Off Topic Ramblings?

[MichaelStockin]

Hopefully not so off topic that this is removed, but if it is then fair enough.

I just wanted to say:

Remember pre WWW and how you were pleased with your painting?
Your mates saw it and thought it was cool?
You did not need to try the latest fad method/product/technique and were happy as you are.

Embrace Slaanesh and reject Tzeentch.

Share whatever you do if it makes you happy, it may make others happy too!

Comparison is the thief of joy.

 

[Geroak II]

Do I smell some nostalgia here?

It's really all about our mindset and how high we want to raise the bar for ourself.
When we entered the hobby our painting skills would improve leaps and bounds. There was a steady progress and we were happy with it.
Then, unless one actually has that burn to get even better and keep on learning, trying, making errors and learning from them, we hit the limits of our capability. At this point we have a choice to either accept and embrace our painting skill as is, or start learning again.
In the end this is a hobby and as such meant to be enjoyed, thus any level of painting that painter themself is happy with is the best possible result this aspect of the hobby can result in.

Change over hedonism, always.

Agreed about sharing.

Comparing makes sense when it results in inspiration, motivation or learning something. Comparing and feeling lesser is not motivational.
It's good to remember that no matter what you do, there will always be someone better than you. Again, it's all about mindset, accepting own limitations and embracing the current skills we have.

 

[MichaelStockin]

"Do I smell some nostalgia here?"

Ha, Always!!
To be fair, my ramblings apply less to places like this and more to social media.
There is a lot of expectation on some platforms to make sure you only post the very best, get lots of likes/upvotes/shares.
But what does that achieve?
It won't make your games any more fun, it won't give you extra time to paint that last model you want to get done.

I just wonder how many people are put off from posting their hobby stuff as it does not align with the top 1% we see/get fed online.

 

[Geroak II]

Social media can be very toxic. Forums are only form of it I can stand.
I'm sure plenty of new hobbyists are hesitant to post pics of their stuff, thinking they are not good enough and maybe even for fear of getting ridiculed. People can be snobs and just jerks in general.

 

[ManicMan]

I think it's spelt "social" media.. cause.. technically doesn't really match many meanings I know of for Social.. Its not like a group of people with an interest meeting together to talk and stuff.. damn.. there was a word for that.. Oh wait, a Forum.. so-called "social" media is just a bad version of netgroups... oh damn, I'm starting to show my age.. I'll talk about some times in the past enjoying using telnet to roleplay back in the day, but having to stay up really late cause most of them were yanks so the time difference created a problem..

I remember when I had a few local friends who could play games with and enjoy playing.. don't really have many these days.. mostly get a quarterly Heroquest play which is really fun.

I think I probably was happier when younger (though had less.. issues) and the old 'art is easy when you don't know how, very hard when you do'.. Some old painting from the past is... very bad.. but It was good enough to put together figures and get them on the table for games..

Oh and.. Comedy.. not just but specially old British comedy.. we don't really make British comedy these days.. in a way, also old British comedy's which either people think are crap or very little appears to be known. Bootle Saddles really should have gotten a second series.. and there is a IMDB review which.. they guy is talking about of his arse.. He clearly hadn't seen the show in 20+ years and got SOO much wrong..

as it's off topic.. Bootle Saddles is something that also could have easily been miniature gaming related in a way.. It was about Kenneth Cope as Percy James. He was once part of a local group that loved to pretend to be 'cowboys' in the American midwest during the wild west period and after leaving, he created basically cowboy roleplay theme park where people could go and dress up and live as cowboys with various things. very nice series. Had it's issues like soo many things did but was good and really should have had a second series. Very much a homage to old western films and series but with a nice humour twist. Good cast too.. Like I said, a group of fanatics passionate about a niche hobby.. could easily make something like that about other role-playing or miniatures in general... Come to think of it.. the only show I can think of which did much with miniature gaming was Callum.. where a fair bit of his character was he collected, painted and played games with miniatures. There was even an episode where it was all focused on him going to a gaming event. Turns out the rules in that episode were Napoleonic ones from John Tunstill's "Discovering wargames'. Look around, you can find some nice stuff including some nice images of his armies.. mostly Napoleonic era and I believe he (Edward Woodward) wanted to keep some miniatures and scenery but the supplier said no. can't remember what company did supply them.. still, this was about 1967 to 1972.

 

[Orjetax]

I remember being intimidated to post on this forum because my painting was not as skilled as most!

I would love to see everything posted, it need not be the very best.

There’s always something “worth it” for the viewer/reader - the nostalgia, the fun of seeing other collections, being introduced to a model, seeing models you have with a different approach to paint, and so on.

We are not gazing like we are art critics!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Golgfag1]

On the topic of improvements in painting, here's a pictures of two miniatures - one I painted over thirty years ago and the other last month, the difference is palpable, but I'm just as pleased with one as the other, as both shows my prowess at that stage of me trying to dab colour over miniatures. The greatest lesson I've learnt is patience.

Paul / Golgfag1

 

[jon_1066]

Comparison was still there in the 1980s - you just looked at White Dwarf and thought "Why don't mine look like that?" They then explained some of the basics (eg use a primer - try shading things and apply highlights) and that helped get results that were better.

As regards toxic posting on miniature forums I've never seen it wrt slagging peoples minis. I am obviously not on all of them but even Reddit's mini painting forum is very supportive (considering the dumpster fire some of that place is that is really saying something). If someone posts a figure and asks for advice they will get it but in a very constructive manner. Maybe people just don't want to post lots of their figures? This comes back to why do people post? Is it for feedback? For advice? As a record of what you have done? For motivation? A little ego boost? To show off? The implication of OP is that it is purely the latter but in my experience that is a very minor factor.

 

[Padre]

Here's my favouriate shot comparing my old, cartoon, enamel style to my more recent approach with acrylics (still learning). I like both styles, and intend to switch between them, or mix them up on one model (as indeed is the case on the first image), as I proceeed.

My campaign stories show figures from the early 80s to today, painted over the same long period. I will admit, occasionally I feel embarassed when someone says they don't like my style, and I feel I should excuse &/or explain myself, but I try to stop myself from doing so by repeating in my head that everyone had different tastes. I'm just glad that I like seeing all different styles. (But I hate unpainted figures )

 

[MichaelStockin]

Comparison was still there in the 1980s - you just looked at White Dwarf and thought "Why don't mine look like that?" They then explained some of the basics (eg use a primer - try shading things and apply highlights) and that helped get results that were better.

I guess that was expected though?
The people that made the models hired people to paint them for commercial reasons.
You would expect them to be done to a decent standard.
Plus that was just one magazine.

If you go online there are thousands and thousands of people sharing stuff who are not professional in house painters and many are very very good.

I don't really have a point as such, just rambling on...

 

[ManicMan]

On the topic of improvements in painting, here's a pictures of two miniatures - one I painted over thirty years ago and the other last month, the difference is palpable, but I'm just as pleased with one as the other, as both shows my prowess at that stage of me trying to dab colour over miniatures. The greatest lesson I've learnt is patience.
View attachment 11200
Paul / Golgfag1

Patience is a great thing to learn. and unlike Blackjack, you can play it alone ^_^