Painting myself out of my painting slump

As you may have seen by the lack of updates, I've hit a painting slump. Well, real life got a bit busy as well with a possible move in the near future and work, work, work (use Warcraft Peon voice here). I did finish the Genestealer part of my cult, but that was about it.

Sometimes you just lose the joy of working on a project. The best remedy (IMHO) is temporarily storing the models and moving on.

Around the time I finished these guys the dreaded painting slump hit me. I suspect every painter reaches this point once in a while although causes may vary. For me it is usually the sense that my painting is getting worse instead of better. This in turn makes the project I'm working on lose its appeal and before I know it the pots of paint are standing around idle, while the miniatures to be painted start staring. Seemingly asking: 'why haven't we been painted yet?' At this point painting feels like a chore. I used to force myself to finish a project by sheer grit, but this invariably ended with badly painted (rushed) miniatures and the strange sense I should've been payed by the hour for my work. Not a good investment of precious hobby hours. A few years ago I tried a different solution. I switched over to 'project boxes'. Basically a big plastic box to stuff an unfinished project in. It takes the accusing stares out of sight and I can get back to it at a later date.

Getting the annoying models out of sight is part one of fighting hobby fatigue. Part two is finishing a new interesting project (or picking up an old project box). I had the chance to change tack thanks to the arrival of Skarbrand.

Skarbrand basically is a huge blob of anger (carrying axes).

I managed to get my hands on a second hand unpainted version of this Greater Daemon of Khorne. Some people seem to solve their painting slump by selling their models. That deserves a big thanks from me as it saves hobby money. As the model arrived I decided to give myself a couple of days off to build and paint it. I stuffed my Genestealer Cult in a project box and got started with a fancy base.

The amount of hobby-zen you get from building a nice looking base should not be underestimated.

The basic building blocks of this base are bits from the Shattered Dominion Large Base Detail kit and a few leftovers from a converted Realmgate. While building it, I used up the last two skulls from the old GW Pack of Skulls. As I had to get the General's Handbook 2017 anyway I popped over to the local GW and picked up the new Citadel Skulls pack. Best investment in a while. I think I have enough skulls for the next couple of years. After adding skulls I painted the base first. Mostly because painting a base takes less skill then painting a miniature allowing me to get back into the whole holding a brush thing again.

Just add color...

Next came good old Skarbrand himself. After building, drying and some gap filling I airbrushed the big guy Khorne Red (what else ;). I left most armor plates off to make my life easier and painted these in a copperish color.

Skardbrand in progress. In the background an attempt at defeating hobby fatigue by building a (shitty) model airplane.

After this came a lot of detailing (and running out of Rakarth Flesh (I should remember to buy a new pot soon)). Finally I finished the model, and I'm quite happy with him. Unfortunately it has been raining here so I have to make do with rushed pictures without even an attempt at scenic background. Sorry for that.

Skarbrand is raging in the rain.

Detail of Skarbrand on his base. The Realmgate pedestals add a nice bit of height to make the model more intimidating.

I spent some time debating whether to add blood to the axes or not...I'm still not quite done debating that.

Skarbrand is a nice model, with an amazing bad-ass background. I can't wait to stick him on a gaming table sometime soon. Meanwhile, with this first aid treatment to my painting slump, I picked up someone's second hand Ironjaw Brutes and Megaboss.

Purchasing second hand models is a hobby onto itself. Actually it's almost an addiction. Here is me adding some Ironjawz to my Greenskinz army.

Seeing these bits inspired me to take out the old project box filled with Orruks and Moonclan Grots (Orcs&Goblins). At the close of my long weekend off I started detailing numbers 11-20 of my pink spiders.

I really want to finish these pink spiders this time around.

Opening up a project box always carries a bit of extra added risk of instant hobby fatigue with it. Especially my Greenskinz box as this one is exclusively filled with second hand models and sprues. It is one of those collections that has gotten completely out of hand. But right now I'm just psyched to paint more of my Greenskinz collection. Aside from the Spiderfang Grots and a bit of work on two Spear Chukka's I've finally assembled a group of Boyz that had been waiting on their old sprues.

Assembling Orruk Boyz makes you want to assemble even more Orruk Boyz. Should not....buy more....must finish these first....

My Boss on Wyvern should get a real paint job sometime, but I still can't figure if I'm going to try and safe this black skin paint job, go for green or maybe for an orange-red on the Wyvern.

I recall using an old Mike McVey 'Eavy Metal article to start on the black of this Wyvern, only to discover that its easier to read how McVey paint then it is to replicate his skill.

There is a box of Old school black-orcs to finish and a (temporarily) abandoned mass painting session of Moonclan Grots.

This is a very naughty way to store miniatures. I should not post this online....

For one of the other out of hand projects I've just ordered in some fresh bases This is my Boar Chariot fleet (needs a lot of repair work). The chariots have been picked out of a variety of different lots I bought over the years.

So many chariots, so few bases...

In the foreground of the picture above is my second ancient Snotling Pump Wagon. I should really finish that. But then I would need to figure out a speed-painting method for my rather over the top Snotling horde.

I admit have a Snotling problem...it has gotten to the point where I daren't pull them out of their plastic bags.

And then there is another old metal giant, two stone trolls, a couple of characters and so on, and so forth. With this much to paint I'm mostly wondering why I don't have any Boarboyz yet, and if I should pick up a couple of boxes :) This hobby, it makes madmen out of all of us. I'll part this long winded post with a shot of the bottom of the project box. There is an old (ancient) Azagh the Slaughterer I probably won't paint and haven't been able to sell (yet). A lot of spiders, ancient fanatics, squig herders and some wolf riders. Also in the shed, covered in Biostrip are a couple more trolls and some new fangled fanatics. Let's see how far I get before the next splat of hobby fatigue hits me and this box closes up again. Maybe if the weather gets a bit better I can do a quick group shot of my army so far.....we'll see.

Oh Azagh...will it be a sale or a painting session somewhere in the future?