How I Paint Things*

I was reading a painting article in Wargames Soldiers & Strategy issue #116 the other day and was just gobsmacked by the author using 5 (that's right FIVE) layers on the trousers of a 15mm panzergrenadier. I commented to the effect of "honestly, is anyone going to notice?" which got some interesting responses.

Some were in agreement. Some were "that's how I do it, it's relaxing." Some admitted that yes the 5th highlight layer may just be a tiny dot.

And really, to each their own. If that's what you like then carry on. I'm not going to "yuck your yum" as they say in the world of kink.

One can always learn something new from such articles even if you don't follow them exactly. But I've also noticed a certain amount of "you aren't painting them right!" or worse "you're using  the  wrong technique" especially in the 40k fringes of the hobby.

I also see a lot of folks getting stuck on correct shades of paint and tiny uniform details to the point of paralysis. Add in fear of criticism from Social Media trolls shouting "you painted them wrong!" and it can be pretty debilitating. This is what had my Napoleonics stuck in the leadpile for years.

To those people I'd like to offer this sage advice

I didn't coin this phrase. That honour goes to Ken Reilly, "The Yarkshire Gamer". He has a blog and a podcast and a YouTube channel. The quote is at 1 hr 24 minutes.

My happy corner of Gaming Twitter has taken to this and started making memes.

To elaborate this straightforward philosophy:

Don't sweat correct shades because colours fade. Don't obsess over tiny details that you can't see from 3 feet away. No one is going to notice if you haven't highlighted the haversack on the 3rd guy in 2nd squad.

That being said it is good to stretch yourself if a miniature really inspires you. That's what happened with Scharf's Schützen this summer. But even so I let my brown undercoat (I find black just too dark to see what I'm doing), ink washes and dry brushing do a lot of the work for me. Heads, bases, flags, and shields attract attention so put the effort into those areas. Modestly painted armies on decent terrain in combination look far better than a few superbly painted miniatures leading grey plastic battalions on cheap terrain. 

It's good to keep pushing yourself in your craft. But keep an eye on the goal too. Are you painting to win a Golden Demon Award or are you painting to get a project on the table? 

The other thing is work flow organization.  I've discovered this year that smaller batches actually help speed me up. The constant sense of completion helps with the motivation. I used to do big groups of 24-36 infantry or 12 cavalry. That's too much. Now I do 12-16 infantry and 6-8 cavalry (handy that those are my common unit sizes). Even individual character figures I'll paint as a small batch. I also always try to have the next thing assembled and primed, then while I'm waiting for something like glue or an ink wash to dry I will undercoat them so they're ready to start painting as the previous group is going into the flocking. 

Plus a little bit every day adds up over a week too. You've only 15 minutes tonight? Assemble a  musketeer, or just do one bit on the current batch.  Command figures with their unique details are good for this. You're 15 minutes further along than if you didn't. 

If you've gotten some figures on the table and you're happy with the results, then you've done it right.

So don't fuck about, just paint it. 

*I've deliberately used the same title as Sonic Sledgehammer's YouTube channel. He's a decent bloke and talented painter with the same philosophy that there is no 'right way' except whichever way works for you.