When y'all say 'painting eyes', I take it you mean the colored pupil and not the whites, right? I've taken to using a stickpin with the very tippy tip filed down a bit, sticking it in the paint so there's a drop, then stabbing the eye straight on. It takes practice, but it gets the job done nicely imho.

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Strengths: Good ideas and use of parts that you would never think of, such as reflector tape, and the idea of making a Scruff McGruff figure.

Weaknesses: I can't always finish a project, Scruff McGruff has no trenchcoat, and I used the wrong clay for his face.

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I think overcompensating for my weaknesses led to some strength development for me.

I used to hate painting. I wanted figures I could use without fear of chipping or feeling tacky, and I lacked the knowledge and skill to make that happen, so I got very good at coming up with creative ways to acheive the effects I wanted without using paint. I guess you could say innovation in the name of laziness/paint-phobia became my strength.

I had a lot of luck finding materials that worked. Be they a special brand of glue that seems to bond all the new-sculpt plastic seamlessly (Helping Hands) or permanent markers that apply evenly and don't wear off like Sharpies (RoseArt brand) or the odd Chap Mei accessory that I could cut up and rework to fit my needs. I got very good at the cut-n-paste method of dressing up a figure in just such a way as to make it look different. I also got very good at parts matching (both for color and proportion) so that just a little bit of permanent marker would tie the pieces together.

Later I learned some painting techniques from folks here on the board and found some new kinds of paint that have actually helped me overcome my fear. And folks tell me my paint applications have gotten better.

Now if only I could figure out how sculpey works...

So you use permanent markers instead of paint, Spin? Got anything laying around that we could see the end results?

I think I can work a dremel pretty well, and I can make just about anything including working parts (opening doors and such). It's finding time or being allowed time to do all the stuff I want to do that's my problem. Being lazy is also an issue. When I do have time, sometimes I just don't want to fool with my ideas and I end up screwing the time away.

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I can get discouraged very easily, even after spending a great deal of time preparing for whatever endeavor I'm thinking of undertaking.

I'm really bummed lately about losing about 13" off of the close-up vision, and it's getting worse. There was a time I could paint parts without any mechanical aids, now I need them.

An eye for detail would be both strength and weakness truthfully.

Like some, I truly hate painting figures, and prefer to find parts and pieces that I can use without needing to paint. If I am forced to paint the head let's say, I don't mind that too much, if the overall figure is done justice.

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