Painting and modelling mistakes, what are yours?

[Davor]

Grrrr. I did it again. First I assembled my minis first, so it's hard to paint when the arms and claws are in the way. Also I keep forgetting what colours I use so when I stop painting and start again, my paints don't match because I don't use the exact colours.

So what are your painting/modelling mistakes and what do you do so you don't do them again?

[gunnersabottank]

I keep an excel spreadsheet with what colors I used to help with that.

My biggest mistake is not keeping my hobby area cleaner as I sometimes drop small parts and cant find them. Case in point, I just lost the finger to the spawn of cryptus's rending claw last night. Now I have to try green stuffing a little nub on there like he got the finger blown off. I also have a tendency like you to assemble too much before painting.

[Davor]

I had a clean area gunnersabottank. My problem I was so eager to assemble my Spawn of Cryptus, I made a mess now as well. I better clean up before I start again.

I know what you mean, I almost lost his finger as well, lucky for me I found it.

[gigasnail]

i've done the colors thing more than once. i keep having to refer to my own thread in hobby to keep them straight.

my biggest issues are i take on too many projects, and because i hate to have things half finished, will fully assemble models so that they're a serious pain in the ass to paint. or, i get irritated and stop halfway through.

[Remalis]

Not remembering colours is a big one for me. recording my pallette choices now to hopefully stop doing it.

Either drinking from the wrong glass or dropping brushes in wrong glass is something I've admittedly done more than once... my remedy for that is brush cleaning glass is a tall one. Drinking glass is heavy 'proper' whiskey tumbler.
Helps with the first instance. Not so much with the second if I'm not paying attention. . Although scotch makes for a fantastic brush cleaner, and be damned if I'm going to waste a good dram of scotch, paint tainted or not....

[Remalis]

Oh. And another one I'm just now reminded of as I stare down at my work area... destroying perfectly sculpted greenstuff work with a misplaced finger.

When it's done, put it aside and don't even THINK about touching it again that day. <sigh>

[monkeychuka]

Trying to strip paint from a styrene model with mineral turpentine. You only do that once.

[gigasnail]

Dec 15, 2014 6:52:14 GMT Remalis said:

Oh. And another one I'm just now reminded of as I stare down at my work area... destroying perfectly sculpted greenstuff work with a misplaced finger.

When it's done, put it aside and don't even THINK about touching it again that day. <sigh>

Wear gloves man.

[WestRider]

Dec 14, 2014 1:52:30 GMT Remalis said:

Either drinking from the wrong glass or dropping brushes in wrong glass is something I've admittedly done more than once... my remedy for that is brush cleaning glass is a tall one. Drinking glass is heavy 'proper' whiskey tumbler.
Helps with the first instance. Not so much with the second if I'm not paying attention. . Although scotch makes for a fantastic brush cleaner, and be damned if I'm going to waste a good dram of scotch, paint tainted or not....

This sort of thing is why my first reaction to the GW rinse water mugs was "That's a horrible idea!" Why would you want a rinse container that looks more like something you'd drink out of?

My biggest common mistake is probably gluing myself to things. Less common when I'm using plastic cement, but sometimes little fiddly pieces still end up sticking more to my finger than to whatever they're supposed to be glued to. This is a non-trivial part of why I still haven't assembled most of the FW stuff I got back in August.

[almostmercury]

Dec 14, 2014 1:52:30 GMT Remalis said:

Either drinking from the wrong glass or dropping brushes in wrong glass is something I've admittedly done more than once... 

LOL. Only once for me.

[gunnersabottank]

Red solo cup for hobby water, a glass for drinks that don't come in a can or bottle. Works for me

[Remalis]

Good tip on using gloves Giga.
Unfortunately in this case, no amount of latex is protection enough against my derpa 'hulk smash' lack of grace.
REMALIS CRUSH PUNY SCULPTING!
REMALIS SAD.

[krakenfiend]

Oh man...I could write a novel on this. However my most fatal mistakes usually come while playing around with the air brush. See, I see all these cool things that people do with those things and I think to myself that...Hey maybe I can do that too. Well...let me tell you how much of an amateur I am with that....too much pressure, not enough...clogged nozzle...nozzle not small enough, bent needle...and the worst of all...starting up a paint session while I don't have any air Brush cleaner = have fun cleaning it out and using it again. I'm glad that Vallejo has made the model air and game air paint lines...maybe I can get better with paint consistency...probably not

krakenfiend

[seethe]

My biggest problem is starting something andnot finishing it. Or biting off something bbigger than I can chew and winding up half assing the rest

[GestationPool]

I'm guilty of the usual full assembly before painting and leaving projects half done type stuff. I also remember an instance, where I attached magnets inside a fex's torso pre-painting, assembled it, and then found out the magnets were only secured enough to not fall out before then. Fitting them back in the drilled out socket was a disaster, and I think I ended up just gluing my preferred weapon load-out.

-GP