5 Ways to Avoid Miniature Painting Frustration 

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When you say show your work to people, it reminded me of the time I showed my Skorpek Destroyer to my non-painting friend because I was particularly proud of the color transition on the blades... which was promptly ignored as he focused on "the incredible details painted" on the rock at his feet... which was a simply base shade drybrush 5 minutes not counting drying time job.

I subscribed a few weeks ago. I feel you offer the most cogent critical thinking about the hobby and you speak the most frankly about things. I say that because I was having a rough day, I'm a single dad until Christmas and the grind of the the third load of laundry on the day and vacuuming and... just caring for my family really had me down to the point where I did not paint; I didn't want to ruin my love of it. This sounds weird, as I am a grown up. Thank you for giving me permission to not push myself into it. I needed another adult to tell me that today, thank you.

I love knowing I can come here and get encouragement and feel inspired! 👍👍

This video couldn't have come at a better time for me! I haven't painted in ages because I got so frustrated with my skill level not matching up with my own expectations. I know I just have to keep chipping at it and know that I will see improvements over time.

I watched many RU-vid videos before I ventured into Painting Mini's from tutorials to guides. the one thing I had to accept was that I would never achieve that level of detail. I suffer from Neurological damage in my shoulders and arms and have permanent double vision due to a severe skull fracture all stemming from Military service. What i love about the hobby is that you can have 10 people paint the same thing and it can be 10 different interpretations: meaning uniquely yours! Therefore I hold on to that, everything is uniquely mine, and as long as I am happy its a job well done. I strive for the best tabletop standard I can achieve and marvel at my success. Painting for me is part of the hobby and part fo the games I play, but more importantly I use it as a way to relax when dealing with PTSD and it works as my release.

These tips are great, find myself being a little discouraged seeing others work. Found that actively being apart of groups that are constructive, and being a supporter of others are ways i get not only inspired but see that new people are in the hobby as well

Experimenting with weird color combinations is really one of the best ways to improve. For example I painted most of a massive dragon dark green and then decided to heavily drybrush it red,realized that dark green makes for an incredible shadow colour for red and after a lot of glazing and some stippling I ended up with by far the best dragon I've ever painted.

I've really struggled with painting motivation since the pandemic started, and I've realized that using minis in in-person games is my motivation to paint. With lockdown and multiple group members moving to different cities for whatever reason, I've ended up with all online games and don't get to use my minis or terrain any more, and it makes showing minis to others harder too (which was definitely a thing when playing in person). I guess I'm going to need to reconstitute my local RPG groups.

Awesome one, I literally keep my first painting attempts, and the comparison just speaks for itself on the progress!

I only recently found your channel and so far, each and every video I've watched was absolutely great. I love your content!

Really needed this video today, thank you.

This was a lovely video. For me, it took moving across to abstract mini schemes to make me fall back in love with painting. Moving away from anything remotely realistic. It's really freeing to try and represent an IDEA on a miniature as opposed to 'this is what X might look like in Y battle zone'

I love your videos they’re very helpful, I’ve only been painting for 11 months and your such a big help.

Another great video, Lyla! Keeping old models around is a really valuable tool that I think a lot of people disregard. Sure, there's the value you get from actually seeing the improvements you've made made manifest by comparison, but you also have a catalog of all the ideas you had that you thought would work great and maybe didn't. Helps me keep from making the same mistakes, or at least from making the same mistakes in the same way. You *could* keep a hobby journal about the choices you make, but I'm sort of a degenerate and don't do that, even though I know I should, so this is a easy compromise.

This is definitely a very useful video! Gonna share it with other people in the hobby!

The last bit of advice is the best, but can sometimes be the hardest to sink in. Both my partner and I are crafty, but in places where we don't overlap (such as minis for me or drawing for her), we each tend to take those initial compliments fairly lightly. It's that we both know that professionals can do such a better job than what we do, that we each reject the compliment or explain how it could be so much better. Persistence in positivity can break through some times, or if we can recognize us having some deeper understanding of the craft, such as where we overlap (i.e. knitting), I notice that we resist the feedback less. I'm so glad that I've discovered your channel. Thank you for all these wonderful videos as I've been binging through your videos while painting, which has also helped prevent frustration as I finish up my current set of minis.

Keeping things fresh and fun is key. I have managed to paint nearly every day for over 8 months now with exception to a few trips and games played. Great advice

Experimenting is probably my favorite of your tips! I'd also suggest if you're in a hobby funk painting some low effort minis from your backlog from start to finish. The dopamine from finishing a project (even an easy one) can help get your enthusiasm back for the more complicated stuff. Board game minis often need to be in "player colors" but a quick wash, drybrush and then some heavy varnishing is dead easy, can really bling up that board game AND will give you that sense of accomplishment. Other low hanging fruit is rarely used D&D monsters, since they'll rarely hit the table, you don't need to put nearly as much effort into them as you might for a Warhammer mini, or a D&D PC mini.

Another wise video,thank you Lyla.

Compare against yourself - so true. The fact of the matter is that whatever you do there will always be people who are way better at it, at least initially. Be inspired by the masters, seek to emulate them, but don't measure yourself against them, it's a path to discouragement. Far healthier to look at where you started and where you are now, I can almost guarantee you'll see a progression. That progression will be due to hard work and practice and that's the way keep it moving forward.

After 25 Years in the Hobby i just recently started painting minitaures and finally enjoyed it. Thanks for your great advise!

Hi Lyla Mev, thanks for your tips, I often found in some in those situations, looking at the mini I was working on made me want to run away, or just made me want to put it in a box to never be seen again, but sometimes, asking an opinion to my nephew who paint minis like me, makes me understand that the most important thing is to have fun painting, and you can always come back and strip and repaint a old mini that you want to make better, thank you so much

I love your clear shelves!😊

Great advice and tips. Thanks! I'm a tough critic of myself..

A very helpful video for me. Thank you. When I get out of my mini painting grove, I usually work on terrain crafting. And then vice versa. Thanks again.

Every video, of your's, that I have watched has helped me advance my hobby enjoyment. As well as my confidence in my own painting, just by your excellent outlook on the entire process. That is why I am your newest subscriber. Thanks.

This was really helpful! Thank you for the positivity.

Thanks again for some useful advice

Great thoughts and suggestions….thanks very much!

Getting started is the worst part for me, which is why contrast/speedpaint is such a blessing. I've been staring at a mini on my desk for a couple weeks, primed and zenithal'd. Finally bit the bullet the other night and forced myself to get some speedpaint and an oil wash on it (total elapsed time: 30 minutes) and now I'm psyched to make it look good this weekend. Human psychology is weird.

I do share my work with my friends, family, and neighbors. They all love it. Though my ex of 9 years didn't understand it. And when we bought a house, she quickly said "I don't want those (minis) in a cabinet in the living room. I've had a couple other women I briefly dated look down on me when I showed them my collation (which I'm very proud of). But now I have an 'F' them attitude. It, along with my music playing, are part of me. So I will now show off my best pieces in a glass cabinet in the living room so they can see what I do up front. I don't want to be with someone who is embarrass of my loves and hobbies!

I really love the colours you´ve painted on this mini.

Paint what you like/love. Can't stress this enough! Great point!

I often get frustrated by the sea of grey rather than the process itself. I’m fairly lucky that as soon as I put that first brush-stroke down, it all kinda melts away and I stick with the mini until I’m at least ready to abandon it (no piece of art is ever finished, just abandoned lol) I very much agree with taking a little break if the paint job gets frustrating, I was attempting to wetblend the other day (yes, I’m practicing) and it just was absolutely not working for me, I just seemed to be wiping away the colours rather than blending them. Anyway, I went out with my family, had a nice cold drink and went back to it and the result was.... pretty not-bad. ^_^ #NotificationSquad

Thanks for this video. I'm only 6 months into the hobby, I don't have a huge number of miniatures painted yet. I tend to compare myself with other artists when I see their painted minis on Inst. or on FB groups or I demand a lot of myself, and that's why I tend to decline in my desire to continue painting, I know I've progressed but I'm kind of impatient. I will use your tips to be more patient and enjoy painting my miniatures more.

Luckily enough I am already doing all 5 of these. I am also fortunate enough that I do terrain crafting as well - when I am burnt out on one hobby, I swap to the other, it gives me a natural way to take that break while still getting things done.

I like how you show footage of your painting in all different stages in these videos. It's interesting seeing how different your painting style is compared to mine. When establishing colours onto a model you seem to be much more free in your application. I'd say "messy" but that sounds negative and it really isn't. The finished results have those lovely blends across the cloak. I am a bit scared of wet blending and tend to just glaze stuff instead. You also pick such interesting colours on the model shown in this video. About the topic of the video itself I think it was great advice all round. Comparing your work to other people's can sometimes be demoralising but in this case as I said above it was really interesting.

Your channel is worth subscribing to, thanks for the good videos.

Thanks for the advice. Not only with miniatures but with anything in life. My biggest problem is comparing myself to others. Definitely enjoying your videos.

LOL I'm humble painting my first space marines and you guys showing off all these incredibly realistic models LOL !

Great stuff, thanks. I am sure we all struggle from time to time with burnout or loss of interest especially when a click of a button can bring you images of shit thats just out of this world and feels so far beyond anything you could ever accomplish- you just never know though, with enough practice and improvement more is possible than one might think. I know that inspiration and the actual enjoyment of something can be a main driver for just how much of myself I put into something so sometimes those outta this world images of minis can be helpful also just... in moderation.

Incredible!!! :D

These are great tips

This video should be required viewing for anyone getting in the hobby. Fantastic advice here.

Great tips on how to stay motivated!

I've taken to painting holiday themed models for my friends and family who may or may not play.

SOme bery good points in your video and more of the cats too :)

I like to paint regiments. Currently working on Battle Masters and Hero Quest ( also some Warhammer experience of course). It is fun because the end result of a regiment looks cool, all figures likes the same for an untrained eye but the twist is in the details. Symbols on the shields, feathers on the helmets wich one of the figures does have a little different colour to make it the regiment leader, one of the 3 horses painted grey instead of brown etc etc. So I like the fun of variation within the same unit of soldiers.

I'm a sucker for robes, the lower one in that guy was GORGEOUS

I did some contrast painting on tabeltop mini's. Some worked out, some didn't. Didn't feel it anymore and returned to normal paints. Now suddenly I wanted to contrast again and got so much better in technique and ideas. So sometimes giving something a rest for a few months actually improves your work.

I like to put of lore videos as background while I paint, it helps give me visualizations in my mind as I work. When I’m painting a lot of infantry for my Flames of War/ Team Yankee games, I’ll pick a color and an item on the figures (Boots, faces, helmet) and put a little paint on my pallet, then I’ll start painting those parts until I run out of paint. If I run out and still feel motivated I’ll add a little more, but if I’m tired I can stop but still feel like I’ve accomplished something and gotten my figures a little closer to the table. I also switch it up sometimes jumping from infantry to tanks, a different faction, or even a completely different game so I can use different colors.

Thanks!

I'm not into mini painting. No idea why I was recommended this channel, but I liked this a lot. It's good advice for a lot of things tbh.

This is so me right now. Haven't painted I'm weeks. Just lost all drive to do it. Sucks because it's my most favorite hobby by far. Just burnt out. I'll hopefully get back at it soon.

The Sea of Grey can't be avoided I feel!! I removed myself from 40K and thought I'd only play smaller system mostly blood bowl and still have a bloody backlog !! 😭 I'll take that though, compare against yourself not others my Mate always tells me this.....Best advice I think I've had, you take breaks from a hobby come back and so much changes etc or you feel you paintings not up to scratch! The introduction of contrast and speed paints though have been a blessing mind!

Great 😍.

2:46 That is a damn good job on that little guy! You should still be proud of it too, as I would assume you are by keeping it around as a reminder. Sadly, I know I'm sitting about the best I can do painting minis by hand right now. Mind you, that's not a knock against me. I have lack of feeling in both hands so I will constantly challenge myself to try something new but until I can figure out a way to paint faces using only three fingers or an airbrush, then there isn't much more I can easily accomplish in the hobby. Instead, I've been working on making and painting terrain and mats recently. Making battle mats is pretty helpful as I can see the progress and I can make it as abstract as I want.

I totally agree with the first point. When I first started I started painting with a Space Marine set. Then I moved on to fantasy miniatures and I was not having any fun. I bought the fantasy D&D minis because they were cheaper, but I still haven't painted them a year later because I don't enjoy them. I much rather prefer the futuristic armor and "Space Marine" look.

Those are some great points, I’ve only been seriously mini painting for 6 months and can’t realistically compare myself to someone who has done it for years, for a living. One day I’ll master that NMM, though!

All the things you mentioned are things I've done/that I do on the regular to fire myself up again, and they always work--I've discovered I really like painting 75 mm scale. In fact? Today a coworker of mine handed me a Pokemon Zapados 3-D printed mini that he asked me to paint for him and another one also asked me to paint up a dragon head bust for her, and there's even money involved, so I must be doing something right or something. After approximately 13 years of painting, the first half of which I spent dithering about and not really pushing myself from lack of confidence, I finally said SCREW THIS and started buying better paints and products. I buckled down, and all of a sudden began seeing improvement! We always tend to notice the plateau more than the improvement, don't we? As it is now, I'm at a point where I like about every other mini I paint and the rest I say "Eh, better luck next time," about. I've a ton of minis on my bookshelf from over the last several years and the improvement and progression are immediately obvious when you put them side by side. Now to keep pushing, because dangit, I WILL get the hang of NMM at some point!

Thanks Arwen

I used to hate the building part of painting models... Until I had so many leftover bits the building became awesome with all the kitbashing I could pull off. 🤣

Regarding experimenting: Using different brands of paints can be a thing. Army Painter is very different in texture, thinness, etc than Citadel. Citadel Contrast paints use very different techniques than Citadel's normal line of paints, etc, etc.

I have been putting off painting for a few months and I think it's because I am intimidated. I have expanded my tools and paint selection and now I have so many options it's a bit overwhelming at times. That and I cant find anybody to play D&D. Smh. The only game store in town closed down and now I would have to drive an hour and a half to find one. I am a veteran so most of my close friends live so far away in unrealistic to visit often. Where I live I don't have any like-minded people to enjoy the hobby with. I am just a bit down and sad. I have been watching mini painting videos to find my inspiration and muse. My 3d printer is ready to go as soon as I find what evokes my passion again. Thank you for the video and a place to externalize my thought.

Another tip I would add, if you're painting one scheme for a whole army and wish to keep your sanity (I learned the hard way) maybe keep the fancy stuff like NMM, OSL, and even lots of blending to single projects. Otherwise if you're like me, you'll find yourself wanting to jump off a cliff after about five models.

I tend to create a background for my minis while I paint them...give them a name and a story. Creatures I imagine the world they live in. Music helps too!

Amazing tips! Odd request, where did you get that black sweater, my wife would love it.

what is that handle for that you have on your miniholder? i cant see any use for that

I really needed this today, the kitsune I've been painting is so fiddley has so many tiny details. My problem is I know what I want and how I want it to look but my hand/paintbrush has different ideas.

i have a hard time getting color to my mins they tend to be tactical colors camo for d and d mis how do i go about getting bright bold colors on the table through my mins

What is that stand that you're putting you're minis on, to paint them?

Hello! Any chance you're still offering your painting review service? I recently started painting miniatures and while your videos are amazing I still feel like I'm missing something with my models.

When it stops being fun I either take a week off, or paint something else. I am about half way done with a Black Templars army, but on the side I also do knights and Chaos marines. And some Grognards from WarGames Atlantic. I know I am not the best, and that I still have a ways to go in terms of skill, but it is still fun to do.

Another great video as always. Getting & staying motivated is always a tricky problem. I hit a painting slump a couple weeks ago and recently managed to get back on track with my latest project. I'm replacing crap boardgame minis with better 3D printed ones. I've been experimented with a different style of painting & I'm also experimenting with different types of paints and it's been loads of fun. I've always wanted to ask: do you ADR your voice? It always feels like your voice is slightly out of sync when you cut to your on camera shots. Maybe it's not out of sync but something doesn't feel quite right.

Sometimes I have to take a step back from my hobby; its not worth it to me if I stop having fun, but breathers help so much!

I primarily paint Gundam model kits, but I switch to minis every now and then when I need a break, or need to expand my skill set.

Something I noticed when starting this hobby and binging on RU-vid videos about it: watching highly edited 15-20 minute videos of someone far above my skill level painting a miniature grossly distorts my perception of how long it should take. Paint layers dry within 2 seconds (and a cut), base coating is done after blocking in a couple of areas (and a cut) and the whole miniature is highlighted after a single careful brush stroke along an edge (and a cut). Not to mention the whole preparation of selecting a color scheme for the model, cutting off sprues and grinding down mold lines. I'm still looking for videos / streams of the *whole* process. Someone showing their process from start to finish, thinking aloud at every step and most importantly, no cuts (or at least, no cuts with time skipping, just to change camera angle).

I watched this hoping it would help me, but alas I still find painting to be the biggest chore in miniature wargaming. Great content as always, but it seems this video is for people who like painting to begin with.

Do you have a video about how to strip the paint off the miniature if you have to start over? I haven't done that yet and would appreciate the info!

Petting the cats is definitely the best option. :D

a good suggestion from my experience is getting a second hobby. If you are starting to feel frustrated, just do something else you enjoy. I hop between gaming and minature painting.

You do commissions? Do you have a website?

painting something that small terrifies me haha, my hands are too big and my eyes arnt good lol

Strangely enough I’ve got frustrated painting my Sisters of battle & found much more fun painting my Skaven & Malifaux minis at the moment. I belong to a painting group where I used to live & the guy who runs it sets challenges each month & we have a year long challenge to paint 100 models. Sometimes it’s good to paint outside your comfort zone.

Do you use primer on your miniatures?

nice video but wanted to also say... are you sure you are not a tolkien elf your eyebrows are on point!

I got suckered in by that thumbnail. I'm curious about that contrarian opinion on Nuln Oil. I remember when I got back in I had washes pushed hard by somebody who was doing the Army Painter route, I sort of dug in my heels on my first project and stuck with my high school area drybrushes, but because we were going to play a platoon scale game and they dragged their heels on making their force happen, I ended up getting into GW washes because the floor polish and matte varnish technique seemed too labour intensive given the price of one pot of wash, and did my second faction - as a loaner force - with shade-base-highlight tied together with Seraphim Sepia. (I found this the most labour intensive of any of my factions and have not repeated it, since the results didn't justify it, but it was an excellent introduction to shade-base-highlight and washes from my old high school drybrushes. The closest brick and mortar hobby store was sold out of Agrax Earthshade.) As a tool for doing small areas that are a nuisance to shade, such as puttees, or a quick cheat to pound out simple shading on accent areas like webbing, I think Nuln Oil in particular is great. I have been told Army Painter knockoff Contrasts are superior by a source I trust, and my local chain of discount retailers sells a consistency of craft paints which work fine for most miniatures - I evolved a system of saving blends in a brand of local vitamin bottle that screws shut close to airtight - but IMHO GW washes are top notch. When I muddled the mixture making my own contrasts on the last faction I completed - thankfully not on any of the main colours - I was able to rescue the shading on the chunks of the minis where my matte medium didn't flow properly with Nuln Oil. Is it more that as a studio painter your advice for people to break away from tabletop to display quality is to give up on the premade washes? Sorry that turned into something closer to an essay about premade washes than I had intended.

I wind up taking breaks from painting for... Significantly longer than I intend to. Every couple of years I find that I wind up not painting for an entire year then get back on the horse and I'm significantly better than I was when I took a break

When you said they did badass women sculpts, I immediately thought wow a Lyla miniature

+1 for oil paints

I’m just struggling with the fact that I have a lot that need to be done. I have fun but I think I need a new workspace because I can’t do it so long without back pain.

I love painting my mini miniatures. Just for my own enjoyment, to put on display on my own shelf in bedroom but... for the life of me i cannot wet blend/shading. I find i try to and give up and end up painting anyway but thinking "its missing something"

Nice video

Great video mate. Sharing your progress with someone else can be a real motivator for me. Something to just point out though, your audio mixing lately has been too heavy in the midrange and almost hurts my ears. Not sure if other peoples ears are as sensitive but it's very boxy and boomy, even on low volume. Not to rag though; just wanted to give you a heads up. Keep 'em coming!

the instagram link doesnt work?

One healthy way to compare yourself to others is to focus on the ways that they painted their model. You shouldn't focus on their finished work, focus on how they got there, and how you can replicate some of their techniques to achieve better personal work

Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

Fun is probably the biggest factor that can lead to a bad spiral if you're not enjoying yourself

How do you completely strip the paint off a model