Musings: What motivates you to paint?

Musings: What motivates you to paint?

Been thinking over this for a couple of days now, asked a few mates and read round the web.

Read after the break for my thoughts.....

So what motivates you to paint?

There are many muses I believe to inspire people to paint:

Inspired, Bored, Mounds of Plastic, To Improve, Peer Pressure, Projects and the dread Tournament Deadline.

I think through out my hobby lifetime all of these have been a reason to pick the paint brush and cross bristles with the paint brush and duel with models.

I will explore a little deeper into all of the headings and give me reasoning behind them.

Inspired

I am very fortunate that I work with Matt Parkes and having been allowed to see this Golden Daemon winning entry and the stunning level of detail that has not only gone into the banner but all the little extras that I do not think have ever really been shown.

This diorama, Cool Mini or Not, Tale of Painters and other fellow bloggers have on many occasions not only inspired me to pick up my brush but also to look to improve and practise my techniques.

Bored

The wife is at football, my mates are all playing with their kids doing the Dad thang, the xbox just does not inspire. So best pick up that paint brush.

Not very often this one hits me as I generally enjoy painting and do not really see it as a last resort activity.

Mounds of Plastic

Ok not quite a pile of miniatures but I think this would be close to the amount of cash I have spent in my hobby life time.

I think another word for this one might be GUILT.

We all have those miniatures that stand half painted staring, pleading imploring you to pick up the brush and finish them.

For me at the moment it is my castellan robots, my Nemesis.

To Improve

We all started somewhere

I remember my first set of RTB01 Beakies and the only paints I had where my enamels. Yellow and Black was the colour scheme and the Hornets were born.

Now I am selecting a figure to be my landmark figure to set a bench mark a line in the stand.

I think we all have a standard that we are happy to put on the table and say I painted that. Not all over will hit the heights of a Golden Daemon winner but there is nothing wrong with wanting to aspire to hit that level.

Peer Pressure

Don't you just hate it when you think you are the fastest painter in the gaming group, and you turn up to your regular gaming night pleased as punch that you just finished another 5 marines. Then your mate just smiles nods and compliments you on the painting how great the bases look. Your chest swells and a warm glow hits the cheeks.

Then he opens his case and then BOOOM!

He then goes and lays down 2 fully painted units all based transfers ready to rock.

You swallow your pride compliment him his figures. But in the dark recesses of your mind you are screaming DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, THRICE DAMN YOU.

Man this one grips my shit and pushes me more to make sure that I have more painted figures on the table.

Projects

Projects, false dawns,

Well we have all done laid out the new project written a timeline, planned it out, bought the models, paints and set them out.

For me this is the hardest to do as I confess I am a:

Hobby Butterfly, I am a sucker for a new model, new army, new game. I try hard but the lure and desire for new figures beats me all the time.

Lets have a look at my unfinished projects listed on here so far:

Tau

Mechanicum

I am realising that I think I have lost interest in the Tau as not played a game with them yet, However my Mech I am still loving them

Tournament Deadline

Most of us have been there sat there minutes before the tournament putting the final touches to basing highlights attaching banners you name I have done it.

With best intentions I always plan to have an army done and completed ahead of time. But time has this amazing thing of running away,

Weirdly I kinda like the pressure of this one.

So what Inspires you to paint?

Is it any of the above? or do you have anything else to add to the list.

Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below

Catch you on the flip side