Painting Standards in Tabletop Games and Gatekeeping

[Arathorn185]

For me personally; I have bad case of adhd. I have trouble sitting snd doing something. If I do want to paint; I want to sit down and paint. If nothing is preprimed well you see how this goes. And I personally dislike painting and if I wanted to hobby I’d rather be building models

[Gailon]

On 9/12/2021 at 8:34 AM, wargames101 said:

One goofy idea I'd like to see take hold is just painting an army a single color and then hitting it with a wash and some basing to approximate the look and feel of scenes from fantasy shows where they are wargaming using carved wood and stone tokens as pieces. E.g. Game 

I agreed with this in theory when I started but now found that it completely conflicts with what I tend to prefer. 

I really enjoy painting, BUT I am not very good at it and I'm slow. So I enjoy getting a chance to sit down and slowly paint a few war dollies in the evening. I also have two small kids and a stressful job. This means my army progress is super slow, but very enjoyable for me. 

So my goal is to continue to have painting projects. I really enjoy the models I have finished and as I get closer and closer to having more complete armies. 

As a result I have resisted the 'fast paint' methods. I don't really want to fast paint my army, even though I do prefer to play with painted models and enjoy the immersion. Fast painting something is tough because it is just less enjoyable as a process. I am losing out on the peaceful and relaxing painting process and replacing it with something that feels more job like only centered on the goal. 

I think there may be more painting in the community if we encouraged people to enjoy the process, not because it results in a painting army or because it looks awesome, but because engaging with something creative is enjoyable. I often compare my painting process to knitting. I do it for my own mental health. I'm glad that I get a hat or scarf at the end of it, but if that became the point it would no longer be enjoyable. 

I say all this to point out that the big problem with painting standards is that the way people engage with the hobby is just way too varied to possibly standardize anything. Some people enjoy painting and have painted armies as a result. But I have found that I enjoy painting and have mostly unpainted armies as a result (although I just keep plugging away and that keeps changing, and now I show up to games and realize that without really noticing it I have almost entirely painted lists). 

[Landohammer]

On 9/13/2021 at 9:58 AM, Sputnik said:

Absolutely agree. I use a zenithal prime (wraithbone over black) for all my painting now and I've found that it makes contrast paints so much more effective. 

I don't love painting, but I find satisfaction in completing a miniature. Zenithal priming plus contrast gets me to that point of satisfaction much more quickly, and ultimately gets my models on the table not stuck in the 'to do' pile. 

I agree with others who have said that tabletop wargaming is a spectacle, complete with immersive terrain and painted models. I wouldn't gatekeep someone who plays with grey plastic, but I would gravitate more towards others who want to play the game in the same way I do. 

TBH contrast painted models are the standard for my meta. I won the last two "best painted army" awards at tourneys using entirely contrast painted armies and all of my commissions are primarily contrast. There are a growing number of people who just want their army tabletop quality in 30 days or less, so I cater to them exclusively. 

Someone can be the best miniature painter in the world but if they never actually finish armies, then the awards will keep going to hacks like me. 🤣