Some painters gather in groups and make painting a social event, while some painters actually manage to watch TV or movies while working their brushes. Other responses, however, shed some light on some very cool (if unusual) ideas.

Chad cranks out a few undead.

Chad Mierzwa. At home, I will watch DVDs (or at least listen to them). While at work, I often wear headphones.

Joe Krone. Sometimes I listen to music, but usually I invite my friends to paint and make it a social event, because other people painting motivates me to keep painting as long as they do. I also listen to the director's commentary on several of the movies that I own.

Rick Smith (US Web Team). When I do get some time to paint, I usually like to listen to music or have a bit of background TV buzz. While I'm not that much of a sports fan, I find having a game playing on the TV helps. Just don't ask me who's playing! I find to stay focused, it's best to paint with others. From time to time, Jeremy Vetock would have people over to his house to paint. That's a lot of fun, plus if you need any advice while you're doing your thing, you've got a bunch of people to ask. What's more, Laura (Jerm's wife) is an excellent cook!

Ty Finocchiaro. I try to keep my mind occupied by painting among groups of friends. It's a great social activity and jabberin' about recent events and bands really helps me get stuff done. When no one is around to buddy-up with, then CDs and DVDs do just fine to pass the time. I know bunches of dumb movies by heart, so I don't really have to truly watch them (except for the good parts) as they're on for background noise. Just hearing the whine of Leatherface's chainsaw keeps me company (and painting) until the film's conclusion!

Brian Carlson starts a Land Raider.

Andy Chambers. Drink tea, listen to music (my CD player and tea kettle are pretty much at my elbow).

Eric Sarlin. I have a large collection of video tapes with old sci-fi shows and films. I usually pop in a tape and listen (but not always watch) as I paint.

Gav Thorpe. I don't really do anything at work. When I used to paint at home, I'd drink copious amounts of tea (and always end up washing my brush in it at least once per session) and have evocative music playing in the background.

Jeremy Vetock. When I paint in a group, just goofing around is enough. When I'm by myself, I usually listen to music or, in the summer, I love to listen to baseball games on the radio. In the last few years, however, I have become a huge fan of audio books (I prefer CDs, not tapes, unabridged, not abridged). Believe me, by the time you finish listening to all 36 hours of The Lord of The Rings (brilliantly narrated by Rob Ingles) you will have done some serious painting! Over the winter, I have gone through lots of classics (War of the Worlds & Treasure Island) as well as worked my way through several Harry Potter audio books. These can get quite pricey to buy yourself, but you'll find most public libraries have a decent selection for the low, low price of FREE. I highly recommend it.

Nick Davis. When I paint during the week my wife is normally working out to an exercise tape. So I get to listen to really bad, almost-elevator music and Denise Richards counting out reps. At the same time I normally have my son in the kitchen with me working through some school exercise or practicing his letters.

My weekend painting usually goes on to the background noise of Cartoon Network, and I think I now know every episode of "Ed, Edd & Eddy" just by sound alone.

Nick and his son paint together.

John Stallard. CDs (old hippy stuff) are good. I also admit that my painting room is directly below the TV, which if I turn it up a bit I can paint and still hear the History Channel. That way, I can learn while I paint. I also enjoy audio books – the Patrick O'Brian series is available, and the time just flies. Reading (or listening) and history are also passions of mine and combining them all at the same time is wonderful. I also drink tea while painting, and just like everyone else, I make the classic mistake of cleaning my brushes in my tea cup. It will happen to you, too. I also tend to paint in my boxers, but just leave that out (er...oops - Ed.).

Ken Kennedy. I usually have the TV on in the background. On Wednesdays, I'll have it on network TV, but most other days I throw in DVDs since TV stinks most nights. I usually nurse a glass of wine or beer while I paint. As with darts and pool, I find it reduces the shaking in my hands.