Imagine a tabletop where pink orcs battle green-skinned high elves. Where yellow dwarves hold out against hordes of blue-furred ratmen.

This is, of course, a highly exaggerated scenario of what it might be like to be a colour blind (or “colour deficient”, as my optician recently corrected) miniature painter.

I mean, for one, the colours of paints are written on the pots. So it’d be incredibly hard to get things so “wrong”.

I was first diagnosed with colour blindness at an early age, when a test was sprung upon me at primary school. You’ve probably had one yourself. You’re asked to pick out numbers or letters from these discs of coloured dots. It’s rare for me to find one I can spot.

I suppose the early signs were there – I thought grass was red for a brief period of my life. But as a fairly arty kid (I was decent at drawing) this wounded my pride a bit. You don’t want to be known as “bad” at anything when you’re young, so I’d sneakily check the names of colours written on pencils prior to using them. No more red grass and purple skies for me.

I started collecting and painting miniatures at primary school too – though I never gave the colour blindness thing a thought, in relation to it. At least as far as I can remember. As I say, the names of the colours were on the pots. Goblin Green was green for goblins, Sunburst Yellow was ideal for bits I thought should be yellow. And Blood Red was most definitely not for grass.

Then I did what most hobbyist kids do, and take a long break from around the age of 15. A break I never thought was “a break”, more of an “I’ve grown out of that”. But I came back to it all in my mid-30s – again – as many hobbyists do.

It was only then that I started to think about the colour blindness thing. There’s so much content out there aimed at helping folks with their painting, whereas, back in the day, we were limited to segments of White Dwarf once a month.

I became aware of terms like “colour theory”, “colour palettes”, and “the colour wheel”, which enable painters to use colour in an almost scientific way. You don’t need to look far to see the effects of this. The standard of painting out there these days is truly exceptional.

It’d be wrong of me to say that I couldn’t make use of colour theory myself. I simply haven’t read enough into it yet. This is purely because I try to make sure that 90% of my painting improvement time comes through practice, which leaves only 10% for consuming content and tutorials. I might get to it at some point in the future, and only then will I be able to determine whether or not it’s accessible to me.

The thing I struggle with the most in my painting is the classic “you’ve missed a bit” syndrome. This is because, depending on the colours I’m using, a primed area often won’t stand out to me as much as it probably would for most other painters. Likewise, I can make a small mistake and it won’t stand out to me at all, whereas someone else might spot it right away. I’m not complaining about this. Everyone will have their own unique challenges in the hobby, and this just happens to be mines.

I mentioned the usefulness of having paint colours written on the pots. But come to think of it, that isn’t always true of the modern Citadel paints. For example, I briefly used Naggaroth Night on the premise that it was blue (which was a silly mistake on my part, considering I know my Old World lore). It isn’t hard to find out the colours of paints if I’m in any doubt though, so again, I’m not complaining. Just observing.

I regularly publish pictures of my own painting work on this blog. I accept that I’m nowhere near the standard of many other miniature painters out there, not because of any colour deficiency, but because those folks have put a lot more hours of hard work into honing their craft. For me, it isn’t about comparing my painting with anyone else’s. It’s about looking at what I’ve done this month, compared to what I did 6 months ago, and thinking “there’s a definite improvement here”.

I paint miniatures because it’s a cathartic analogue hobby with steep learning curves and a pursuit of mastery. I don’t see colour blindness as a disadvantage because I’ve never known any different. If I only have my own work to compare against, then it can’t hold me back. I might not ever win a Purple Demon award, but I’m having a lot of fun. And surely that’s all that matters?

Next up: 8 Tips to Rekindle Your Miniature Painting Motivation

It’s the internet, and you’re never more than 2 feet away from an “inspirational” quote.

But the fact that most social media feeds are gummed up with images of people in yoga poses with meaningless slogans printed over them, doesn’t mean we can’t draw on some sage wisdom for our own hobby.

With that in mind, here’s my (ever growing) list of quotes that absolutely weren’t about painting miniatures, but at the same time, are totally apt for the craft.

Let’s dive in…

“If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” – David Bowie

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Anton Chekhov

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

“You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.” – Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

“Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.” – Bruce Garrabrandt

“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” – Seneca

“Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.” – Cal Newport, Deep Work

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck … That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.” – Ernest Hemingway

“You set yourself a goal and carry it out – not all at once, but over time. You use your hands or your body to create something.” – Erling Kagge, Silence in the Age of Noise

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

“In the end, mastery involves discovering the most resonant information and integrating it so deeply and fully it disappears and allows us to fly free.” – Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning

Is that you suitably inspired now? Ready to crack on and battle through that pile of shame? Great!

Be sure to bookmark this post. Next time you’re struggling to find the motivation, give it another once-over.

And I’ll be building it out over time with more great quotes as I either remember them, or stumble across them. Hopefully you’ve found it useful in some small way 🙂

The miniature wargaming hobby has more layers than the proverbial onion.

Firstly, there’s the complete diversity of games and storyworlds out there. Some gamers focus exclusively on the historical, attempting to recreate real-life battles in the most authentic way possible.

Miniature wargaming also lends itself to the escapism of fantastical and science fiction universes. Here, the possibilities are endless. From a small group of Space Marines fighting their way through the cramped corridors of an alien-infested spacecraft, to a vast shambling horde of undead closing in on a beleaguered Imperial settlement.

Miniature Wargaming, Minus the Gaming

And yet, the actual “gaming” aspect could still be considered a small piece of the wider miniature wargaming pie.

Some people simply like to collect miniatures. Often, these collectors will be interested in the painting aspect. There are some world-class mini painters out there these days who’ve seldom rolled a dice in their life.

Others like to build terrain. This can range from simple trees and hills, to entire villages and cities. Often, these folks will be creating terrain in order to improve their gaming experience. But in some instances, the purpose may be to construct intricate dioramas and other such works of art.

It’s common for miniature painters to have an interest in converting and “kit bashing” their models too. Some may even choose to become sculptors themselves, and create original pieces from scratch.

A Tactile Hobby

Many have questioned why, in a world of state of the art immersive video games, there are still people who physically push static miniatures around a table.

Ostensibly, it seems like there’s no contest between miniature wargaming and its digital counterpart. Video games are so realistic these days, there’s no real set up or tidy up time needed, and the bar of entry is often as low as a one-off cost to buy a game.

Miniature wargaming on the other hand, requires quite a lot from the hobbyist. The buying and painting of minis, the learning of rules, the arranging of games and getting together somewhere to actually play your game of choice.

And yet, we do it. I think this is because there’s so much satisfaction in the hobby that simply can’t be replicated in a digital form. From manoeuvring that newly painted squad of warriors through those scratch-built ruins, to the direct social experience of you and your opponent playing out an immersive story on the tabletop in front of you.

A video game will spoon feed you every little detail of an experience. A tabletop miniature game on the other hand, is a collaboration between the physical pieces on the table, and your imagination.

Storytelling

That brings me on to the final (but in my view, most important) aspect of miniature wargaming.

The storytelling.

Yes, there are some hobbyists out there who play simply to win games. And if that’s what gives them the most pleasure, then all power to them.

But I think the vast majority of us look for the escapism in the miniature world we’ve physically built in front of us. That tangible sandbox we interact with – each one entirely unique in its own way.

These battlefields are often part of a wider world or universe too. Entire campaigns are created to fight out heroic sagas, either in the custom-built worlds of the gamer, or in popular and iconic settings such as the Warhammer Old World.

The layers and sub-layers of the miniature wargaming hobby are fascinating. Each of us has our own unique background and areas of interest, but what connects us mostly, is that we are storytellers.

Summary: The Miniature Wargaming Hobby

I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern in the hobby since I returned to it last year. And it’s exactly that – folks returning to their childhood passion after a long hiatus.

Of course, there are some out there who stuck with it through their late teens and early 20s. And there are others who didn’t collect or play at all as kids. But it’s very common to hear about people who thought they’d “grown out of it”, only to walk past a Games Workshop one day in their 40s, and… well, you know the rest.

I think this is great, because it shows the hobby stands the test of time, and it doesn’t matter what age you are. It’s also an excellent way to engage with your kids and get them involved in something physically creative. Something that can give them a rare escape from the world of smartphones, tablets, and Playstations.

For more on this, check out:

• Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast
• On Returning to the Tabletop Miniature Hobby
• Top 29 Tips For Beginners Paintings Minis

I’d love to hear about your own experiences and thoughts on the miniature wargaming hobby. Were you one of “the returned” – brought back to life by the great hobby Necromancer? Did you join on in later life? Or have you never been away since picking up your very first mini? Leave a comment in the comments section below, or tweet us to get the discussion going!