Getting into Painting

[TommyGun1522]

I recently moved into a new house with more property and space. That, and the fact that I work a stressful job, has led me down the path to seeking more productive ways of relaxing at home. One way I’m trying to do this is by getting into painting. I made a go of it a year or so ago but I wasn’t happy with the results nor was I trying to enjoy the process. So, that’s the key to my new approach. Enjoy the painting as a hobby in itself, rather than as work to be done to get to more enjoyable. That, combined with the fact that I seem to have gotten better at it, is making this more enjoyable. I thought I’d share my progress and questions along the way.

For my first project, I’m taking on my alma mater and favorite football team, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. They have a relatively simple uniform and I already have a custom board waiting for them. Attached is a picture of their uniforms for reference and the first picture of my progress. I’ve primed and painted skin colors on the offense and gotten the base color done on 4 players. The goal is 11 dark-colored offensive players and 11 light-colored defensive players.

You can see that I’m incorporating the Mean 13 into this team. This will probably be the only team that I do this with. If I ever find a league or get into competitive play, this is the team I’ll want to use, so I like the unique players for it. Anything else I paint will just be for solitaire or people playing at my house so I’ll just stick to the Fab 5.

One question I’m currently debating is uniform numbers and details. I’ve thought about decals but a brief view of Beenut’s tutorial video made it look too complex for my liking. I think I’m going to attempt painting uniform stripes and the helmet logos. But the numbers I don’t know about. I don’t want to paint them, as they’re too big and important a detail for me to want to free-hand. But as others have expressed, the Tudor stickers aren’t great. Their newer white ones seem improved but I’ll want burgundy or maroon for the away uniforms. I bought a sheet of those for my first go and still have them, but Tudor seems to have stopped carrying them. I’m curious if anyone knows of other options or if maybe decals aren’t as bad on the numbers since they’re a little larger.

[nefgm.org]

It really just depends on the level of detail that you want. Decals are not that difficult to apply. Like painting it just takes practice. I highly recommend Beenutt for decals. I am sure any of the decal makers can provide you with just numbers if that is all you want. Like you I mostly paint just for the fun and "stress relief" that it provides. Basically, do whatever makes you happy and provides you the most fun and enjoyment form this game and hobby.   

[TommyGun1522]

Thanks for the feedback. I decided to pull the trigger on some decals from Beenutt. I really like EKU’s helmet logo and I’m pretty confident that I won’t be able to reproduce it myself without being disappointed in the end product. So I’ll try out some decals and see how it goes. 
 

Off-topic, but I’ve really enjoyed your website lately. It’s fun for someone who wasn’t exposed to electric football until the Miggle days in the 90’s to see the history of it. Also, I’m not on Facebook. It’s a bummer that most of the hobby has seemed to move to Facebook, so I appreciate that you’ve provided another platform to enjoy it through.