There, I said it. I don't think any veteran painter can honestly say they've never felt the mid-project slump. Even in today's game where it's possible to build a 2000 point force with well under 50 models, it's still 50 repetitions on a theme. God help you if you play swarm infantry. It's almost too much to even consider building such an army...
almost.
There are ways to combat the half-an-army-to-go blues. Having finished 5 armies now (The Howling Griffons will make 6) I have a couple tricks I've picked up along the way. Here's one of my most effective strategies:
BATCH PAINT
If you've got fifty guys to paint, paint fifty boots, fifty pants, fifty shirts, etc. Paint them stage by stage, all at once. Why subject yourself to what seems like torture? Numbered list activate!
1. Sanity
Yes, batch painting seems like out of the frying pan and into the fire, and in some ways it is. It's ripping the band aid off rather than trying to peel it back just a little bit at a time; just get it over with.Speaking of getting it over with, batch painting can actually provide a huge psychological benefit when you look out over your work and see all your models with colors on them instead of just a few really well done guys keeping company with grey plastics. This is all about maximum return on your investment, in this case one half sanity...
2. Time
...and one half time. Batch painting takes far less time than painting the models individually, even when you need to break off and finish each model individually. Not having to pause to clean the brush, find the next color, and start in on a new section saves an enormous amount of time. But it gets even better; after painting the same model so many times, you actually become faster and more accurate. Your muscle memory adjusts to the angles and curves of the sculpt; what took you 45 seconds the first time now can easily be accomplished in 20.
3. Money
I remember reading an article that claimed per measurement of volume, printer ink was among the most expensive substances commercially available, far in excess of even the most valued wines. Of course, we don't really think about that when we're replacing a cartridge; we're buying a tiny amount with a large break in between purchases...sound familiar?
Citadel paints are great, but at over $3 a pot, it is wise to conserve paint as much as possible. Every time you switch colors, you're losing some paint in the process. Minimize the amount of paint you waste, you don't need to replace the color as often, you have more money, and that's a very good thing.
4. Consistency
I clearly remember when working on my Chaos Warriors of Nurgle, I managed to royally screw up my paint job when I mixed up the capes I was working on and couldn't remember how I had achieved the original colors. This mistake ate up a good two or three hours, and caused a massive headache. The source of the problem was that I had stopped mid-project and had completely forgotten how to reproduce the colors. Had I been batch painting, I could have walked away for a year and everything would have been fine, since there were no models to match up.Even if you're painting something that is blatantly simple, there are plenty of subtle influences to your colors: how much water you have mixed into the paint that day, the humidity/temperature of the room, and even what brush you're using. You're committing yourself to an act of extreme repetition, you deserve to have it come out unified and consistant.
