Why Don't You Just Start?

i love my tv and video games but still find time for wargamming! just got rid of that rubbish hobby called sleep.

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...

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. =^[.]^=

Its funny....I actually enjoy the "work" part of it more than playing the game sometimes.

"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

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!

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 wasn't a rant Uncle Atom, they were the well articulated sentiments of an impassioned individual. Keep up the good work!

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...

TBH ..thats the most mild mannered Rant I've ever saw!!! lol Please narrate an audio book your voice is like good whiskey.

This applies to everything in life. Working on cars, becoming a YouTuber, a politician, a motivational speaker, a terrain maker, an athlete Solid advice man

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!

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.

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.

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!

I was painting my first mini (Commander Dante) while watching this. Thanks for the video!

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.

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!

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!