Using Digital tools in an Analogue Hobby
Digital media is invading all aspects of our life. You are reading this on a screen, you always have one in your pocket, some may even have one on your wrist. People wake up in the morning, grab their phone, and don’t stop looking at screens for work and play until they go to bed at night and pop their portable screen back on the bedside charger. We even called out the fact that this hobby is so analogue, so detached from screens and more in the moment, but that's potentially a very simplistic view. So if we look towards the digital space with an open mind, is there anything we can gain from it as hobbyists?
Social Media
Love it, hate it, embrace it or ignore it, Social Media is now embedded in almost all modern media and products we interact with in the world. Some people live their lives on Instagram, whilst others make their living from “influencing” or advertising on it. So, what can social media do for hobbyists looking to do more hobbying and less mindless scrolling? It boils down into 1 word : Inspiration.
If you can fill or partition your social media to contain mostly hobby related items (add @everstromnhobbies on Instagram for some positive content!) then a scroll through social media can act as an inspiration for styles and colors. Seeing what others have done can encourage you to act and get painting, giving you that final push to pull out the hobby tools and get working. Maybe you see a new technique or style that you have been thinking about, or someone working through the same problems that you are. Perhaps they are using a combination of colors you have never seen, or you want to see what Blue goblins and pink Orcs look like - the chances are someone out there has done it and you can see one interpretation of what it looks like.
This can come with downsides though, and it’s worth noting them at this stage. Social media is designed to be addictive, it's designed to suck you in and keep you staring at the screen for as long as possible. Whilst a quick flick through a feed can be inspiring, try to make sure it’s not at the detriment of actually hobbying! The other danger common to social media no matter what you fill your feed with is you are only seeing the highlights of others' work. In a single photo you cannot see the hours of time that went into that single blend, you don’t see the 3 times that model was stripped and repainted, you don’t see the look of pain on the artists face as they hit the post button hoping no one will notice the elements of the paint job they hate but all you see is perfection. Never compare your work and emotions to that which you see on social media (if you can help it).
Digital Coloring
We have talked in a previous blog about the fear of putting paint on a model, of being scared of “ruining” it by getting a color choice wrong, or not selecting contrasting colors or color schemes that pop. Whilst that fear can be gotten over without the use of digital tools, the myriad of modern photo editing software and creative art apps / programs can allow for a “try before you buy” approach.
By taking a photo of the model, importing it into one of the applications such as Photoshop or Procreate, and then digitally coloring in over the top quickly and roughly, it can be easy to get an idea of what the final painted model can look like. Having these on different layers within the application, with different color schemes and choices on each layer, you can quickly switch between them to give an idea of the final model.
This will only be a concept or rough view of what the model will look like - the paints will likely be slightly different hues and saturations, details will look different from multiple angles and it’s probably easier to color more neatly within the lines digitally when you can zoom in or only paint the bits seen is that specific shot. Don’t be disheartened if the physical painting looks different to the digital one, the digital one is a guide and a tool to help make better color choices and decisions on your model. Having a goal in your head of what it looks like, with a color palette and examples of contrast choices, can allow some painters to feel more confident going in and actually get painting that model they had been avoiding.
Learning and Tutorials
A lot of people want to continuously move forward and improve their painting, but improvement can mean a lot of different things, maybe from better brush control, increased speed for the same result or utilizing new techniques or materials. When it comes to the latter, experimentation can get you a large part of the way and should be encouraged, but following a specific tutorial from a creator that you enjoy and admire can really speed up the learning process.
There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of video and text tutorials for specific techniques across YouTube, Skillshare and other sites. They can take you through the basics and then all the way up to the advanced techniques, discussing the paints, brushes, materials and steps needed to achieve the same results as they get (or at least that's the idea - never assume the first time you do something you can get the same result as someone who has been doing it for years!)
Speaking of results, it’s also possible to ignore the tutorials and just use the digital resources to get a picture of the final result. If you know what you are aiming for, it’s a lot easier to formulate a plan of how to get there!
Sharing your Work
This hobby can be an isolated one, especially if you are focusing on the designing, building and painting elements more than the social aspect of gaming and playing with others. Digital tools such as a website, portfolio or online forums can be great places to share your paint jobs, ask your questions and generally engage with others about the hobby. You are likely going to be able to reach more people around the globe and have a greater level of interaction online than you are with the limited number of people in the local area or in your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store).
I myself started this website initially as a way to share with the wider community my hobby activities and thoughts, something I cannot do within the local area around me due to time, space and availability limitations.
Many people turn to social media for all of these reasons above (using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc.), but as we have already mentioned, it’s important to recognise the potential dangers to your mental health of these tools and take the appropriate precautionary steps. Similarly, if you are using social media to connect with others in the same hobby, make sure you do it in a positive and gently constructive manner.
Concluding Thoughts
Like any tools in a toolbox, there is a right time and a right place - If all you have is a hammer, suddenly every job looks like a nail. If all you have ever known is the analogue world, the concept of turning to a digital platform can seem alien and bizarre. On the flip side, the thought of not using the digital world to those that have known nothing but a digital lifestyle can seem archaic, in-efficient and wasted potential. Ultimately you need to decide what you want out of the hobby and ensure that the blend between digital and analogue can help you get to that goal state. Just make sure you don’t try and force your goal state onto anyone else within the hobby, what works for you may not work for everyone.
