Why Don't You Just Start?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- Uncle Atom goes on a little bit of a tear (sorry) and tells you why you need to start NOW when it comes to your hobby. Turn off your TV!
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This video reminded me of one of the greatest moments I've seen in a gaming store. Not quite the exact line used in this video, but similar, happened in the Games Workshop store I used to visit. The store had a "no unpainted minis" policy on their gaming tables, and a guy showed up with some models he'd only just bought and assembled the day before.
His line was "I haven't had time yet", which is a little better than the usual complaint quoted here.
The store manager, who happened to be working on his own army (which he also planned to use as display models in the store window), called out from one of the store's pair of painting table.
"You have time now, right? You can use my paints, and I'll help you out if you have questions" what he *didn't* mention was that he had pictures of some of his own minis in at least one codex and the latest 2 issues of the White Dwarf magazine that were sitting on the shelf behind him. I had been working on my second WH40K army on the other painting table at the time, and the advice that came up was directly relevant to the models I was painting, so I joined them too. From there we ended up with everyone crowding around and talking about painting techniques and forgetting they had been about to start actually playing...
That is a interesting story
I'm surprised they had a no unpainted models policy. Games workshop (and all model selling stores) primary goal is to sell as many models as possible.
A painted model policy is a direct hinderance to this.
@@joshual6305 there's a reason why Games Workshop has a lot of critics. They don't always make the best decisions. I'm lucky that my local GW has a much looser policy. The manager allows unpainted models, but will prod you to "at least prime them" one week. Then maybe next week he'll poke you and say, "why don't we sit down and base paint them, at least the armor?" So on and so forth until whaddya know, mr unpainted models has a decent looking army!
@@alejandrorivas4585 I don't like the idea of a 'no unpainted armies' in a game store. It's a great way to scare off new people or people who just are bad at painting.
If you want people to paint their minis, make it easy to paint their minis. Host a weekly or bi-weekly paint jam, where people can get started. Have communal basic supplies (a brush or two, some common pots of paint) and some experienced painters willing to give advice and help out.
I get the whole "shut up or put up" when it comes to someone complaining about not having time to paint. But complaining about someone else not having their army painted? Personally I think the same advice applies.
Seems like a pretty terrible policy to encourage people getting into wargaming, and a pretty convenient story for the youtube comments section.
If your store runs games 1 day a week for 40k because like any profitable game store they have magic, and other days dedicated to other forms of hobby that support their store financially.
What imaginary world do you live in where a bunch of wargamers all put down their dice and no one plays and they all say let's talk paint theory .... cool story bro.
i love my tv and video games but still find time for wargamming! just got rid of that rubbish hobby called sleep.
Samuel John Sendell same! so much more time
Still practicing this.
Sleep is healthy fool.
Optimus Wev ruining the joke is not healthy fool
there is another option for those who are cash rich and time poor. there are now so many excellent painting houses out there who will build and paint figures for you, so many scenery companies out there offer stuff playable out of the box. don't get me wrong the hobby aspect is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the wider hobby in my opinion but with a long commute and a young family I can appreciate avenues which help get people to the table.
"No such thing as spare time. No such thing as free time. No such thing as down time. All you got is life time" -Henry Rollins
Sounds like something henry rollins would say.
A solitary hobbyist faces this problem alone. It can help to take a page from quilters and crocheters, and get together and paint with a small group of people. If you make the time to get together and share supplies and ideas, you might find that it's easier to get started. You can share pointers, advice, feedback, encouragement, and just good company. It's a lot easier than when it's just you facing those pots and brushes. =^[.]^=
unfortunately a solitary painter here ;w; got into the hobby mid april, had a box of skitarii rangers and an iron strider my grandma bought me. Currently painting Belisarius Cawl which has taken so far over a month, it's been difficult at times to keep going but I think I'm nearly there
@@lupuslunarem3235 There are online painting and crafting groups you can join for ideas and encouragement, too. Sometimes all it takes is some feedback to keep you interested in your own work. =^[.]^=
Its funny....I actually enjoy the "work" part of it more than playing the game sometimes.
The crafting is the hobby. The gaming is the reward.
I hear ya. I suppose you need to be interested in more meditative activities to find the enjoyment. Plus, personally whenever I finish I get that rush of “Wow, I did this?” Being able to use it for a game is just the massive cherry on top.
Uncle Atom, I must say that after about fifteen years of looking at miniature painting videos, pirating D&D book pdf files for no real reason and stuff. After I've found your channel I got the 5e books, a 3d printer, an airbrush and some paints and a few D&D nerds. You and Sam got me off my couch and into a chair painting minis and DMing my first homebrew campaign. Thanks for the motivation and inspiration! Big fan!
TBH ..thats the most mild mannered Rant I've ever saw!!! lol
Please narrate an audio book your voice is like good whiskey.
+MrBizteck Well, it felt a bit 'rant-y' at the time, but I *am* generally pretty level headed. Thanks for watching!
Almost Canadian. Atom's from the Midwest I think, so it's pretty close lol.
Ya, those border states are pretty close culturally to Canadians.
Well said on his voice, I just found this channel and I'm watching (listening) to videos about things i already know/ concrete opinions from 2 decades of playing that I know wont change, But at least I'm giving Atom a shot!
+Paul Turner Yea, I was born in Canada and lived in Alberta (canada's midwest) when i was a kid for a bit, and from my memory your very much correct. He reminds me of the 20 something year olds at the time. In cadence, not behavior. If he's a proper american midwesterner he should be growing pot! lol Everyone I know in the midwest grows pot, but the again I'm as closed to a pot aficionado as it gets, short of the prince of pot himself: Marc Emery. My mom banged him in university. I always like to think I'm what was left over. lol
That wasn't a rant Uncle Atom, they were the well articulated sentiments of an impassioned individual. Keep up the good work!
Having to pack everything away each time I wanted to paint nearly had me at the give up and sell it off point. However, I finally managed to create a permanent hobby space last summer and since then, I've made a commitment to paint/build for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, often more but never less. I don't get a great deal done in half an hour but I do get something done.
The wet palate has also proved to be a real eye-opener, not just for keeping the paint wet but for giving me the confidence to try blending a little more (so thanks for that video as well :) )
That is what I told my gaming group as I seemed to be the most prolific painter of them. I just have a little work table set aside, and I just paint a little bit here and there. Some days it's only a single bit of paint and 5 minutes. However, it still forward progress. It's enough to keep me on task and gets a painted army faster than most would think.
This applies to everything in life.
Working on cars, becoming a TH-camr, a politician, a motivational speaker, a terrain maker, an athlete
Solid advice man
and hitting the gym
Gotta admit, high-level videos have derailed me for months. My standards got so high that I couldn't quite get there and that was holding me back. I'm gonna just start up again and just do it my way. Thanks for this video!
yeah, my own high standards kept me from "really" starting the hobby - got models that are still in their boxes today
One advice I have for people, that lack motivation, is to start painting the larger surfaces first and then slowly work down to smaller and smaller surfaces and details. Might seem trivial at first but if you have a hard time getting started it can be very satisfying to see such a large improvement over a short time if you start with the larger surfaces first, then the details.
'satisfying to see such a large improvement over a short time ' Yep, another good point made by Andrias. You start to see it all coming together and that spurs you on.
my problem is usually keeping momentum... something comes in (getting sick, other stuff needs doing) and then I can't find the energy to start again...
Tim Albers 100% in agreement. And that drained feeling takes so long to go away but when it final does...it's on the days I have to give all my time to other people.
Sometimes, if I have some free time and I don't really feel motivated... I will literally just throw myself at my paint station and go. I know from experience that I can find a million excuses not to start painting, so I just kind of dive in like a commando. Even if it's just one color on one model, progress is progress.
I try to do it just like you Jade. It's when you can't find motivation that you need to start painting, otherwise you get stuck.
Your videos raised my painting productivity greatly! Since I've started listening I went through 40 skeletons that were sitting there for almost two months. Thank you!
Always glad to help. Keep it up, and thanks for watching!
I think alot of people get discouraged cause they don't get that doing it well requires time and practice. You watch all the awesome miniatures online and you get this vision in your head, where you buy bunch of paints and will instantly be an awesome painter. Then, once you're done with your first models and it turns out that you are just not so great, you realise that you actualy have to LEARN it, just like anything else. It can get overwhelming for some people, the concept of how much time you need to put into learning how to paint. It's also the times we have now, we want instant effects, we want everything fast. People need to realise that the process of learning, exploring new techniques, can also be pleasant and satisfying as hell. Every once in awhile you'll reach a new "skill level" and it is basicly like leveling up in a game, suddenly you just become better and better. Get interested in progressing, see what you can do, that should be your goal, not instatly becoming a pro.
+Piotr Zając Very good point. People forget that skills take practice. Thanks for watching!
Piotr Zając I couldn't agree more. When i first got into Warhammer 40k years ago, i thought painting would be easy, I'd watched the videos, had all the equipment and had a steady hand. Of course, after painting my first model, it became apparent that i had no idea what i was doing and it looked terrible, which was extremely discouraging. I recently picked it back up and I've learnt that if you take your time, even if it takes hours to paint half a model, the results are more than worth it and you'll slowly get better and better and thus, more and more confident.
You're right. You're absolutely right - I tried painting recently, then when I went back I thought which eight-year old painted this (that's being unfair on eight-year olds!). Mental note: Stop comparing yourself to that on TH-cam!
While that is definitely a part of it for many people, it depends quite a bit on the person. When I'm picking up a new skill, I do it a lot. I know I'm going to suck, but I also know that my progress will be fairly fast in the beginning and I want to prove to myself that I can be at least decent at it. (Que 6 hour sessions every day for a week of trying to learn to contact juggle.) However after I've proven to myself that it is something I can do fairly well and that by continuing practice, I could be good at it, that motivation drops off and if I'm to keep doing whatever it is, I need another motivator.
Also, I'm a fairly good painter (I should be, I've been doing it for more than 30 years) and I, as well as most other great non-professional painters tend to suffer from this too. So I do think that while what you say is a factor for some people, it's definitely the only reason for this. (For me, it's that there are about 20 million interesting things that I love learning and doing, so there will always be too little time. Fortunately for painting, it doesn't take that much prep, so it's one of the easier ones to pick up and start doing.)
@@JohnSmith-dk6on Just a fun little fact, I have a really unsteady hand and still manage to paint! In fact, because of how my hands shake sometimes, it lead me to understanding how to thin paints and layer!
It took me 26 years to start building and painting Warhammer (that’s 26 years from first being aware of Warhammer!). Although I bought the odd miniature or two along the way, i only started dedicating time to the hobby last year. I didn’t have the concentration span as a kid, and only occasionally remembered miniatures existed, let alone having the focus to buy and paint them. I loved the concept but i never moved past being a spectator watching the hobby from a safe distance. But finally after a few years of watching your videos I started buying miniatures. I still haven’t ever played any tabletop war games, but I have started dedicating time to buying, building and priming models. I even started painting the models (not just priming them). My nostalgia is for the 90’s metal Warhammer models, but I have also started collecting modem minis as well.
My biggest issue is staying power. I paint a bunch of minis, and if for some reason I have to stop for more than an hour or two, I find it challenging to get back to it a day or a week later.
I feel this really deep in almost every aspect of life lol
Exactly. *Exactly*
I watched (listened) to this video while I started working on a new piece of scenery. For several weeks, which turned into a few months after moving, I kept telling myself that once I had the major move stuff organized that I would clean off my designated painting area and get down to business with painting, modeling, scenery creation. It just wasn't happening and I kept putting it off. About a week ago, I cleaned all the stuff that had accumulated on my painting desk off of it. The next day, I put up my lights, found the box with my paints/brushes, then dug out some miniatures that I had previously assembled. Sometimes just getting started is a motivation to keep making progress.
I have an acquaintance whom I painted with years ago. One time he was asked when he was going to get a few squad of Space Marines painted. His response was that he was going to paint them after he got better at painting! He was a decent tabletop level painter then, but I've always wondered how he thought he would improve his painting skills without painting more models, especially the basic troops types.
Relevant for any hobby or creative pursuit. I'm an illustrator and when people ask me how to become an illustrator, they're usually disappointed when I answer "just draw". I'm also set on learning guitar, but it's taken me 3 months of overthinking to actually go and buy one...
'overthinking' - yep, that's me. But I suppose I could call it 'planning in advance'?
The best advice I've gotten about overthinking or planning things too much comes from an older co-worker "Don't outsmart yourself."
The problem with the "just draw" advice is that it doesn't always work. I used to draw as a kid, and do now (not at a professional level) but I had almost 10 years of no improvement. There was a book (drawing on the right side of the brain) had some great advice, and while I didn't see the same improvements as others, I think it helped me get out of that rut. Maybe I could have "just draw"ed my way out? I don't know. But it seemed to help.
Learning guitar I think is something you benefit substantially from having a teacher for, because the issue there is direction and technical humps to get over. If you can afford it of course, but even asking a friend for a couple of lessons is great. Then again, self teaching has created people like BB King but the fact is it will be that much harder.
I was painting my first mini (Commander Dante) while watching this. Thanks for the video!
I was actually basecoating some old models and this video made my day. I want to say that is great that you want to get more people into the hobby. Your videos have been great for my motivation, as I got back to wargames less than a year ago, so I won't ever grow tired about videos for begginers hahaha. Thanks, Atom!
Great rant. This was me up until literally a few days ago. I had boxes of grey plastic models that I haven't played with as didn't want to play without paint on them... but could never 'find the time' (just procrastinate and make excuses instead) to paint. So I just made myself sit down with a unit of clanrats and about 5 paints and base coated them whilst watching Duncan guide me through it. I found the process hugely enjoyable with a touch of frustration thrown in for good measure. But the result is a unit that just need a wash and I would be happy to put them on the table top to play and I am eager to get on with the rest of the army!
Did you remember to apply two thin coats of paint? :-)
Uncle Atom: I find your videos VERY motivational. Today is a special day for me, for I completed a painting project that was quite important to me. There were times when I thought "I can't paint today!" -- but then I heard your voice reverberating from a previous video saying "Just finish!". Now it's done and the games await! Thank you, and best wishes from Australia -- Brett.
I watched a lot of your videos and they played a huge part in getting me started. I finally got the AoS starter kit after wanting to start wargaming for 10+ years. Thanks man!
I like to play movies in the background that I've already seen a zillion times. Then I listen most of the time and occasionally watch my favourite parts of the movie. It's always worked well.
Glad it works for you. Even if I've seen it a zillion times, I'd still end up focusing on it, I think. Thanks for watching!
Id just like to say; Thanks!
I dont play tabletop gaming. I actually found your channel for inspirtion and ideas for painting - i scratch build and kit bash kits for model railways of all things. However, this vid, and a few of your previous ones, almost 'shamed' me into just....just doing it. Just crack on and do it. I queue some videos up on you tube, and let them run in the background whilst im doing it.
Dont stop, stay awesome!
Time management? This is something I think allot of people need to apply to not just their war gaming but other areas of their life as well. Over the last year ive gone from wanting to play warhammer and watching your vids to building and painting a 2000 pt. army and actually playing occasionally. On top of this working ffull time and building up my career in my own time. I feel the biggest piece of the puzzle is time management and dedication. Thank you atom wise words, it's great to have this kind of content for the hobby.
That part starting from 10:45 was nice to hear. I already knew this stuff, but hearing it while I'm doing my thing (currently 54 mm sculpture, very rookie and struggling to go through and finish a first piece) it's nice to hear that my first piece is going to be imperfect and that I'll have to improve. I was (kind of still am) in a mindset like "will it look the way I want? I want it to be perfect". I just figured out it better not, or else i'll never be done. I already spent too much time on it, and it's about time I finish it in the rough to see where I'm okay and where I have ways to go.
I was so focused on perfection that I kept going back and re-doing every step, but I might as well finish a bad piece that I'll reflect on rather than take a lifetime to (never) complete a masterpiece.
Thanks for the pep talk, it changed my take on things and might help me finish something and start learning from my unavoidable mistakes.
Just started last week. Got the dark imperium starter set and loved every moment of solitude while gluing the parts together with a small pair of fabric scissors and a nail file while listening to some audiobooks. My local hobby shop has beginner painting sessions every sunday where they make use of all those Easy to Build primaris marines as practice painting palets. Your vids and those of many others have been a godsend to getting me off my duff and starting on something that i may find a bit more fulfilling-or at the very least different- from my usual PC gaming. Thank you for your years of service!
I come back to this video like every six months and rewatch it because it's legitimately some of the best life advice I've ever gotten.
I listen to you while I'm painting/sculpting. Have learned more about my hobby in a few days than I've learned from the years of collecting miniatures. You've really sparked the light in my hobby again. I feel the urge to go out and play =D
Preach! I have been playing table top games for 28 years now and it took me a very long time to learn this!! Where were you to get my as painting 20 years ago! Great video.
Excellent video as always. Wargaming is one of those hobbies which is tough because...progress begets progress. As you paint something, you become faster. You figure out the tricks, you start figuring out what you can and can't get away with. The next unit becomes easier. As your army grows, the grey plastic becomes more unpalatable to you. Once you have a fully painted army, it's such a great feeling - it then motivates you to do so in the future. For people complaining about not having time to paint - if you're playing the game...you have time to paint. I've seen people complain about not having time to paint - while they're spending 3-4 hours at the shop playing the game. Take one or two of your gaming days...and put some paint to your models. We live in a golden age of "cheating". We have colour primers, dips, washes, pre-made bases, etc. There's nothing worse than going 10 years without really ever getting to enjoy the full aspect of the hobby (painted minis on a beautiful table filled with terrain), etc.
Brilliant rant, I had hobby block for about 7-8 years but I am pleased to say I am back at it modelling painting and playing! Cheers unc for the pearls of wisdom.
I don't watch tv. I watch TH-cam tutorials. Not sure I should stop that, I get a lot of inspiration .
+DorjeDriftwood I probably watch five times as much TH-cam as TV in any given week. Also, I frequently watch TH-cam while painting (unlike television) because I'm usually just listening and there's rarely a narrative to keep track of in TH-cam videos. Plus, I can rewind or pause. Thanks for watching!
i watch tutorial and i do nothing :0
Interestingly, I paint while watching TV, and that's one of my motivators - paint and watch a show.
Thing is, I end up being very busy with other stuff - board game night, RPG game night, messing around with 3D printers, try to exercise a couple of times a week... really only leaves one or two nights a week to paint.
Thank you so VERY much for recommending that people think about dropping the "boob tube" as my parents used to call it. I let my satellite subscription lapse, and it was the best thing I ever did. I now DO something when I'm not at work, whether is painting, fishing, playing with the dogs, etc. Your videos and others have helped that happen, so many many thanks!
I just got back into the hobby after a 13-year break. I'm loving it. My wife couldn't be happier, as it gives us time to just sit, relax, and listen to audio books or watch old cartoons together. She even wants in on the next set that I order. The downside, though, is that I live in north China and it's hard to get a group going.
This video is great, all true. It played beautifully over the lo-fi hip hop I was listening to.
While painting I set a portable DVD player at the corner of my painting desk and play my favorite shows / movies, or listen to podcasts on my mp3 player. Sometimes I'll take my latest painting project to the hobby shop and sit and have conversation while painting. I nearly finished up 5 Aeldari grav tanks yesterday at the shop! They should be done by the end of next week; basing, decals, and the main gun on the Fire Prism are all that's left. Do whatever will get you painting. Try different methods. When you finish a Unit you WILL get a sense of accomplishment!
Your channel motivates me to keep on doing my mini painting, it also encouraged me to start my own channel, it is not the greatest production but at least i talk more now and then, you have great content, remember that your hobby and passion motivates some of us, keep doing this great and excellent work
I definitely appreciate the comment on not looking at 'super-high level' stuff when it comes to starting out. I think part of what made things super daunting at first in buying GW stuff was the codexes and those super-gorgeous 'Eavy Metal masterfully painted kits, so it was a struggle for me to get going at first, and.. Then I looked around, and found other alternatives from GW themselves; the little paint splatter articles, the videos from Duncan, all of them really helped build my confidence, to the point I felt I'd actually made something fantastic when painting Nagash.
But for me, it's.. Small steps. I rarely show my models off, and I think part of my hobby is doing it just because I like painting the kits, but I also did my first Armies on Parade last year - a basic AOS Death display with Nagash, Neferata and co atop the board with the big cogs - and got a lot of compliments for it. And I think in terms of getting stuff out there, that really helps. It strikes me that unless you're with the wrong crowd entirely, then you're always going to either get compliments or constructive criticism about how to improve or what looks good. So finding an entry level, and interacting even only a little has been a big deal for me.
This video is absolute pure gold. Totally changed my world. Thanks Atom!
Also what I have figured out that "setting up principles" is also just lying to yourself because you will give them up in a second. "I'm not buying a new mini until I finish painting yada yada"
Oof, you hit a home run with this. Got into board gaming a year ago via KS and the 1st minis are just now coming in. Bought a ton of supplies to ready myself and now all I do is watch videos, like yours, to learn and buy more supplies thinking I will need that before I start. I dont watch TV much but I do read a paper for an hour when I get home. Thanks for the kick, time to start throwing paint! Keep those starter vids coming!
I love the hobby side of table top gaming...my problem is finding the time to actually play games. I can give myself an hour a day to hobby but I can't fit in 3+ hours to game. This is even more the case when I have to work around GamesWorkshop store hours (11a-7p) and my FLGS is a 30min drive away so then getting there and home takes an hour out of gaming time.
Also I'm glad you hit the hobby from these points of discussion rather than just army construction and painting techniques. I feel like you take an outside looking in approach to the hobby and it's pretty refreshing to hear something different once and a while.
Bit late for a reply .....but....what about Kill Team or Underworlds (Shadespire and now Nightvault)? Small model counts and fast games. You could keep your usual hobby of collecting/painting/displaying, but also have a separate game that's connected in-universe but isn't time-greedy. Best of both worlds but fits into real life. These skirmish-scale games are proving very popular as there's no heavy investment required in money or time.
Thanks for doing this video, parts of it really resonated with me. I've been putting off doing my hobby for years now due to life and health reasons (which eventually became just excuses). After watching this, I just went for it. Have gotten more done in the past month than in the past 4 years. Thanks for helping bring me back into the fold, Atom.
I knew two guys that used to play 40k but hated having to assemble and paint everything. They were all about the playing of the game but wanted nothing to do with the building and painting hobby part of 40k. They played only Necrons. No modding anything, no altering poses or magnetizing anything. If they wanted different options for different lists they preferred to just buy multiples because it was easier to just quickly glue up a second or even third model with different options than it is to modify a model. A quick two coats of Leadbelcher followed by one quick swipe of Nuln Oil and a quick spray of clear poly and done. In fact that was all they ever owned of paints. Their entire kit consisted of one or two of the bottles of gelled super glue in the hard plastic bottle with the side patches you squeeze to get the glue out, a pot or two of Leadbelcher, a pot or two of Nuln Oil and one of those cheap model brushes with the hard black plastic bristles that don't come to a point you can a dozen of for a buck at the dollar store. I have often thought that game companies were leaving money on the table and players out of the game by not offering fully assembled and painted minis for a higher price to bring in players that want to play but have no interest in the hobby portion.
Man, totes agreed. Do what you love, but be honest about it and don't beat yourself up on it. You can even have multiple hobbies, but you can't have infinite hobbies.
I definitely got more interested in painting thanks to videos from people like Ben Komets but the idea that you should probably not watch advanced videos if you want to get started painting minis to play with is definitely true. It can be inspiring but it can also be a lot more daunting than it needs to be. What I learned (and so many in the hobby know but rarely say) when I finally got going, after setting aside the fear of messing up, is that all those extreme highlights and shadows and details mean next to nothing on the tabletop. At one point I sat a mini I had base coated, washed, and applied one simple highlight next to one I'd gone through the trouble of extra detailing and black lining and yadda yadda yadda... and they looked virtually identical on the table top.
Don't shoot for display quality! Don't even think about it! Get a couple thin base coats, wash to bring out some details and set it aside, and they can look amazing on the table!
Great video Adam! Get going people! It doesn't have to be complicated and seeing even basic paints on the minis on the table is very rewarding!!!
I am so happy I watched this now. You've revamped my drive to paint. I've been in and out of 'starting,' yes, just starting the painting. You're rant was exactly what I needed to hear! Thanks!
"smile and the world will smile with you, cry and you will cry alone"
When I got back into mini wargaming from about a 10 year stint I really changed my perspective on it. When I was younger all I cared about was playing the game, I hardly painted anything because I wanted to spend all my time playing. I got back into it recently and watched a ton of tutorial videos, and now I feel like I'm a pretty good painter. No one, when I was younger, really taught me how to paint outside of dry brushing. Now I've only played one game of AoS since I got back into it (admittedly I'm still waiting for an ebay lot, but my friend didn't mind me proxying a couple things while I wait), and I've spent almost every single day painting, and I'm really enjoying it. Just getting to sit back at a finished model and show it to someone and say "I did that, me, alone. I didn't pay anyone to put it together, I didn't pay anyone to paint it. That's all me." Feels good.
Social media and a few friends who are also in the hobby - even if they live thousands of miles away - can also be a great motivator. Seeing those silly Thumbs Up! 👍 emojis under every pic of an in progress paint job is a very nice treat.
ussualy i don't have enough time to model and paint all the miniatures that i have, but i'll try to do it at mine own pace, wish i could have more time to paint, but it is a great thing when you dedicate some time to paint some minis and when you experience the joy of complete done painting a miniature then go you saying... next time i'm gonna do it faster and better.
I love this hobby.
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching!
I love audiobooks while modeling i find it very therapeutic.
Cant express enough how much I appreciate your channel. Video Gaming has been the go to hobby forever but over the years has been drifting away with the direction the industry has gone. Plus iv missed past artistic activities i used to do. Felt lost a bit till my brother brought my interest to warhammer. now im so deep in the lore and painting tutorials I wish i had came to this years ago. Thankfully though im in a position in life where I can actually afford to get into it and have a wonderful fiance who is a art school graduate who can help teach me how the heck paint works lol. Cant wait to get started with kill team and putting the troops together while meeting new friends in the workshops, watching your vids each day helps throw coal in the fire too, keep up the great work =)!
I've randomly come across your channel tonight, and while I know this video is almost a year old, it resonates with me a lot as of late. While my creative hobbies are primarily more Gunpla, I do thoroughly enjoy miniatures too and kitbashing the whole array of them all! Now... Unfortunately work and life has been kickin' my butt lately however, the few videos that I've caught from you tonight has done wonders to get my drive going. So, sincerely, thank you.
Always glad to help. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this video because I used to paint years ago and gave it up. Yet for years I contemplated getting into it but just never started. Well, I'm glad to say I'm getting back on the horse. I just put in a massive order and am waiting for my tools, paints and such. I'm back baby .... wish me luck :)
Thank you for all your videos. I just started painting miniatures. I pretty much never painted, anything, in my life. So I am really just taking baby steps, literally. Yes, it took me a bit to get started. One day I said, well, might as well get it started otherwise I will never do it. I love all your videos/tutorials. Please keep up the great work that you are doing for the community, specially for NOOBS like me!!!
Thank you for reinforcing the idea that we can all make time to do things we love and enjoy. Perspective is a powerful thing. I've attempted to show and tell the same idea.. albeit, in my own simplistic way. Thanks again.
This is one of Uncle Atom's best videos to date! There was a time when I would sit and look at pictures of amazingly painted miniatures and terrain, and then sigh and go, "OH how do they do that, I wish I could but I can't." Then finally one day I said I had had enough. I wanted to BE one of those wargamers who could paint stuff to a degree that other people would say that about my stuff. I realized that I just needed to stop saying I wanted to and just f'n start!
It wasn't because of narcissim or needing to get attention. I wanted for my own satisfaction to be one of those mini. painters where I could look at my OWN work and go "wow"!
My first drybrushing and shading attempts at miniatures were awkward and clunky. But I had to go through that phase before I got better. THAT was when I realized it was happening! I knew that with some hobbies in life, you cannot "go around" or "take shortcuts". You simply have to take the time to actually build things and paint them. That's the realization of the hobby that transforms it into a reality for you.
I've been watching your content for the last week or so and it has been very important for me... I started my Mini-war gaming journey when I was 8 years old during visits to the mall with my parents, I would beg to be left in the Gamesworkshop just to look at the incredible miniatures other people were putting together. I collected piecemeal units and characters (painted terribly) throughout my childhood but going into HS stopped collecting because I got into other things.
Since graduating HS I've moved a few times and each time unearthed my old carrying cases and would spend some time remembering the joy these models brought me at some point. The other day, with the support of my significant other and your wise words I visited my local game store (the same manager was there, some 15 years later) and invested in a paint collection and my army Codex (For Russ and the Allfather!).
Spent the last two days building my Space Wolf beginner box, purchased years ago, and am currently painting my first Blood Claw unit whilst watching more of your content! People like you are the lifeblood of this hobby and truly rekindled my love of this hobby.
I LOVE my hobby and get up early everyday to get my 2 hour daily fix before the family rises and work. Weekends is craft and playing with family. I love the week prep to play new models at the weekend 👍🏻 Currently finishing some Vikings and Saxons for Saga, then onto the Pelannor Fields set for Middle Earth...
Great video! You’re one of my multitasked channels during hobby :)
New to the hobby, came across your videos/channel - all I can say is thank you! Very helpful and funny. 🙂
The longest journey begins with a single step, is what this made me think of. Cheap minis that you aren't emotionally invested in, like a Reaper Bones kickstarter pile of plastic minis, are great starting points to make mistakes with.
This video reminded me of that Shia Lebouef video where he shouts "JUST DO IT!"
Except this time it isn't mentally depraved.
I have so much love for this video. I've recently just got back into the hobby after 15 years away. I spent a good month just watching your videos Adam among others ( Warhammer TV, Striking Scorpion ) and I could not wait to paint my first models.
I was nervous but I followed alot of the basic tips ( Wet palette, thinning paint, pacing yourself in the amount of models ) and it's worked a treat. I've just finished my first 15 cadians with a heavy Bolter team and yesterday I was just so happy with how they looked and came out. I was nervous about the camo on my snipers but worst comes to the worst i can order more.... but they turned our perfect.
I also found that pacing yourself and the idea of rewarding yourself with new models once you've completed others is perfect for me.I finished my first unit of cadian shock trooper .. and treated myself with a heavy weapons team, Once completed, i treated myself to 2 snipers and 1 melta gunner and 1 plasma gunner and now they have been done I am moving on.
I've also found watching streams ( yours and warhammer Tv) while I paint is a great side with actually painting and i cannot wait for your live streams, just so i can get 2 hours or so under my belt and start or finish up models. Listening to people talk about the hobby while your doing it shows passion and commitment on both ends.
It can be daunting, but it's the self will that you will get better at painting. You will get better at prep work or building them. You learn from every model you finish, how you should approach the next one better. I know my 5th or 6th cadian platoon is going to look so much better than my first and yet right now, I'd be happy to chuck my first 15 guys on a table and go hammer and anvil on come chaos or alien models.
Thank You adam and please more live streams .... I have a Cadian sentinel coming this weekend and i need to relax while I build it haha !
The thing that helped me most was your video that taught me how to strip models.
it feels good to finish models i find it easier to stay stuck in and keep at it, its relaxing and rewarding to see that progress, much better than a box sitting on your table
6 months, $6000 dollars, and 12 weekends later - Atom, you've succeeded in getting back into this hobby and staying motivated to model and paint. Thank you!
Love this I'm literally painting as I'm watching your videos. Keep up the videos man you really motivate me to stay in the hobby.
He's right, you know. I was just trimming mold lines off a dragon, as I listened to this rant! It was the first thing I was doing after I got up.
There are things to make actually doing a hobby like this easier. Have a dedicated workspace and keep it clean, so when the opportunity strikes, you can sit down immediately and start. Have a dedicated daily time slot for working on the hobby. Not everyone has time or space to spare, but removing the little obstacles in the way of your hobby makes it easier to keep up on it, and makes you happier.
I've really gotten off my ass this past year; since May last year I've thrown myself back into the hobby and done more building, painting, and playing in the past 12 months than I have done in the past 5 years, and your channel really helped me do that!
I started a motto in my family SCFC (Start-Continue-Finish and my wife added Cleanup.) It isn't because I am particular good at the above but because it is hard. As I get older I start to have more problems motivating, lacking a certain agency I had as a younger person as well as the energy. Without reminding myself of the above I wouldn't get anything done. So I applaud your point and thank you for making it. Keep going.
I've been super interested in wargaming for a good 6 years now, But until recently, With the addition of time and money, People like you helped me finally start it up, I've really wanted to do it for so long but I just didn't even know where to start or how to to be honest, But now i'm super excited to get my army finished and painted and have my first game, Thanks for your videos Atom, Keep it up bud
Just bought my start of my first army. Getting paint, etc. It is a lot of work, but you also make it YOURS!
Since getting back into the crafting/painting element of the hobby last year. Video games have made way for occasional casual dip ins. Wathing shows has made way for watching shows... while taking off mould lines, fixing surfaces and prepping. I don't regret this shift though, because it's a greater sense of accomplishment in doing something significant that lasts.
I am just getting into this and was blessed by picking up the book 5150 and meeting someone that would help me with questions being I live as a solo hermit. I have nothing but time really at age 43 and have played many video games. But something has always been missed, something like creating my own world and doing things how I wanted to do them. I have had this vision for quite some time even writing a short sci-fi book on this vision world that simply went nowhere ( total wasted time, money and effort). I then heard about solo wargaming and found out I can build my own world and play it. I am still waiting on some of the supplies as I read the book especially the terrain area so I know how to set up certain things when I build them, being I plan on getting into painting and making scenery. My problem isn't motivation or time or tv being I only watch 2 hours a night, in which that can easily be reduced as well. It is a thyroid disorder that I am battling and have planted some victory flags on it such as all the weight I lost but still, energy sometimes comes and goes. But to maintain my health and well being takes a lot of elements like yoga, eating times, etc having a complete schedule for the day that is a must if I want to keep on chugging. So it will be interesting how this all pans out but I am setting things up to try and minimize energy like a painting station in my house for the things I can do In my house and the scenery, props, priming in the garage. I have worked with foam before so I know there is some work involved but I think it will be worth it to see with my own eyes my world that I have envisioned come to life. Great videos I am learning a lot:).
Your videos really gave me the final push to pull the trigger and jump back into 40k after being gone for 4 editions. Im so glad i did i have the fincial means to play the army i always wanted to play (imperial gaurd) and ive met a lot of cool new friends from playing at my local store.
You are 100% correct !! After watching many vids of you and some of the others I started painting 😀 I'm in my 50s and painted my very first miniature ever a couple months ago, I started my 10th today 😉 Thanks !! Enjoy all of your vids !!
Star Trek and other "sit and talk" style shows that have less emphasis on on screen action are fantastic for background noise while painting. I usually get about one figure per two shows done.
Also, long ASMR videos or videos that are designed to relax the viewer help with my shaking hands if they are real bad that day.
11:44 Thanks for including that! I laughed so hard. The quality of your vids is very well balanced. The effort you put into your channel as well as the hobby is greatly appreciated by my son and I. We're just getting started and we enjoy your content!
If your local shop has a hobby table like mine then go there and work on your minis. Getting out of your house and going somewhere to work helps a lot. The people at the shop will also probably complement your paint job as well, adding that extra bit of motivation.
The obviousness of you message is, well, obvious! But, all too often, we all need, at some time or another, the 'obvious' planted squarely in our face, before we start nodding along in total agreement! So for that, I thank you for this clip. I am slowly, but surely, replacing the time I used to spend watching TV, with viewing TH-cam clips directly associated with my hobby. I have found that this, more often than not, inspires and encourages me to get on with the miriad of projects, as opposed to just thinking about and maybe planning them. So, Good Luck with your endeavours and thanks again for sharing.
I have my sets next to my computer now, so in between matches or waiting for buddies to get on, I just turn to the side and do some painting really quick. Helps keep interested over a longer period.
I usually love rant videos. :D
They are fun. :P
But, like many other rant videos, this one, too, has awesome information and ideas.
Personally, 40k has been a really important part of my life for years.
Now that I've started painting (and I haven't broken a single model yet! :O ), I've been "introduced" to the other part of this hobby.
Great video, keep 'em coming!
Edit:
I've got hundreds of models, over 90 % painted.
I've never painted a single one, not fully.
I've started twice before, but those ended up in broken models, and curses, etc. I just don't really have the patience ("nerves", as we say in Finland :P ) to really put effort into the painting.
But now I've started, and I want to paint at least some of those things.
Why? Because it's one part of this hobby, and I want to explore that, as well.
Besides, I can paint with my son (3 yo)! :D
So true. Time management isn’t easy. All about balance and motivation. Great post
Was in the hobby in college then took a LONG break. The past few months, I got a renewed interest and started collecting a pile of plastic shame. Lol. In the middle of this vid, I stopped and painted my first mini in over 20 years. Thanks, bro.
I started seriously painting miniatures when I was 14, which was a LONG time ago (I'm a few years older than our host here). I didn't know enough then to be afraid of failure. I DID go back and repaint some of my first efforts a few years later.
This video... Tru dat especially the bit about limited time. We only have so much and as someone said to me recently " tomorrow's not a promise". Keep the content coming I love it
(Sorry for such a long comment, but I really wanted to mention this after watching).
This was really interesting, and honestly a good reminder for me of that resolve you need to hold on to. There's just one hurdle that I can't seem to get over, which is that I paint incredibly slow. And I'm not saying that in reference to starting out, I'm saying that as just a natural problem I've had in virtually all art work I've been creating whether it was professionally, or for fun.
Now, I'm not saying it's jeopardizing my commitment to the hobby. The first time I got into tabletop gaming, there were way too many factors working against me. I was too young, and had no friends who were even familiar with the concept. On top of that the area I lived in at the time was barren in terms of shops that held events, or even carried miniatures, so I really had no one to even discuss the hobby with. It was just a bad time in all regards, I fell out of it fairly quickly.
Now that not only have things changed a ton for me, but tabletop games have grown a great deal in popularity around my area, and more specifically, skirmish-style games. Like I said before, I am NOT giving up, so much so that I have made a deal with myself that before playing anywhere outside my house with friends, I'm not going to a local event until I have my full list painted, and ready. But, like I said, I am moving so slowly, and it is reminiscent of another art form I was involved with. I've worked in graphic arts, and advertising, and after that I started tattooing, and even in those areas, I had a problem with moving slowly. Luckily, with tattooing, there's a ton of both pressure, and encouragement to build up speed, since you want people to be under the needle for a little time as possible, so that was a unique case. Not just clients, but fellow artists in the shop give you that reinforcement you need. Plus there are stages of a tattoo where you have no choice but to finish the session up to a certain point, so you have those checkpoints that have to be met.
So far, when it comes to painting models, I just can't get to a point where I get into that groove, or comfortable flow, like described here. It may very well be as simple as it being a process that takes me longer than the average painter, or there could be too many inefficient methods I have made into a habit, but I just can't pin it down. I will say that not only is it just as rewarding seeing my completed work as ever, but I also can tell that I am improving in every other area. I'm much happier with my finished models as time goes on, and can see where my skills have improved. Hopefully I will eventually get that feeling where it starts to click, and I can work more efficiently, but hearing this video was definitely something of a morale boost, and wanted to mention my progression over time. Sorry again for such a long comment, but that's to anyone reading!
The prepwork is the fun for me. Building the minis. Choosing the poses weapons and accessories. Then painting them pretty colours. Those are the best bits. As soon as rules and points come up I time out.
Thanks so much for this direction... I've just started from "0" and have the time... but the idea of putting paint on a model has seemed daunting to me. I have one or two models under my belt, but still feel like I want to proceed cautiously. Looking forward to the videos!
I’ve just done a 1.30hr bjj lesson and I’m still keen to bust that edge highlighting on my roboute guilliman
I work 9 hours a day, sometimes 24hours, I've got two little kids who need their daddy and a wife who expects me to spend some time with her at least a few evenings per week. But you're right, now and then I can manage to build and paint. It is a great hobby. I'm spending much less time sitting on the couch watching tv or playing computer games.
I recently restarted with warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar after 10 years and this video is really good and agree completely. Start somewhere and get going. You won't be perfect in a day! But its fun to build up and improve and as far as I am concerned its not only about the end result but also about the journey.
why thank you! somebody got me a couple and some paint for Christmas, i used to play back from 2005-2009 then i got lost in work and all the other stuff, cant wait to sit down with a cup of tea and paint a few of these bad boys
ok I'm jumping back into the hobby on the back of this video... thank you for the push.
Just bought the 40k First Strike starter set. Been wanting to try the game for years and with 8th edition out and being in a relatively okay place with life right now I figured why not. Your videos are a tremendous motivation and are filled with great advice thank you!
What helped me fit my painting around my day job was simple - take my models to work! Just bringing 10 guys and one paint, then doing all the bits that need to be that colour in my lunchbreak, and either taking them home or leaving them in my desk drawer to finish tomorrow gets through models very quickly. Sure it's the most boring part of the painting process, but it beats sitting and scrolling Twitter on your phone, and your co-workers think you're a wizard for being able to paint at all no matter how bad you are at it!