David Bickley's Wargames Blog

The occasional ramblings of an average gamer, journeyman painter, indifferent modeller, games designer, sometime writer for Wargames Illustrated and host of games in GHQ.



Saturday 10 July 2021

Some thoughts about painting.

 On one of the two wargames Forum Boards I joined I've recently contributed to a discussion about brushes. This got me to thinking about issues surrounding the general issue of painting wargames miniatures.  Having been doing this pretty steadily for 50 years I thought I'd have a go explaining my own approach as it's evolved, particularly over the last few years as issues surrounding aging have come to the fore.

First, a little personal history is in order I think to provide context. Like many of my generation, the baby boomers of the post war period, I grew up amongst a father and uncles who had served in WWII and a mother and aunts who had worked on the Home Front in industry and agriculture. An interest in things military seemed a natural part of life, collecting and playing with Britains and Timpo WWII figures and Corgi and Dinky WWII vehicles. Battles raged across carpets, the cobbled yard and the garden, depending on season and weather! 

From that beginning interest was further developed by building Airfix kits and collecting their soft plastic OO/HO boxes of soldiers. Increasing pocket money and paper round earnings saw me branch out into larger scale plastic figure kits, by Airfix at first and later the occasional Historex kit. It was at this stage, newly married and in our first home in Walsall, that I first encountered 25mm Hinchliffe metal Napoleonic figures which I bought in the now long gone Model Shop (Grainger's?) to collect and paint for a change. Wilf Upton, who worked there, on Saturdays I assume, suggested I might join Alumwell Wargames Society. I went along one Wednesday evening with no great preconceived notion of what I might encounter. I saw my first Napoleonic game and was hooked for life! 50 years later I find myself painting Napoleonic figures still, though I've ventured all over the globe and through history in the meantime.

So, putting that aside, back to where I started with painting. At first it was Humbrol enamels, the smell of White Spirit brush cleaner, and rows of 24 infantry figures being batch painted: pink flesh, block painting, no shades or highlights, shiny yacht  varnish brushed on. Some time in the late 1970's I discovered Plaka acrylic paint in the local Art Shop and enamels were consigned to history. About the same time the idea of black lining must have caught up with me, then added shading and the highlighting of flesh areas. I first did the latter I remember on a unit of Pecheneg horse archers! I remember because I was asked by a fellow club member what it was meant to be!

From Plaka I graduated to Colour Party acrylic paint, which I stayed with for years learning to shade, often using artists' inks, and to highlight. Always finding it helpful to chat with club members, look closely at display games at shows and then pour over colour pictures in hobby magazines: Battle for Wargamers; Practical Wargamer; Miniature Wargames; and lastly Wargames Illustrated! Finally graduating to first Valajo and now Foundry Paints. 

So, what if anything have I learned? I'll borrow from Lord of the Rings if you'll indulge me: I've been there and back again. The exponential growth of access to high quality images of figures and games through the number of hobby magazines and then the internet and the world of online blogs and forum boards has driven me and many others I expect to ever increasing efforts to 'improve' the finals appearance of our figures. You'll notice I say figures rather than armies? That's been the core issue for me I think on reflection, too much exposure to finely finished individual or small groups photographed in close up and looking far larger than their 25/28mms in reality. 

It has caused me in the last few years to question why such a level of effort and detail is necessary in painting armies, unless of course painting is your major focus in the hobby. I was almost lost to the painting fascists, as I've dubbed them, to be honest before I came to see what I was doing to myself. I realised I was morphing slowly and almost unaware into a 'painter who wargamed rather than the 'wargamer who painted' I needed to be if projects were ever to reach the table. This revelation if you like came to me when I was working on Perry Miniatures British figures for the Sudan. They seemed to take me for ever! How would I fare when it came to the Mahdists? 

The figures remain in my opinion the very finest I've ever managed, but they took so long I almost gave up several times! So, when it came to the Mahdists it was back to block painting, ink washing and one highlight in the details. Much quicker! And on the tabletop battlefield? Well, they looked fine to me.

So, I'm a born again painter of wargames figures using a block colour, one highlight and some ink washes. But for all the recent disruption in life I'd probably have gone over to GW contrast paints for man and horse flesh at least. I may even when we open up a bit more from this virus malarky! The key for me at any rate as I've said in an earlier blog post is how the army looks when I'm gaming. I might say at the bottom line you could spray one side pink and the other puce if you wanted and noone minded to play the game. But we do like our toys to look something like in the final analysis don't we?

So I've settled for 'something like' as my ambition when it comes to painting. Partly of course that's been driven by aging issues of eye and hand, but I've come to live with those. I enjoy my painting, even when it's curtailed by these very issues. Friends and blog followers remain relatively positive about my efforts, the figures feature in my Wargames Illustrated articles, they will do as Phil says! I've been helped towards this by many folk but also by the availability of wonderfully detailed flags, shield transfers and endlessly varied basing materials and decoration. The overall result, I think, looks fine in a wargame context but would never win any prizes in a painting competition (would it Dan?) I'm happy where I am with my hobby now, just sorry in a way it was such a drawn out journey. The moral you ask? Don't beat yourself up over standards you can't attain reasonably, there are no Painting Gestapo waiting to knock on your door. As is said, To thine own self be true!


34 comments:

  1. Enjoyed this read very much and whilst my own adventure in this hobby might be 20 years junior to your own we travelled into it along similar lines: My grandfather a ww2 veteran who encouraged me to build Airfix aero planes, and so forth.
    I too recently came to the conclusion with my current WW2 Canadians project that I spend far too much time trying to paint to a standard that sure, looks great upon close inspection, but shoot (!), takes so long to get to that standard that nothing feels like it’s getting done! And for what/whom?
    So silly really. I guess as with all art, we are our own worst critics and that can get in the way of why we started this hobby in the first place -“fun”.

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  2. For armies, block painting, perhaps a very few limited highlights/shading/dry brushing where it seems reasonable, and "magic wash" gives extremely presentable results and still allows me to paint hundreds of figures a year, so I am completely with you! :-)

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  3. Musings that will resonate with many I am sure.

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  4. My style changes regularly, some styles I thought were quick, like undercoating black and drybrushing, but turned out to be a bad idea. As an owner of a lead mountain, the shame, I am content to just paint it adequately and get it game ready.

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    1. You have a style?πŸ˜‰

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    2. It is a chameleon style! Changes depending on the figures/period/season/state of mind!

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  5. I have only indulged in shading and tinting when it came to one off role play figures, and the occasional gladiator or Grey Musketeer. Usually block painting and a wash have done it for me. However I converted to contrast paints in November 2019 and find them excellent. Some figures, for example Front Rank Marlburians seemed to absorb standard paints like sponges. A good gouache undercoat and then contrast painting has reduced the time taken by about half. It is just like using water colours. I have noticed though that one has to be meticulous about cleaning ones brushed with proper brush soap or the ferule end will accumulate crud much faster than with standard acrylics.

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    1. I may yet succumb to Contrast paints, at least for horseflesh.

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  6. Nice article David. Unlike yourself, I'm a late 'Baby Boomer' and also late to the party in painting miniatures (late forties). Valuable tips from venerable folk like yourself make it all worthwhile in the end. Keep up the excellent articles. Cheers, Helen

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  7. Interesting thoughts David. I am lucky or not ? To have skipped the phase of increasing detail on figure. My original figures some of which I still have were enamel humbrol, I think I might have even painted some of these in the mid 90’s. But with a significant number of years dormant in the hobby, when I returned with renewed vigour and enthusiasm all I did was block paint, shade and a single highlight….it works for me and I am not going to change. I love painting and intend to carry il the end but I paint to create armies to fight battles not for the sack of it πŸ‘ we are of a mind. Although I note your casual reference to Lord of the Rings I fear you might be turning to the dark side ?πŸ˜€

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    1. The Dark Side? Moi? Shurely Shum Mishtake?

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  8. My own experience mirrors your own David most of the way. I put extra effort into generals etc. and have shaded in the past but now, with most of my forces being WWII I am happy with block and wash. I have found Contrast paints to be highly effective for my SYW troops, only the damn British lace gives me a headache. Now that I have reached my limit (howls of laughter) I am actually thinking of trying to hone my painting skills on single figures or maybe vehicles as I do not wish to stop.

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    1. Limit? Are you sickening? Have customers been harassing you?πŸ€£πŸ˜‚

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  9. Another interesting post David and one again with which I concur. It has been mentioned many times over the years that the magazines and there lovely 28mm figures, close up shots etc, might have put gamers off painting, thinking that they had to be the level seen in said magazines. Given that the magazines really upon advertising, which is mainly 28mm, this is understandable, but some variety wouldn't go amiss now and then.

    White Dwarf used to run a series of articles by a great guy who painted to a very basic standard, but played plenty of games, which was a nice contrast to the in-house teams superb work. Maybe this could be emulated in the future?

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    1. At least my own figures now accompany my articles, so folks are exposed to average painting.

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  10. Your vast collections always look good on the table Mr.B. Which in my humble opinion is what it all about. There are some who can manage to knock out armies of the highest quality. But they are a very notable few. Look on the bright side at least no one's ever referred to your work as "Pro-painted". ;-D

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    1. Thank you Jon! The in-joke made me smile too.

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  11. A splendid post David…
    I am of course in agreement with you…
    All of us(of a certain age😁)seem to have followed a similar path to playing with toy soldiers.
    My painting style has definitely changed over the years … I am now very settled and happy with what is basically block colour-wash-highlight where appropriate….
    I can still paint to a collectors standard… but the the subtleties just vanish when the toys are on the table so why bother.
    Maintaining a good consistent standard…like you do… gets armies finished and games played.

    Keep up the good work old chap.h

    All the best. Aly

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    1. I thank you for your grand endorsement of my feeble efforts. Unlike you I cannot now aspire to collector's standard, age being a boogar etc.

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  12. As a fellow traveller in terms of painting v gaming I'm right behind you on this approach David.

    I have been using Contrast Paints on as much as I feel I can get away with recently. They do a job and do it admirably.

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    1. I may try them eventually, not been near city centre for months though except for dentist & optician.

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  13. Yes the eternal battle of trying to get figures painted as quickly as possible and yet maintain a standard one is happy with. I still haven't achieved the right balance yet, but working on it!

    Christopher

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    1. Being comfortable with your own work is the core issue isn't it, rather than being disappointed in yourself.

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  14. We seem to have always had this argument David and as we mature it keeps coming back again and again. Like you I discovered that its simply best to paint to please yourself and no one else. To be frank there was a time when I would take extra special effort to paint some of my units to enter them in the many as was painting competitions, unfortunately even before lockdown these competitions were becoming a rarity and the ones that did exist were populated usually by the professional painter as witnessed with depressing regularity at Salute. I do try to make my figures neat and tidy, totally non historical really unless a guard regiment. But I have also rediscovered the pleasure of repainting really old figures that can only be described as basic in style. Of course some neat basing makes any figure look half decent and even the most ham fisted has no excuse in making a decent job of the bases.

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    1. Your joy of the old school figure as chronicled on your blog has been a real pleasure to follow, even though I fail to grasp the attraction myself.

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  15. Complete bunkum, unless you can identify the regimental buttons, what is the point...?
    Just jiving, of course
    Your painting is far from 'something like'. I put my hand up as one of the many blog followers who is *absolutely* positive about your painting. Look at those light dragoons above; they are fabulous!
    All the best and keep painting 'em, just as you'd like to. I really enjoy looking at and admiring them.
    Regards, James

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    1. You are very kind James and your support is much appreciated, but I recognise my own limitations at 71 and have settled for my version of something like. I'm pleased others still enjoy seeing it though.

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  16. I still like to try and improve my painting but as you say, I am not trying to compete with the guys I play with, it is more about meeting my own standards. I would like to be able to paint some individual figures to the standard you can see on some blogs or Youtube items, but I can't, and it's not important enough to me to put in hours of effort to do so. I still change bits of my painting style/process on a regular basis, even mid project on occasion, although not mid unit so far! Keep up the good work, an inability to continue painting due to age related infirmity is something I hope to avoid for a while yet ( I am 59 in a month) but is something I have considered will eventually happen.....

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    1. I fully intend to keep on keeping on as long as I enjoy it!

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