Best Uselesswizard Podcasts (2025)

1
An Artist's Tease of "The Art of..." Kickstarter Vol 4 - 6 -- Chris Suhre 31:41

Play Pause

3+ y ago31:41

31:41

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! In this episode, our interview is with return guest Chris Suhre. We discussed his part in the upcoming "The Art of..." Volumes 4-6 Kickstarter by Dave Taylor. Chris is one of three artists in this Kickstarter along side Tommie Soule and Seyni N'Daive. During our interview, Chris and I talk about what k…

1
My Worst Failure Was My Greatest Triumph -- Mocha Minis 1:10:22

4y ago1:10:22

1:10:22

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Mocha shares how she started painting miniatures and the importance of smooth blends on every mini she paints. We also discuss the struggles she's had with feeling like she is ready to tackle more complex pieces. How does anyone know when they're ready to paint one of their dream miniatures, or should …

1
Painting Competitions are Subjective, Make Them Showcases Instead -- Kris Belleau 2:03:37

4y ago2:03:37

2:03:37

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Kris has been in this hobby since the late 1980s thanks to some of his older cousins and the first edition of Space Hulk. Ever since that first game, he's been painting and hobbing almost exclusively with Warhammer miniatures and games. Kris ended up working for Miniwargaing during the 2010s as the pai…

1
Paint 15 Minutes a Day Instead of 8 Hours on Saturday -- Shoshie Bauer 1:07:46

4y ago1:07:46

1:07:46

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Shoshie is a professional miniature commission painter, painting teacher at conventions, and private painting coach. She switched from painting watercolors to dedicating herself to miniature painting as a profession after finding that her beautiful miniatures sold for more than the watercolors were. Sh…

1
Failure is Essential and My Biggest Motivator -- Drew "Thunderdomedru" 2:12:55

4y ago2:12:55

2:12:55

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Dru's path in miniature painting has been a rough one. He has faced many challenges on the road including a daughter fighting leukemia. Each of these challanges has formed the way he looks at his art and his artistic mindset and Dry freely shares what drives and inspires him to keep painting. We talk a…

1
If You're Not Having Fun, Something Needs to Change -- Zambies 1:05:42

4y ago1:05:42

1:05:42

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Zambies' entry into the miniature painting hobby is one I've never heard of before. She had always been creating art growing up, and she went to school to become a graphic designer. She didn't discover miniatures until she checked out a friend's Twitch channel who happened to be sharing a miniature pai…

1
Painting in a Style You Enjoy is the Most Important Thing -- Mike Cousins of Epicduck Studios 1:58:39

4y ago1:58:39

1:58:39

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Mike and I sit down to talk about his career in miniature painting so far, and I was surprised to hear that Mike was a web developer for Miniwargaming and that was how he started painting miniatures. Mike shares how that started him down the path of starting his own studio and developing his own style …

1
Art is for expression and sharing yourself -- Captain Maddlove 2:21:15

4+ y ago2:21:15

2:21:15

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! The Captian shares her background in a variety of art forms and the life events that brought her to the miniature painting hobby. While members of her family were involved in gaming, she has never been. Painting miniatures have always been a source of artistic expression tightly bound into family and c…

1
You must fail to grow, so go fail a lot -- Jason Craze 1:29:19

4+ y ago1:29:19

1:29:19

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Jason the owner of Monument Hobbies, and a fantastic miniature painter, and I talk about what got him started into art in general, and what brought him down the path of miniature painting. He shares his perspective on miniature painting and what it takes to improve. If you want to improve, you absolute…

1
Don't be the Best Miniature Painter You Know -- Kevin Fannin 54:20

4+ y ago54:20

54:20

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Kevin and I talk about what got him started in miniature painting, how he began to grow as a painter, and what he did when he discovered groups of other miniature painters on Facebook. Being a big fish in a small pond is something that many of us have gone through, and how Kevin dealt with it is a fant…

1
A Heartfelt Apology and A Request 1:50

4+ y ago1:50

1:50

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! I wanted to apologize for not getting the latest episode out in time for Friday morning. I have no excuse and I take full ownership of my failure. I am going to be completing the episode over the weekend and releasing it on Monday morning. This late release will not delay the next episode release on th…

1
Scale Doesn't Always Matter, It Can Work -- Chris Suhre 59:22

4+ y ago59:22

59:22

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Chris started playing Warmachine and Hordes with his friends as a way of relaxing during his medical residency. As his medical and social responsibilities grew, he had less time to play against his friends. He wanted to be able to maintain contact with them and the hobby, so he started focusing on pain…

1
Step Back and Let the Project Rest For a Bit -- Cathy Wappel 1:33:49

4+ y ago1:33:49

1:33:49

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Cathy tells us how she and James started to paint miniatures and how that has been a central element to their relationship and their friend groups. Cathy is the mind and heart behind Fort Wappel, a painting area you can find at almost every Reapercon and Adepticon where painters of all skill levels can…

1
You Don't Have to Finish Every Miniature -- Berserkerworks 1:37:00

4+ y ago1:37:00

1:37:00

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Berserkerworks and I start off talking about what got him into painting miniatures and streaming on Twitch. He has plans to enter the next Golden Daemon painting contest and we talk about what inspires him to try painting to that level. He also talks about how he plans to use his love for building terr…

1
Lasers and Making Terrain That Makes the Game Better -- Austin of Death Ray Designs 1:28:35

4+ y ago1:28:35

1:28:35

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! This is an extremely interesting dive into the minds and passions behind one of the best MDF terrain companies in the industry. Austin tells how we started working on building and selling small house and model kits at a very young age. His love of building and crafting led him to work with Miniwargamin…

1
If Someone Says it Can't Be Done, Prove Them Wrong Ten Times Over -- James Wappel 1:24:59

4+ y ago1:24:59

1:24:59

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! James shares the beginnings of his journey in miniatures painting, from a career in painting canvases to transitioning to painting minis. We then talked about the thought processes of getting into painting miniatures with oils and what that says about James' perspective on experimentation and new paint…

1
Massive New Hobby Classes at Las Vegas Open 2022 -- Seth Amsden 1:09:27

4+ y ago1:09:27

1:09:27

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Seth and I talk about how he became involved with the Las Vegas Open, and his vision for what the hobby events and programming of his dreams look like. We also talk about the new Master Classes that are available for the first time at LVO 2022. These are weekend-long classes with a specific painter who…

1
Be Picky When Choosing What to Paint -- Synjinn Scott 1:32:58

4+ y ago1:32:58

1:32:58

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Synjinn and I start out this interview by talking about getting into miniature painting after his first child was born and what encouraged him to pursue higher-level painting. One of Synjinn's eureka moments led to the importance of keeping your worst model intact as a reminder of how far you've come. …

1
Sometimes Realism Doesn't Look As Good -- Sam Lenz 55:31

4+ y ago55:31

55:31

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Sam shares how he got started in miniature painting and the artists who have influenced his style and sense of composition and color, both in miniatures and the rest of his art. The works of people like Frazetta and Blanch and how they approach color and dimension are often far more compelling and visu…

1
This is All My Wife's Fault and She's Amazing -- Reiner72 56:44

4+ y ago56:44

56:44

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Renier72 and I talk about how he got started painting wargame miniatures and how much of an influence his wife had on him being able to start painting and what an incredible partner she has been in his painting development. He also discusses some of the digital tools he uses to assist in planning paint…

1
Visiting the Museum Turned into Orks -- PaintingToScale 52:55

4+ y ago52:55

52:55

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Ricki tells us how she became interested in painting miniatures from a museum exhibit which lead to her diving into the miniature painting hobby. She started off with some orks from Warhammer and quickly expanded the range of miniatures she painted. We also talk about how she overcomes her hesitancy to…

1
Free Yourself from Paint Names and Brands -- Nessie Knows 1:17:39

4+ y ago1:17:39

1:17:39

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Nestor "Nessie Knows" discusses the artists and miniature painters to who he looks for inspiration and advice when working on his own wargame miniatures and armies. We also discuss how various art styles from comics to posters, etc have had an influence on the colors and shading styles in Nessie's pain…

1
Miniature Painting is Unlike Any Other Art -- Mike Disney 1:04:23

4+ y ago1:04:23

1:04:23

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Mike tells us about his grandfather's influence on him becoming involved with miniatures for Dungeons and Dragons and later Warhammer miniatures. We also talk about how early Youtubers like AwesomePaintJob affected his miniature painting progression when he didn't know anyone else who was into the mini…

1
Sitting and Pondering is a Good Use of Hobby Time -- Mars of Mats by Mars 59:01

4+ y ago59:01

59:01

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Sitting and Pondering is a Good Use of Hobby Time -- Mars of Mats by Mars Season 02 Episode 11 Mars and I discuss how he started his wargaming play mat business Mats by Mars out of frustrations with how long it takes to setup and start games like Malifaux, and how the business grew to the point their m…

1
Don't Paint to Your Highest Level Every Time -- MalevFlowShinobi 1:40:07

4+ y ago1:40:07

1:40:07

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Malev and I talk about the early days of getting into miniatures and painting. He shares thoughts on how niche of a hobby and interest this is. We also talk about how he continues to push his abilities, and how much the knowledge his work is going to appear in an official source dominates how he approa…

1
Miniatures that Tell a Story Fuel Your Motivation -- Justin of AMP Services 1:33:52

5y ago1:33:52

1:33:52

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Justin talks about the full-time commission work, why he ultimately had to stop after six years of full-time commission painting, and what he learned from the experience. We also talk about how Justin uses telling the miniature's story as motivation to finish the project, uses the miniature's story to …

1
Sometimes You Gotta Paint Where the Sun Don't Shine -- Chris of Key Lime Prime 1:08:06

5y ago1:08:06

1:08:06

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Chris talks about subassemblies, painting areas that will never be seen, and what an airbrushed effect should look like once finished. We also talk about streaming miniature painting, the pressure to provide entertainment 100% of the time for an audience, and choosing a miniature to paint on stream nex…

1
Sports Teams Are a Surprising Source of Color Schemes -- Gamerdadnc 41:55

5y ago41:55

41:55

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Gamerdadnc and I chat about choosing color schemes for armies and warbands, how moving away from using a single brand of hobby paint to using multiple brands and artist paints has influenced his decision-making process and how he had to think about his color choices now. - https://www.twitch.tv/gamerda…

1
Habits that Help Process Your Thoughts Open the Door to Inspiration -- Dani of EenieMinis 40:18

5y ago40:18

40:18

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Dani and I talk about how she got started painting miniatures, why she pushes herself to improve, and what she does to help her process how own thoughts and emotions in a constructive and creative manner. We also discuss the influence of music and color as inspiration to her painting. She has a backgro…

1
A Painting Mentor Drives You Farther and Faster -- Devonian Maher 1:33:14

5y ago1:33:14

1:33:14

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Devonian and I talk about how impactful and important taking hobby classes and finding painting mentors have been to his development as a painter. Devonian also talks about his struggles with going back to finish projects he lost interest in, and why he keeps some miniatures as a reminder of how far he…

1
Don't Be Afraid to Re-Prime and Try Again. You'll do Better This Time -- Ben Kantor 1:17:47

5y ago1:17:47

1:17:47

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Ben discusses why he started to sculpt his own miniatures, how this has allowed him to produce some of his favorite pieces, and why he sees competition painting to be something worth doing even when you don't have a shot at placing. We also chat about how he records his painting progress in a painting …

1
Study the Work of People You Admire and be Vulnerable with Yourself -- Anthony Rodriguez 1:51:51

5y ago1:51:51

1:51:51

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Anthony and I talk about what lead to his passion for miniature painting, how he approaches learning and teaching himself to improve his painting, and what led him to spend several months traveling Europe to learn miniature painting from some of the best painters in the world. Links of Note: The Last L…

1
Interviewers Interviewing Interviewers -- Hobby Time in the Murder Basement 1:17:54

5y ago1:17:54

1:17:54

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Heath interviews Ryan on his own podcast Hobby Time in the Murder Basement. We talk about twitch, discoverability, audience growth, youtube, and being a part-time content creator. It's a bunch of topics we don't get to talk a lot about and it was really enjoyable to compare how we both approach content…

1
Learning About Grunge Painting in the Murder Basement -- Heath Aldridge 1:07:55

5y ago1:07:55

1:07:55

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Heath and I have a chat about how he approaches miniatures painting and his decision to lean into what he calls "grunge painting" using texture, hints of impressionism, and most importantly time management to ensure his hobby time is spent well and he has fun. Because what's the point if you're miserab…

1
Dawn of War Was a Gateway Drug -- Anthony of Sovereign Miniature Studio 58:50

5y ago58:50

58:50

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Our talk with Anthony winds through how he started getting into Warhamer 40k via the Dawn of War PC game, what led him to pushing his painting abilities to higher levels, to teaching at conventions and entering as many painting competitions as possible. - https://www.twitch.tv/sovereignminiaturestudio …

1
Study Art of All Kinds to Improve Your Own -- Clint of Snickernack Studios 1:31:57

5y ago1:31:57

1:31:57

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Clint starting painting miniature while in the military where he and his buddies started to play Warhammer 40k. Clint talks about his process of improving his painting and embracing the study of miniature painting from the perspective of more traditional art resources. We also discuss the difficulties …

1
Miniatures and People of All Ages -- Grey Paladin Art 1:00:40

5y ago1:00:40

1:00:40

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Ryan talks about our mutual miniature buying addition. We share thoughts on our first miniatures, collecting Rogue Trader era space marines, and the wide range of ages that wargames and miniature seem to attract. We also talk about the effort it takes to learn a new technique compared to the effort it …

1
Friendship is My Biggest Win -- Jon Ninas 1:15:07

5y ago1:15:07

1:15:07

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Jon takes us along his journey of starting to paint miniatures, how he decided to really push himself on every paint job that he finishes and how that has catapaulted his level of skill forward, why his greatest win so far is friendship, his dreams for how the miniature painting community will grow and…

1
Don't Just Let Muscle Memory Take Over, Be Conscious -- Seth Amsden 1:28:20

5y ago1:28:20

1:28:20

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Seth takes us deep into his creative mind, explaining how he comes up with a concept for a project that ignites his creativity, the way he thinks about time in relation to how the materials in his dioramas would have naturally decayed or settled to give them a feeling of actual age. We discuss the impo…

1
The Best Feedback is from Honest People You Trust -- Yeji of Snickernack Studios 45:42

5y ago45:42

45:42

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Yeji recounts how she entered the world of miniature painting becasue she was too competitive and rules lawyer-ish to play miniature games so she switched to painting. We also discusses the frustration of seeking honest feedback on social media, and how she's developed a small circle of fellow painters…

1
You Can Paint Anything With An Airbrush -- Caleb Wissenback 1:18:32

5y ago1:18:32

1:18:32

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Caleb takes us through his beginning years as a miniature painter, how he became involved with the WCG's Draconic Awards which led to his beginning to teach classes at conventions, and how he and Kat founded CK Studios and began teaching in-person classes all over the world. We also discuss the challen…

1
The Finished Project Isn't the Point -- Sean McAfee "Brushforhire" 1:05:04

5y ago1:05:04

1:05:04

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Sean Tells us how he started painting miniatures, how he amassed a u-haul truck's worth of backlog (yes, an actual u-haul truck), how he discovered the journey of painting and creating is by far the most important part for him, and that nature is full of beautifully composed color combinations that wor…

1
Jump into the Deep End -- Jose Castillo of Splendiferous Minis 1:09:49

5y ago1:09:49

1:09:49

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Jose takes us through how he started painting miniatures when he worked at a bar, how he took skills from the world of 2d painting and applied them to miniatures, and how he sought out skill miniature painters to learn from. His whole attitude towards painting is to jump into the deep end, find people …

1
Understanding Light is Essential to Improving -- Matt DiPietro of Contrast Miniatures 1:35:42

5y ago1:35:42

1:35:42

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Matt talks about how he started painting miniatures and grew into being a studio painter for Privateer Press, starting his own business Contrast Miniatures, the importance of considering light when painting miniatures both for entire armies and single figures, and the wonderful world-wide community tha…

1
Trust Your Gut and Learn -- Brandon of Orcryst Gaming 57:59

5y ago57:59

57:59

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Brandon discusses how he began painting miniatures, how he started to stream painting miniatures on Twitch, how he figured out replicating the results of others using his own approach, and how being fearless in painting has impacted his ability to embrace challenging projects with confidence. - https:/…

1
What Do You Want To Be Known For? -- Scott the Miniature Maniac 42:22

5y ago42:22

42:22

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Scott takes us down memory lane as he explains how he got started in miniature painting, what drove him to want to become a better painter, and how his longest commission took over seven years to complete. We also discuss his creative process, what he wants to be known for, and how he stays sane with a…

1
Build a Visual Library for Your Projects -- Lyn Stahl of MetalheadMinis 54:20

5y ago54:20

54:20

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Lyn takes us through her journey from its birth in the heart of a winter storm, to collecting cards and reference books that inspire her color choices, how she maintains motivation to paint every single day, how she began to teach others at conventions, and to managing Kickstarters and heading the mini…

1
Prepping the Project is Make or Break -- Niel Duffey "ImpendingDuff" 1:40:30

5y ago1:40:30

1:40:30

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Neil takes us through how he got back into miniature painting after a super long break and ended up being a full-time professional miniature painter teaching classes at multiple conventions, all while being a stay-at-home dad. We also discuss how his drive to make each miniature be better than the one …

1
The Ability to Quit Leads to Better Success -- Joe of Orthober Studio 1:10:20

5y ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! OrthoberStudio tells us about his journey of deciding to learn to paint to a competition level, how he sought out Sam Lenz as a teacher, how he began to produce wood plinths, the unconquerable mindset he's developed over these last couple of years, and the importance of recognizing when a project isn't…

1
Be More Creative By Planning More -- Fausto Palumbo 1:15:36

5y ago1:15:36

1:15:36

Have questions or feedback? Send us a message! Fausto takes us through how he came to found his company Abyssoul to support a friend with cancer; how he approaches planning his miniature projects; how essential researching, sketching, and gathering ideas is to his process; how miniature painting could possibly be used as art, and how much energy an…