My Painting of Rising Sun

 My Painting of Rising Sun

This is the first time that I thought it was perhaps worth writing a little about the painting I do as part of my gaming hobby. The reason I've not really written about it until now is twofold:

1. I'm not that good.
   
   I don't say that to be modest or anything, it's just what it is. The paint and quick shade do most of the work for me. I have very small, fine brushes, and I'm decently patient. But I don't do my own shading or highlighting, and while I've watched a couple of videos, I'm simply not invested enough to learn and practice techniques beyond slapping paint on my models.
2. I haven't painted an entire game that I own. I've started several, but I've only ever fully finished painting my Tarkin fleet (4 ships and two squadrons). Anything else I've painted, I've completed models, but never the entire game.

Neither of the two things I've listed above have changed. So why post about painting now?

When I first decided I'd give painting a try (an ill-fated endeavor into Runewars Miniatures), I tagged up with my old friend, The Glacial Geek. Incidentally, you should find his videos on YouTube; I really enjoy his Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team battle reports and the videos in which he shares musings while he paints! Anyway, I asked him how he practices the patience needed to paint SO MANY MINIS. If you're unfamiliar with 40k, these armies are HUGE. So I asked how he sticks with painting them all. He told me that I couldn't think of it as an obligation; it's an extension of the hobby. He told me that I should paint for as long as I'm having fun. Once I'm not having fun anymore, I should stop. He assured me that if I just followed that rule whenever I sat down to paint, I would be fine.

In retrospect, this makes a lot of sense, right? Do the hobby until it isn't fun, then step away, because you're doing it for fun, so why do it if you're not having fun? But honestly, it's because I get a bug up my butt about a thing that I think I *should* do. I play Star Wars Armada, that's a minis game, and so I *should* paint my squadrons and personalize the paint job on my ships (despite the fact that all of the ships are already painted, and I think the paint jobs are decent!). But I also started out by painting things I wanted to play with sooner rather than later. Who wants to play a game that's half-painted? Honestly, if I was going to paint minis, I either needed to do it before my son was born or I needed to give myself a little grace.

The former wasn't an option, so I had to opt for the latter. It took me a little while to do what I described above, but honestly, it helped that I was painting minis from Runewars to start. Why? Because I wasn't painting over another paint job like I would with Armada ships and worry about whether or not it looks worse than it did before I started. But mainly because there wasn't much of a Runewars scene in STL to begin with. I wasn't competing at organized play events, and it wasn't a board game wherein I couldn't replace minis I screwed up. That really allowed me to mess with different schemes and ideas. This was HUGE for my confidence that this was an extension of the hobby I wanted to stick with. I really like customization in games and so I'm really fond of making my own color scheme choices.

Runewars taught me that I like doing whatever I want when painting an army, such as in Star Wars Armada or Kill Team. I custom-built that fleet/army/contingent/whatever, so I want to own it with my scheme choices as well. I also got a feel for just how long painting would take me because I tend to be slow and methodical and uninterested in improving my technique. So though I've gotten faster and my hand is steadier, I have a notion of just how long a project might take me. Which leads me into the difference (for me) between painting minis for a minis game like Armada and painting minis for a board game like Descent or Rising Sun. Whenever I'm painting an army, I choose my own scheme, even if those units already have a designated paint scheme (such as Gold Squadron or T'au of a particular group). But when it comes to a board game, I stick far more closely to the prescribed paint scheme.

Why?

Honestly, because it bothers the hell out of me when components in a game don't match. Slight color differences only bother me a little bit, but if I'm playing Imperial Assault and the Darth Vader mini has ghost flames painted on his armor, I'm gonna have trouble with that. It'll just bother the hell out of me, even if the paint job is terrific. I do make exceptions for games like Descent, wherein there are minion and master monsters; the minis are identical except in the color of the plastic, but they feature different stats and abilities. To that end, I do paint them differently in order to differentiate them.

This entire prelude brings me to Rising Sun and why I decided to talk about painting. Sometimes, games hit me a certain way and I just fall in love with them. Don't need them to be my favorite or anything, I just end up adoring them. They sit toward the front of my game shelf, I'm more likely to sleeve them (if there are any cards), and I give more thought to how I will house them. Rising Sun hit me that way: I love the theme, the components are really nice, the design is sharp... I'm just all in on this one. The thing that stuck out to me, however, is that the minis are terrific, but unpainted, grey plastic. And for a game that is otherwise very bright and colorful, they stick out like a sore thumb to me. I get why they're not pre-painted! But it would just bug me to keep them the way they come out of the box.

So I decided I was going to paint the monsters (the player pieces are colored plastic, so for the moment, I'm happy to leave those the way they are). My decision was helped along by two factors: the monster minis are decently big and so it's easier for me to paint in detail, and spending time painting minis from Descent and Imperial Assault gifted me (through trial and error) the confidence and grace to paint something and be happy with it "being good enough." My friend Kat introduced me to the painting standards of "table ready" and "competition." The latter includes some really impressive examples, but I've learned that I'm perfectly happy with satisfying the former, which basically looks good, but doesn't necessarily include any work one might consider extraordinary.

To that end, I'm striking a balance between speeding through painting these by painting them exclusively and leaving all other painting projects to the side, but also by reminding myself that "good enough is good enough." That's not to say I'm not putting forth my best effort, because of course I am! But I also want to get all the monsters painted and done so that the next time my copy of the game hits the table, all of the monsters are painted and "presentable." So I don't have many finished models to share just yet, but I do have some models in various stages of painted, and I've finished two monsters. So I'll keep sharing them here until I'm done, and hopefully, you see something you like!

My take on the Oni of Blood...

I'm pretty happy with how he turned out, overall! I changed up the mace in his right hand, but other than that, tried to stay pretty true to how the game depicts him.

This is the Yurei and was probably the mini I found most intimidating. I got a couple of Army Paints and had ideas about how to tackle this, but I decided to go at it with GW Contrast Paints instead. It kind of takes care of the shading for you, and so it's kind of "an easy way out," but I like the way they end up looking, and in this case, I just think it came out better (and definitely faster!) than if I had fumbled with anything else. Paint the way that you want to paint! You're not competing, so just paint in the way that works best for you!

The Nure-Onna is pretty easy to tackle in the way I'm doing it.

Just kind of time-consuming as I'm trying to carefully handle the lines. You can see this is already mostly done because it's really just three colors, for the most part (I'm counting the black hair in that, which I need to hit again to make it a little darker).

I really like the Oni of Souls mini, and I'm trying to take my time with it.

You can see I've moved especially slowly to try and hit those symbols etched into the weapon he's holding in his right hand.

In the meantime, if you're considering painting as a hobby, but you're unsure: give it a shot. It's worth your time. Buy a couple of garbage minis you don't care about, and try it out! It's true that you may learn quickly that you don't like it. You may find it frustrating or slow or whatever. But I've found painting to be a terrific extension of my gaming hobby. I can go stretches without painting to the point that the water in my painting cup evaporates completely! But as I've made an effort to reduce screen time before bed, I've turned to painting my minis in addition to reading as a way to calm my mind and indulge my hobbies, and so painting fits into my life in a bunch of ways. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn't. But either way, if you're willing to give it a shot, I'll say this: give yourself the grace and space to learn what you like about painting, and indulge that bit. And remember that it should be fun, so when it stops being fun, put your brush down. Your minis will still be there waiting when you're ready to come back and painting is fun again.

February 10, 2022: I had put down painting for a bit. My game room sits over our back porch and the heat seals on half the windows are busted. Come summer, our south-facing room turns into an oven. But in the dead of winter, it becomes an absolute meat locker. I got busy with the holidays and my days were pretty full, so the only time I could paint was at night. And the room gets much colder at night, so I just hadn't prioritized painting. With my ongoing solo game of Spirit Island being waged against the Tsardom of Russia, any time I was spending in the game room was mostly spent on that. Anyway, it's been a minute! But then I headed out to my friend's place on Lake of the Ozarks for a gaming weekend. We had every intention of playing a bunch of games, including Armada and Kill Team. I hadn't touched my Kill Team minis in a long while and haven't even played the new version of the game yet, despite being really interested in doing so! So I decided to paint up minis before heading out for the weekend. I already knew how I wanted to paint my Republic fleet and knew it wouldn't be terribly difficult. I had already decided to follow in the footsteps of my friend Jacob and just paint some new details over the current paint job to differentiate my ships from those of other people. I had already resigned myself to not bothering with the squadrons for this trip.

All of this is to say that I kind of hammered away at some painting before that weekend which reminded me again just how much I enjoy painting. It literally happens every single time I don't paint for awhile. My childhood friend, Phil the Glacial Geek (check out his fantastic, wholesome content on YouTube! Become a subscriber!!), advised me way back when that I should only paint if it's fun. If it's going to be a job or a chore for me, I should stop. "Paint until you're not having fun." Thank you, Phil. It sounds so simple and so obvious, but it's easy to get caught up in the hobby and forget this extremely simple but vital bit of advice. I don't play any game that *requires* me to paint other than Kill Team, and even that I've made clear I don't really play so much as I plan to play it. Anyway, because I hadn't painted in awhile and enjoyed it so much when I banged out the Venator and Consulars for my Armada fleet, I decided to come back and finish the minis I had started for Rising Sun! That includes the Oni of Souls, the Nure-Onna, and the River Dragon. I've all but finished the Nure-Onna and I'm closing in on the Oni of Souls. See below!

There's not a lot of texture to the paint job, but the texture of the mini helps balance that out. It's simple but vibrant. That said, the Contrast Paints really help add some depth and nuance that are lost in my pictures.

It's just a decent amount of ground to cover, despite the sort of bland color choices on the monster card. It's one of the few that I think could've been done better. I'm contemplating my own changes, which is also why I'm taking my time in painting this one.

He may only look so different from his previous pictures, but I finished far more of his hair and vest as well as made some more color choices moving forward. There's a lot of white left on the mini, but the rest of him should go more quickly.

Not perfect, of course, and not as brilliant as I've seen online. But I'm happy overall with how they turned out! And just as importantly, I'm happy to clear some space off of my painting area so I can keep making my way through what I've got. I'm certain I'll be starting in on another two Rising Sun minis, but I haven't decided which ones yet. Additionally, I'm planning on playing Kill Team at Adepticon in March, so I need to finish painting my squad for that! I'm about 90% certain I'll be playing T'au, but I might roll with Death Guard. Honestly, part of this decision-making is driven by the fact that my three Stealthsuits are already painted, so I'll only need to paint the Pathfinders. But we'll see - I still have time if I really just want to get my Death Guard to the table! But in the meantime, I'll be plugging away, slowly, sometimes inconsistently, but always with plans to return. If you're in a similar situation, don't feel bad and don't beat yourself up. This part of the hobby can be intimidating and frustrating, but it should be fun. Take a break and come back to it when you're ready for some more painting fun. When it comes to being creative, think of it like breathing: one cannot constantly exhale/create; one needs to alternate that with inhaling/doing-something-else.

You've only got so much air in your lungs, friend. Take a moment or three to inhale, then get back to those paints.

April 11, 2022: Been a couple of months since I posted updates here because there wasn't much on which to update y'all. However, in light of the post I shared this past weekend about my buddy Phil, The Glacial Geek, and his most excellent dissection of the anxiety many of us feel around painting, I thought I'd write here and share some pictures. My painting continues to be slow, but honestly, I've been pretty consistent for the past couple of months! Only some of that work has been on Rising Sun, as I have also been painting my X-Wing and Armada models. It's not necessarily the best approach, given that the more I spread my painting around, the longer it takes to get any one thing done. But I was prioritizing X-Wing and Armada in prep for Adepticon and that's done now! I recently played some Descent and so thought about painting those minis again, but I'm trying to stay focused. One of the things Phil says in his video that really stuck with me is that each step we take in painting makes the next step easier and less anxiety-provoking. If the model is based, then that part is already done. And it doesn't even take that long! But that first step can sometimes be the most difficult. In the past, I've tried to "not prime too much at once," lest I feel overwhelmed by the number of primed minis I've yet to paint. But the truth is that even if they're not primed, I still think about 'em. So what do I gain by not priming them in the first place? The answer?

So I've got several models I'm going to prime when it stops raining. In the meantime, I finished my Oni of Souls...

I went back and forth on a number of the details, and honestly, the bodies hanging from the rod took me the longest because I wanted interesting and different skin tones. Plus, I was a little intimidated by the fine detail inside the torso of that last dude on the right. But overall, I'm glad he's finally finished and I'm pretty happy with the results!

As well as my River Dragon...

This last one took longer than I thought it would because it was kind of boring to paint. It was also big enough that I knew it would take a minute to do it carefully. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to add just a bit of flare to it, so I added in a very light purple to the horns and the claws so they'd pop a bit more. I'm pretty happy with how it came out! One of my problems as a painter is that I want vibrant colors and I want my painting to be done, so I rarely thin my paints as much as I *should*. The result is some clunky-looking paint jobs. Not awful, mind you. But they could be cleaner if I took my time to do several coats. I started doing that more recently with my X-Wing and Armada models. Mainly because I didn't want to lose the textural details on the ships while glopping on metallic paints, but also because I used a couple of colors that go on thin to start. I based some details in white so I could go back over them with a sage green to accent the gold on my Separatist ships and fighters. But the sage green is a little lighter and the white showed through after a couple of coats. I nearly lost patience, but figured one or two more thinner coats would do it. And sure enough, they look better than previous paint jobs I've done!

To people who paint (or maybe even the ones who don't), this sounds like pretty basic stuff. And frankly, it is! But while I'm an artistic person, painting hasn't been a medium through which I've wanted to express myself since elementary school when I was in the Paint Club. I paint my minis because I want personalized armies/fleets/squads when I play wargames like Kill Team, X-Wing, and Armada and because I want more than grey plastic in games that I think *demand* more, such as Rising Sun and Descent. So I feel like while I enjoy painting, I don't love it. I'm not sure I ever will. I love the results, but only like the process. And honestly, if I had the money to just commission all of my minis with whatever paint scheme I wanted, I'd probably just do that. Because painting isn't necessarily how I *want* to spend my time so much as I want to get it done. Painting isn't all downside for me! I like seeing models come along, I like discovering a look I really enjoy, and it's a great way to unwind before going to bed that doesn't involve a screen. But I like being honest with myself about things like this because it helps me maintain perspective.

To that end, though, I do keep chugging along! I have a couple of minis to base, but in the meantime, I've started in on the Oni of Skulls.

Yet another cool mini!

I've got so much more to paint. And even after I've finished painting all of the Rising Sun monsters, there are player minis that I need to consider. They're colored plastic so that each player can identify their own pieces, so I'm not sure I'll go to work on them (especially because there are quite a few of them!). But one step at a time, yeah? In the meantime, having watched Phil's video, I feel a little more energized and motivated to paint. Not because I'm any better at painting than I was yesterday, persay. But I am better than when I first started. And I'll only keep improving. Plus, painting makes me feel more in touch with a hobby I love. Plus plus, I'm satisfied when I complete each mini. Plus plus plus, ain't nobody else painting these minis, so that leaves me. I'm hoping my next painting update comes sooner than this one did! But if it doesn't, that's okay too.