Painting tips -- quality and consistency??

[cheddarmonger]

So, maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I find that my paintjobs are extremely inconsistent; sometimes I come up with great stuff, other times, my stuff looks pretty crud*py.  Overall, there's no consistency in my quality. 

Some of you folks have been painting a very long time, and all of your stuff has a pretty consistent quality to it, and your style is very evident.  Then there's Wristy, whose skill level has dramatically increased over the past two years, but you can see that each mini he posts gets progressively better.

So, any tips on how to improve your painting skill, or to produce consistent quality?  How do you approach a mini when you're getting ready to paint it?

I'm hearkening back to a Flintstones cartoon; Fred is getting golf lessons.  The instructor says, "first, you address the ball."  Fred looks down at the ball, and says, "Helloooo, ball!"

I try to envision the mini as painted, but I can't seem to keep that focus, and instead work on each part separately; I start on the skin or lowest layer and work up from there, doing weapons and details either last, or as they capture my attention.

[Custom_Hobby]

I think you are being hard on yourself. In the challenges your paint jobs have been great and creative. I think the first thing you need to do is make sure you are having fun! It also ties into having fun, but make sure you are inspired to paint the figure.

[gi6ers]

Inconsistency is me all over, but I just tend to stick the crud* in a drawer for stripping. TBH if a mini doesn't grab me when I try and paint it I just chuck it back in the partially painted pile for another day/week/millennia etc...

So yes, if it ain't fun It's going to end up not up to your usual standard. I'm fluctuating in and out of a painting block so this is very evident for me lately.

[Bodhi]

I think you are being hard on yourself.

I don't. Being hard on your self is the best way to constantly improve. The backside is that it sometimes leads to depression so don't be TO hard but never ever be soft on your self. That's the road to stagnation and run of the mill art.

That aside I like your painting  :icon_smile:

[Dr.Evil]

I just keep trying till it click's and then i seen to jump a bit in what ever it was i was trying to do.

If someone says something like "white is too hard for me to do so i try not to do it" or near enough that, then i will try just to see if i can do it.

It must be getting on three year's since i joined the FOD and i was basicly crud* at it all then so i could only improve.  :icon_wink:
I started with no referance but picture's and no advice but what i could figure out myself about 20 years ago and stopped totaly painting for about 15 years or more.
The internet and the FOD were what got me back to painting, from book's, advice on posted picture's of figure's i painted and asking question's (even if they seemed stupid as there are no stupid question's).
Practice help's as well and i don't know how many figure's i stripped till i started getting half decent human skin.

Wanting to paint a figure make's a big differance to how it turn's out as was seen with my Heresy Zombie, i just was not in the mood to paint him and had to hurry as well.
My Boris challange with Cheddar show's that i wanted to paint the figure.