My First Miniature Painting Competition: A Stroke-by-Stroke Hobby Report

Despite having painted miniatures on and off for over thirty years, it’s only relatively recently that I’ve started to really enjoy it for its own sake. Previously, I’d always thought of it as a means to an end—achieving a more aesthetically pleasing wargaming experience. It frequently made painting feel like an obligation, particularly when churning out dozens of basically the same guy for larger games.

Over the past couple of years, my attitude has slowly changed, mostly thanks to adding some good army painting techniques to my toolbox. Prioritising the collective impact on the tabletop and learning to use methods and materials with that goal in mind has really clicked with me. Somewhat ironically, it’s allowed me to enjoy the process more when I do slow down to paint individual figures. I’d even reached a point where I was considering entering some sort of competition, something to cross off my tabletop gaming bucket list.