers sells a consistency of craft paints which work fine for most miniatures - I evolved a system of saving blends in a brand of local vitamin bottle that screws shut close to airtight - but IMHO GW washes are top notch. When I muddled the mixture making my own contrasts on the last faction I completed - thankfully not on any of the main colours - I was able to rescue the shading on the chunks of the minis where my matte medium didn't flow properly with Nuln Oil. Is it more that as a studio painter your advice for people to break away from tabletop to display quality is to give up on the premade washes? Sorry that turned into something closer to an essay about premade washes than I had intended.
It's nothing against nuln oil, it is referring to the part of the video where I say to stop painting and take a break!
SOme bery good points in your video and more of the cats too :)
Thank you!
Thanks again for some useful advice
I like to paint regiments. Currently working on Battle Masters and Hero Quest ( also some Warhammer experience of course). It is fun because the end result of a regiment looks cool, all figures likes the same for an untrained eye but the twist is in the details. Symbols on the shields, feathers on the helmets wich one of the figures does have a little different colour to make it the regiment leader, one of the 3 horses painted grey instead of brown etc etc. So I like the fun of variation within the same unit of soldiers.
I totally agree with the first point. When I first started I started painting with a Space Marine set. Then I moved on to fantasy miniatures and I was not having any fun. I bought the fantasy D&D minis because they were cheaper, but I still haven't painted them a year later because I don't enjoy them. I much rather prefer the futuristic armor and "Space Marine" look.
Something I noticed when starting this hobby and binging on UA-cam videos about it: watching highly edited 15-20 minute videos of someone far above my skill level painting a miniature grossly distorts my perception of how long it should take. Paint layers dry within 2 seconds (and a cut), base coating is done after blocking in a couple of areas (and a cut) and the whole miniature is highlighted after a single careful brush stroke along an edge (and a cut). Not to mention the whole preparation of selecting a color scheme for the model, cutting off sprues and grinding down mold lines.
I'm still looking for videos / streams of the *whole* process. Someone showing their process from start to finish, thinking aloud at every step and most importantly, no cuts (or at least, no cuts with time skipping, just to change camera angle).
a video of "miniature painting from beginning to end" is actually on my list! Four youtube sake, it will be cut and polished, but hopefully it will help answer a few of your questions!
Regarding experimenting: Using different brands of paints can be a thing. Army Painter is very different in texture, thinness, etc than Citadel. Citadel Contrast paints use very different techniques than Citadel's normal line of paints, etc, etc.
Another tip I would add, if you're painting one scheme for a whole army and wish to keep your sanity (I learned the hard way) maybe keep the fancy stuff like NMM, OSL, and even lots of blending to single projects. Otherwise if you're like me, you'll find yourself wanting to jump off a cliff after about five models.
I used to hate the building part of painting models... Until I had so many leftover bits the building became awesome with all the kitbashing I could pull off. 🤣
2:46 That is a damn good job on that little guy! You should still be proud of it too, as I would assume you are by keeping it around as a reminder.
Sadly, I know I'm sitting about the best I can do painting minis by hand right now. Mind you, that's not a knock against me. I have lack of feeling in both hands so I will constantly challenge myself to try something new but until I can figure out a way to paint faces using only three fingers or an airbrush, then there isn't much more I can easily accomplish in the hobby. Instead, I've been working on making and painting terrain and mats recently. Making battle mats is pretty helpful as I can see the progress and I can make it as abstract as I want.
I hear ya. I have degenerative joints in my hands, so the past year I've been playing the 'How abstract/stylized can I make these while still feeling satisfied with my results' game.
Sometimes I have to take a step back from my hobby; its not worth it to me if I stop having fun, but breathers help so much!
Great stuff, thanks. I am sure we all struggle from time to time with burnout or loss of interest especially when a click of a button can bring you images of shit thats just out of this world and feels so far beyond anything you could ever accomplish- you just never know though, with enough practice and improvement more is possible than one might think. I know that inspiration and the actual enjoyment of something can be a main driver for just how much of myself I put into something so sometimes those outta this world images of minis can be helpful also just... in moderation.
Petting the cats is definitely the best option. :D
Always pet the cat
I really needed this today, the kitsune I've been painting is so fiddley has so many tiny details. My problem is I know what I want and how I want it to look but my hand/paintbrush has different ideas.
Absolutely relatable. My recommendations is to buy a grip that has a handle to help hold your hand stedier.
I'm so glad! These are the sort of comments I need today.
Your channel is worth subscribing to, thanks for the good videos.
I watched this hoping it would help me, but alas I still find painting to be the biggest chore in miniature wargaming. Great content as always, but it seems this video is for people who like painting to begin with.
Strangely enough I’ve got frustrated painting my Sisters of battle & found much more fun painting my Skaven & Malifaux minis at the moment. I belong to a painting group where I used to live & the guy who runs it sets challenges each month & we have a year long challenge to paint 100 models. Sometimes it’s good to paint outside your comfort zone.
Skaven have the benefit of even if you do it messy and what not, it still looks good. Since skaven are just messy to begin with. I have the same issue with my Eldar, making sure they are nicely painted, compared to all of my skaven which I can make them look good by being "bad"
@@SultanFilm yeh just did 60 clanrats & kept it simple, no rust etc, but can add that at a later date if I wish. Next up 20 stormvermin. Luckily I only have 15 sisters, triumph & 2 Rhinos to go.
@@paulausten5786 For rust / tarnished I like using warplock bronze for base, layer on some brass scorpion and then use cryptek as a shade, comes out really nice
When it stops being fun I either take a week off, or paint something else. I am about half way done with a Black Templars army, but on the side I also do knights and Chaos marines. And some Grognards from WarGames Atlantic. I know I am not the best, and that I still have a ways to go in terms of skill, but it is still fun to do.
I primarily paint Gundam model kits, but I switch to minis every now and then when I need a break, or need to expand my skill set.
Thanks Arwen
Do you use primer on your miniatures?
Incredible!!! :D
Great video mate. Sharing your progress with someone else can be a real motivator for me. Something to just point out though, your audio mixing lately has been too heavy in the midrange and almost hurts my ears. Not sure if other peoples ears are as sensitive but it's very boxy and boomy, even on low volume. Not to rag though; just wanted to give you a heads up. Keep 'em coming!
Audio is my greatest weakness 😓😓
I wind up taking breaks from painting for... Significantly longer than I intend to. Every couple of years I find that I wind up not painting for an entire year then get back on the horse and I'm significantly better than I was when I took a break
Amazing tips!
Odd request, where did you get that black sweater, my wife would love it.
Amazon!
What is that stand that you're putting you're minis on, to paint them?
Thanks!
When you said they did badass women sculpts, I immediately thought wow a Lyla miniature
I thought the same!
These are great tips
a good suggestion from my experience is getting a second hobby. If you are starting to feel frustrated, just do something else you enjoy. I hop between gaming and minature painting.
what is that handle for that you have on your miniholder? i cant see any use for that
While you should be enjoying a hobby, you also need to be realistic.
Are you painting up a 2k horde list? Yeah at some point you won’t have anymore fun with that and the only way forwards is through despite your dislike for the hefty task in front of you.
Pacing is good and all, but you also have to learn to do bulk and if you space that out it’ll be years before you’re done and you’ll still not be having fun with it.
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
noooooo
One healthy way to compare yourself to others is to focus on the ways that they painted their model. You shouldn't focus on their finished work, focus on how they got there, and how you can replicate some of their techniques to achieve better personal work
Great thoughts!
painting something that small terrifies me haha, my hands are too big and my eyes arnt good lol
I love painting my mini miniatures. Just for my own enjoyment, to put on display on my own shelf in bedroom but... for the life of me i cannot wet blend/shading. I find i try to and give up and end up painting anyway but thinking "its missing something"
I just did a video on wet blending!
when i first started painting 40K I was super happy with my results and all my friends who had been doing it for years said I was really good at it. Fast forward six months, I can't fkn do it anymore, i start painting and just get extremely frustrated and feel like smashing things, so I stop
i have a hard time getting color to my mins they tend to be tactical colors camo for d and d mis how do i go about getting bright bold colors on the table through my mins
"Particularly awful" ...still looks better than anything I've ever done
Hello! Any chance you're still offering your painting review service? I recently started painting miniatures and while your videos are amazing I still feel like I'm missing something with my models.
"Your family is ihere to support you."
Meanwhile, my family: "You still fussing on toys? At your age?"
Yeah.... part of my family thinks I'm a disappointment for becoming a youtuber.
Do you have a video about how to strip the paint off the miniature if you have to start over? I haven't done that yet and would appreciate the info!
I use simple green and a tooth brush!
Just use isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush
You do commissions? Do you have a website?
Nice thumbnail, it got me.
also good cat footage.
It's been a extra cats kind of week
I think, only frustrated people are hobby youtubers seeking easy content. This video is perhaps mandatory for content creators.
Fun is probably the biggest factor that can lead to a bad spiral if you're not enjoying yourself
Absolutely!
Your kitty looks like Moe from the 3 Stooges :D
That's what his name was at the pound!
+1 for oil paints
All part of life’s rich tapestry… basically it’s ok to feel like that - pretty natural, if not a lot of fun. Comes of being human. If you are banging your head on the wall, the pain is a hint to stop for a bit! More productive in the long term.
One off the wall comment though - for a split second at “Experiment” a cat was in full screen. I thought “No, she wouldn’t…” On the other hand, how do the pair of them stay paint-free?
99% of the time they are paint free. There has only been a single instance otherwise: when cardamom was in my lap and he accidentally swished his tail into my wet palette.