Hello there! Welcome back to Hammer the Backlog, the weekly mini painting, productivity and accountability blog. You join me at almost the midway point of quarter 2 of year for, and for a reflection on motivation versus discipline. You know things are tough when I start getting philosophical.
Let’s get down to business.
SCORECARD
Alrighty then, despite much gnashing and grinding of teeth, another week in the green. All five boys painted, bringing the first unit of orks to completion. At this point I have pretty much exactly equal numbers of boys and space marines from the assault on black reach box painted.
Despite all of the green this week, it was a real struggle. I am finding it very hard to force myself to sit down and paint these goobers. I would say motivation to paint them is at an all time low. Without reading back over four years of the blog, I think this might be my least favourite project? So what do you do when motivation is at an all time low?
Luckily I have the twin pillars of habit and discipline to fall back on. Lookit, I just spend 10 to 20 hours a week with a paintbrush in my hand. Three or four evenings a week, two or three lunch breaks and a chuck of saturday or sunday. So, come hell or high water, something is getting painted. But! For the first time in ages this week, I skipped a painting session and played video games instead. So even habit is not immune to the corruption effects of motivation. It almost felt like a guilty pleasure to break the habit when I just didn’t want to paint the orks.
WHAT IS MORE! It was my birthday this week and my lovely lady wife got me an Arvus Lighter model. I love this thing. I love spaceships so much, and dumbass, blocky utilitarian spaceships even more than that. I am super excited to paint this thing up using more scale modelling techniques rather than wavy metal warhammer techniques. So many possibilities. I might do it up as the lighter that brings my Blackstone Fortress explores from their ships down to the fortress. Or maybe as the lighter from the Owlcat game Rogue Trader. Or a diorama of a couple of desert rats who have converted it into a cosy van life living space in the warhammer universe. Basically, doing anything with it is more exciting than painting 20 year old orks.
So with motivation in the bin, and habit wavering, I fall back on the last pillar. Discipline. Did I want to paint the orks this week? Nope. Did I paint the orks this week? Yup? Why? Because I set a goal and I’m going to stick with it?
“That doesn’t sound like a fun hobby, Mick” I hear you say in your deep and manly voice. I know it doesn’t. But it is. Not everything can be about constant enjoyment, that’s how you get bored. Sometimes, even rewarding things can feel like a slog. I know it will be worth it in the end.
THIS WEEK’S MODELS
So despite all my moaning, I did get the five boys done this week. And I am oddly happier with them than I was with last week’s boys.
I decided to break up the reddish metal weapons by giving some of the gun cases and chainswords black furniture. Is furniture the right word there? Don’t think so. But you know what I mean.
The skin was the same recipe was before, which, in case I didn’t write it down for future Mick, was:
Orruk Flesh
50/50 Ork Flesh/Contrast Medium
Orruk Flesh
Ogryn Camo
Kreig Khaki
With the lips washed with Terradon Turquoise before the first highlight colours. And then some of them got very light glazes of Kislev Flesh to mix up the tones a bit.
They look great as a little mob.
I can’t believe I have to do it all again now for the next mob!
Thanks for reading all of this.
Best eggs!
Hammer the Backlog 
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