Do We Collect too many Paints
Do We Collect too many Paints
Recently because of the Covid situation, I decided to bring all the paints from the CGN studio home. Admittedly this is a combination of both Josh and I's paints. However, I was still shocked at just how many bottles of paint we have. On top of the stash in the studio we each also have a separate collection of paint at home. This aggregation of color got me thinking, do I have too many paints?
Based off of the collections of paint I am familiar mostly photos on Facebook and my friends collections, I am not alone in having a large number of paints. On top of the number of paints we have, we also have a complex system for accessing and storing them. I personally use the Hobby Zone system, the Games Workshop master paint collection box, and three cardboard boxes hidden under my desk. Our hobby is fundamentally tied to whatever drives us to collect. We amass not only models but all the ancillary products associated with them. Dice, Rulers, gaming mats, paints, Adepticon commemorative coins. This leads me to ask are we getting taken advantage of by sellers? Is having too many paints actually hurting our ability to hobby? I think part of our desire to collect so many paints fall into three major categories.
The first being our desire to optimize our workflow for faster painting and better-looking models. Being able to quickly pick a base color, a layer color, your highlight colors, wash and dry brush color and know they are going to look nice with each other right off your shelf without mixing feels like a good time saving strategy. It also makes it easy for you go back to those colors a day or a week later to work on the next 274 space marines you need to paint in the same scheme.
The second is our desire to express our individuality. Whether consciously or unconsciously when we paint our models, we are expressing ourselves, we are making choices that represent who we are and what we like. Having a huge array of colors and brands to buy from allows us to have this expression uniquely while being able to share that choice using a common vocabulary.
“Hey, I really like the blue of your Ultra marines how did you do that?”
“Oh thanks, I used Minitaire Airbrush Lagoon Blue but applied with a brush.”
In the end this generates a stronger community.
Lastly the desire for the new and shiny. I have a strong urge to collect new modes along with the new paints they come with. With the exception of Game Workshops contrast paint that for many people really did give a new technique, buying the specialized new colors that come along with a new army is always a nice touch to my shopping cart. In the end, yes, with a simple collection of primary colors and few additives like acrylic flow release, some paint medium and a dash of pearlescent powder you could probably make and paint every color, wash or metal you ever wanted. It would also cost you a lot less money and save on hobby space. Like everything else in our hobby vigilance in not overspending and over constant struggle. So long as you keep your purchases in check and you space clean, I don’t think collect paints is actually a problem in fact I think it makes for a stronger community experience.
These are some things I do to keep my paint hoarding in check.
1: I go through and throw away old paint I am not using and that is boarder line to dry. I know I can save it, but do I really need to save that half used bottle of goblin green from 2006 probably not.
2: I do not try and keep all of my paints on my hobby desk all the time. I have as many paints as I can comfortably organize and reach, and the rest are put away.
3: Lastly, I try and cycle my paints. I go through my unused paints and make using them a priority. I put away my go to colors to encourage me trying new colors. Remember if you are using them then it is not a hoard.
