Do not seek perfection.
I was working on this weird paint job last week when the truth dawned on me : Do not seek perfection. I got into toy customization because I thought It looked fun…and I intend to make it so.
Spending too much time painting a single little detail to make it perfect can be frustrating and discouraging. Try instead to make a vision come alive. Go for the general look. If it looks good in general, it looks good. If you are planning on repainting a whole figure, try to spend your effort and attention evenly throughout the project. Just like renovations…try to plan a little and try to respect that plan. You don’t want your project to end up in the hell of the unfinished customs.
When I paint, I like to take a lot of breaks, do something else for some minutes, and when I get back at it I know right away what needs to be done and/or corrected. While I’m working, eyes close to the piece, I’m seeing lots of things that need corrections…But when I’m back from a break, I don’t see all those mini imperfections the same way. They sometimes blend and don’t seem like errors anymore. They sometimes add texture or shade or whatever. Taking pictures helps me a lot too. Looking at pictures of my work somehow changes my point of view…and again, I often know right away what needs to be done and/or corrected.
Watching all those amazing paint jobs posted in the Mythic Legions Cabal facebook group (or whatever group or community you are in on whatever platform) might give you an inferiority complex. Well, you shouldn’t worry too much. And when you see those, ask questions! I can’t speak for everyone, but I love when people asks about my work. So have fun. Paint. You’ll get better and you’ll have more fun…and soon enough you’ll be sharing those awesome paint jobs of yours.
In the same line of thoughts, here’s a very cool YouTube video showing the « same » paint job done in 10 minutes, 1 hour and 10 hours…It might help you not to get lost in those endless laborious jobs. Now I got only one last thing to say to you : Choose your destiny!
