What do you do while you paint? (Just curious!)

Blaznak · Post by **Blaznak** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:57 pm

Hey! So what do you do in the background while you paint? Just play music, run a movie, etc? I know it changes from time to time, but I'm curious what your standard "background noise" is while painting.

Me? Sometimes I have TV or something on, but now I'm doing Facebook games because they usually have a timer or something so I don't have to concentrate: Push the Button (mindless fun), The One Ring (a Tolkien quest thingy), Warstorm (like Magic without thinking).

How about you?

~B~

Playa23 · Post by **Playa23** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:16 pm

I went through the Lord of the Rings Trilogy the other day while painting. Also I had a list of the top fifty horrors and as you can imagine a lot of them were pretty lame so I painted to help them get along. Otherwise yeah, its mostly movies. I like comedy a lot because you don't always have to look at the monitor which is cool but if a really good joke catches me by surprise... then it sucks. Cheers

Meteor · Post by **Meteor** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:41 pm

sunlight. lots of sunlight lol.

It's usually just music at home, because movies will usually get me distracted as I'll end up watching it instead of painting lol. I put movies or shows on when I'm sculpting or hand drilling things because they either don't need much attention or needs waiting, which movies help pass time quicker whilst not dull my mind TOO much lol

Though I prefer to hang out at my local store when I do my hobby, where I can chat with people, receive feedback, ask for suggestions or give some, which usually helps spark some sort of idea as I paint or do other parts of the hobby.

Demetrius · Post by **Demetrius** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:04 pm

I always put music in the background when I paint, helps keep me concentrating lol. Movies dont work for me because as Meteor said, I get distracted and watch the movie instead.

Red... · Post by **Red...** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:06 pm

I'm not, nor ever will be a master painter. I tend to have shows I've watched before running in the background, like 30 Rock, Frasier and even Star Trek! (the latter only when the Mrs isn't home...)

Ument · Post by **Ument** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:08 pm

I turn on TV with: Comedy Central, some information channel and from time to time Discovery.

Lion of flanders · Post by **Lion of flanders** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:29 pm

Music is good, movies that are long on dialog are good. What's really great is (American) Football. This sport is made to paint figures to:

1) Look up for 3-8 seconds to see the play
2) Back to painting for 1-3 minutes
3) Repeat

If you miss anything good (unlikely) they will show you several replays. (Or you just make your own selective replays with a DVR)

By the way (and here's a piece of advice I've been giving out for years): If you want a sure fire way to "have time" to finish all your painting, try this simple trick:

Don't watch TV unless you are painting. Your armies will find themselves completed in no time at all as if by magic.

Red... · Post by **Red...** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:12 pm

Don't watch TV unless you are painting. Your armies will find themselves completed in no time at all as if by magic.

That's actually pretty awesome advice.

Darigaaz · Post by **Darigaaz** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:41 pm

Sit by the window for lots of natural light, and I'll usually put a dvd on like South Park or something similar, the time will fly past.

Myrkrdreki · Post by **Myrkrdreki** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:30 pm

I usually watch movies I more or less know by heart. That way i "watch" without "watching", but still pay attention audibly to the movie.

Lord tsunami · Post by **Lord tsunami** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:07 pm

audiobooks are great. you can buy them for outrageous sums of money in your music store. it is illegal to download them for free online... no matter how outrageous the prices are...

i recommend the wheel of time series, since its the best literature ever written AND its incredibly long, enabling you to paint several armies while listening to it.

Cynath ch'ill · Post by **Cynath ch'ill** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:10 pm

Like many of you, I listen to music or have movies on in the background/ It's nice to have another voice in the room to keep you company.

However, songs can get quite annoying, and I need something more protracted to sink my mind into sometimes.

I'd like to recommend the BBC's radio series "In our time". I think they are free to download, and run for a decent length of time (45 to an hour) and is a very informative radio series that explores a different subject every episode. I've been learning about imaginary numbers and the history of history today. Give it a try, might learn something.

Ekalb · Post by **Ekalb** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:54 pm

I pretty much always listen to the radio and paint from 7 to around 10 am. Its sort of my system at the moment. I guess I should take a half hour and do some working out, but I have a hard time getting into that at the moment! haha

Gailbraithe · Post by **Gailbraithe** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:55 am

Like Lord Tsunami, I'm a big fan of listening to audiobooks. I recently picked up David Weber's 27-disc, 31-hour monstrosity "Shadows of Saganami" and painted tons of Chaos Space Marines while listening to tales of star battles and intergalactic terrorism.

I'm also fond of movies, TV shows and MSNBC. I often have my laptop sitting on the arm of my chair as a staging area for miniatures (which makes reaching the keyboard hard) and watch stuff on Hulu.

And sometimes just plain music. But there's always noise of some sort.

Squanto315 · Post by **Squanto315** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:15 am

I pretty much do the same as everyone else here turn on the tube, listen to the news, watch a movie, pump up the radio or something. Painting in silence is just creepy, I do everything with music or something

Lion of flanders · Post by **Lion of flanders** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:26 am

I'll add that when I'm working at normal, relaxed speed, then it's movies, sports on TV etc. When I'm working at higher, battle speed, then its music only, and when I am working at maximal, stressed out ramming speed, then its utter quiet with every nerve and sinew working in perfect orchestrated silence concentrating on the job at hand.

Post by **Layne** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:50 am

I personally never watch TV at all, and generally while painting I'm just painting and that's all. I get distracted enough just in my own mind, and any electric companions would only add to the difficulty. Besides, to me painting is what distracts me from everything else, and I've no need to be distracted while I'm being distracted.

Blaznak · Post by **Blaznak** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:50 am

Layne wrote:I personally never watch TV at all, and generally while painting I'm just painting and that's all. I get distracted enough just in my own mind, and any electric companions would only add to the difficulty. Besides, to me painting is what distracts me from everything else, and I've no need to be distracted while I'm being distracted.

You've distracted me with your distracted discourse on distractions! Well played... (actually, I'm waiting on banner poles to dry on my Cauldron of Blood)

~B~

Meteor · Post by **Meteor** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:09 am

Layne wrote:I personally never watch TV at all, and generally while painting I'm just painting and that's all. I get distracted enough just in my own mind, and any electric companions would only add to the difficulty. Besides, to me painting is what distracts me from everything else, and I've no need to be distracted while I'm being distracted.

/like

Mr. anderson · Post by **Mr. anderson** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:23 am

I don't even have a TV. There's just nothing on there that I would even slightly consider to watch... Usually when I paint I'm having a break from university work. Usually I listen to music, something that reminds me of a great night out. Movies sometimes work as well, but generally I don't have that long to paint, there's just too much to do.

Sloeberjong · Post by **Sloeberjong** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:39 am

Nowadays I paint in the living room (good thing I live by myself, nobody to bother there

) and then I put up MLB.tv. Baseball is a good "background" sport.

Or if my girlfriend is around she watches tv or reads and we have some music on and have an occasional chat with each other.

Pretty laid back I'd say

Masterofdarkness · Post by **Masterofdarkness** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:45 pm

I tend to marathon a series while I am painting, for example I watched the complete run of south park( I need to do that again) and got my DE army painted. I watched Avatar books one and two and got most of the tyranids nearly completed (including converting and building). Next I need to watch book 3. Or rather listen too it anyway as I sit with the TV to my back so it is a lot harder to drift off

Fr0 · Post by **Fr0** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:59 pm

Chat with my girlfriend, play random playlists on Youtube, or whatever episode list I happen to be tackling at the time. Warhammer Podcasts are my favorite though, the most inspirational. That's usually what I have going on in the background, or some music.

Tomj8937 · Post by **Tomj8937** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:37 pm

I surf the web. Put my computer on, chat with my mates on windows live. glance at the what's new today post if its today's Drink tea, Eat snacks. Just random stuff really

Post by **Calisson** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:35 am

When I start, I just paint, nothing else.
After a while, I realise I could listen to music, so I get some.