Wednesday, September 21, 2022

reflections on the 100 effort

 And here we are again.  Prepare thyself for text.  Lots of text.  


I've been absent form the internets for the last couple weeks or so due to working my ass off.  Having grown frustrated at being broke all the time I went to that place that broke people should go: to work
I've been doing a lot of on call shifts which is basically the way someone in my job does over time.  It can be nice because you get paid just for being on call and then if they call you in then you get more extra monies.  The plan has worked too well as I've been called in a LOT in the past weeks.  On the positive side the extra money is welcomed (and kinda the whole point)  and I've barely seen my family.  My children become adorable when you don't see them for very long.   On the negative side I've had little-to-no time for miniatures.   



I've Been Thinking (a Dangerous Pastime)


I've been thinking about painting, mostly while driving.  My dislike for painting is well documented on the internet, which I of course ham up for entertainment purposes.  My own entertainment really, not sure about anyone else. 


I found that focusing on the dark ages miniatures exclusively until the goal of 100 miniatures was reached to be a real boon in getting that collection to the playable state that I wanted it to be.  But it did take a long time to do (8 months).  Out of curiosity I did a post on TMP asking how long it would take those unwashed masses to paint a 100 figures.  You can see the post here: Linkity if inclined.

To invite comparison is to invite misery.  Most people responded that it would take them just 2ish months to paint 100 miniatures.  Man that makes me look slow.  Course, Who knows how representative that sample actually is.  Whenever you post on the internet that you did something cool in X amount of time, I think it naturally selects responses from folks who did it in X-n.  I'm a little suspect though, because one doesn't see a ton of folks out there with huge armies in enormous mass battles.  It's out there, but it's not the norm.  What I do see are people playing medium sized games and talking about how they got a lot of unpainted lead and too many projects on the go.  

Obviously there's no right or wrong way to do anything in this silly hobby, it's a HOBBY after all and supposed to be fun.   And it's a stupid thing to try to tell someone else how to do a hobby.  But it's a smart thing to think about my own hobby and what I really want from it.  Self reflection is very interesting to read (NOT!).   But maybe if someone is in the same situation they might find some pearls of wisdom.  

My goal of painting anything is to have it painted.  I like playing with painted armies; it's the end result that matters and not the process.  Just like going to the gym; I like having the sculpted abs and not doing the crunches.  If I ever went to the gym that is.  A better analogy for myself is that I like to eat my bacon and melted cheese sandwich but not make it.  I balance the plate on my tummy while I watch TV. 

I've described my painting / hobby time before; in that I'm basically only able to get any painting done late at night after the kids and wife have gone to bed and some chores are done.  The wife might not be asleep but she's 'retired for the evening.'  It's a big affair when she retires, we have to light candles and dim the lights while she ascends the stairs in a night gown and I play an organ solemnly. 

So painting time is limited till between the hours of 9:00ish till around 10:30ish PM.  I like to hit the hay around 1100 since most days I'm up at early.  Either due to work or the children because kids never sleep in.  Damn youth and their zest for life. 

How to put that time to best use is the question of the day.  Because I actually want to get things done. Most gamers that I know have several projects on the go at once, and while they do a lot (or not) no one project/genre moves forward very much.  Everything is starts and stops.  I've always limited my number of projects being worked on at once to 2.  Called the rule of 2.  What a project is can be anything, 1 project could be a regiment of ACW infantry and the other 2 Ships of the line.  The idea that when I say down at the hobby desk I could do either of those projects but wouldn't start another till one was done.  This works fine.  Yet the projects are often disconnected from one another.  The ACW regiment when done would be swapped out for some LOTR Orcs; when the ships were done it was swapped out for terrain piece, and when the next project in would be AWI and so on.  

Painting the 100 dark ages miniatures was started on a lark, just a goal I set to get out of some hobby slows.  It's probably the first time where I worked on a specific genre for months on end.  It's also the first time I ever kept track of how many miniatures I was painting.  

The more I think about it, the more I like that process.  Setting a large goal (naturally being broken down into smaller ones) and keep at it until it's done.  It provided a real sense of progress and completion for me; which is important for my own mental health as I've really just plateaued in life.   

So I'm gonna try it out for awhile.  Pic a genre, set a goal that gets it to the next game-able state, and focus on that.  Not  focusing so much on the number of figures but what the state of play is: A small skirmish can be moved to large skirmish; a large skirmish to a mass battle, a genre not playable at all because not enough has been painted moved to a playable state.  

It'll be an experiment with very low stakes because nothing important will be affected and who cares.  You all will get the watch / read about it and I'll get back to you.  Gotta blog about something after all. 


 What's Next? Same Ol' Same Ol'


"What do I want to paint next?" is the wrong question.  The answer is nothing, I hate painting.**  Why can't I just have a bunch of wargaming buddies with big armies and terrain of their own that host games whenever I want in whatever genre I want so I can just show up play?  And While I'm imagining things why not also have strippers and strobe lights; but the stripper costumes would have a matching theme to the game being played.  

A better question would be "what to game next?"  Dark Ages will dominate games for the rest of the year with the big finale in November when I host several convention games.  he Dark Ages have  gotten a lot of love lately; but I had still had 4 of the big battle bases left over so I thought... what the hell?  Finish the job. 


Mass production mode.
4 Bases and the miniatures to go on them.

the last 4 big battle bases will make each army of Vikings and Saxons 24 bases strong.  These don't have to be done till November so I'm just doing everything at once.  

Edit: forgot to add teh actual paint goal.  which is 10 Thegns, 10 ceorls, 10 bondi and 8 skirmishersand 4 movement trays by Veterans day weekend in November.  Crunch time!


Some other odds and ends:


2 more priests to help out Saxon morale.
The one on the left is super fancy.



Shieldwall markers

Its helpful to mark which units are in shieldwall.  The 10 on the left I made YEARS ago and used LMBS transfers.  The 18 on the right (with 2 shields) I made recently but was out of shield transfers so I painted those by hand.  I think 3 of the 36 came out alright.  I ordered more transfers.  No one looks too hard at markers anyway.



Painted up a mess of casualty figures to use as markers
to help remember which side is winning or losing a fight.

These painted up pretty quick as I only had to paint half the miniature.


Deep Thoughts and Leaving


Thanks for taking the time to read these deep and useless thoughts about painting miniatures.  Hopefully not a complete waste of time for you.  It's in no way to try and convince anyone that what they are doing is wrong; I'm not convinced myself one way or ta other; its just some hobby talk about the painting side of our silly hobby.  Here are some other deep and useless thoughts:

Sand is called Sand because it's in-between the sea and the land.

We have fingers and toes; Our fingers have fingertips but our toes don't have toetips but people can walk tiptoe.  


Thanks for reading.
Double thanks for writing a comment.
Till next time.


**for the record; I do like painting.  I like the sense of free time, of doing what I want to do over what I should do.  I like that I'm not just wasting time watching TV.   I like the creativity, I like the process, the time spent by myself, and the relaxation.  But what I really like is when a genre that I've painted hits the table, and everyone oohhs and awwws and applauds.  OK, no one applauds.  

56 comments:

  1. Good stuff! Does this qualify as a rant? Perhaps. How long does it take me to paint 100 figures? About one month but times have been tough and painting has slowed. I painted 97 in August and September may hit 90 so painting is creeping back to average. Output is always better during the cooler months.

    If you want a gaming buddy havig a place to play, lots of troops and terrain, hop on a plane! I am on the West Coast.

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    1. Thanks JF. I don’t think it’s a rant. A think piece / mission statement maybe. Rants usually have a *tone* of being annoyed and I’m not. 😀

      You with your exceedingly high painting output don’t need to prioritize.

      And if I could just hop on a plane for a gaming weekend; I would. 😀

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  2. Interesting thoughts Stewart, personally I enjoy painting, the concentration helps not think about the pain, so if I could I'd paint all day every day, but that's not an option ! LOL
    I think whatever way works for you as motivation to get projects done, has to be a good thing, I know some people like challenges, to help the motivation, which is why I run 3 each year, and take part in several others as I like the commandry you get from them.
    I always have way too many projects on the go, but this year have tried to focus on getting projects finished, and getting a fair way through it, which means next year I should be able to concentrate completely on my Star Wars project ! LOL

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    1. Thanks Dave. The hard part for me with challenges is that I’m usually in the middle of something already and don’t want to loose the momentum.
      If I have too many projects going on I feel disorganized and lost. I need structure; I’m like a child that way. 😀
      Hope the bit about pain is not too bad.

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  3. Interesting post! Did a quick calculation since start of April to September (just under 6 months) I have painted 32 mounted and 152 foot, all Spencer Smiths, block painted over black undercoat. During that time I've had about 4 weeks leave, several bank holidays and the odd day of excess hours of accumulated work = flexible working leave. Maybe 5 weeks off all told.
    Painting is at weekends and most of leave, some days more hours than others.
    Some days didn't feel like it, but forced myself to try and do some. Have alternated with modelling Roco Minitanks.
    I have spent long periods not painting but now have adopted the try and do some with free time available. I know some who try and paint a couple of hours each day. For me work doesn't mix with painting, too knackered!
    I try and set a target of a recognisable number of units; a VnB "army" of 20-30 units; a DBA army; a Megablitz division. Small enough to be achievable without being daunting. Bigger armies with more figures would be broken down into smaller targets.
    I'm not a fast painter and alternate with enthusiasm, sometimes more than others; some days it can be a chore so on those I do the "just paint the white" then "just the red" - small steps or increments. Maximum about 8 figures but prefer less.
    I've found the blog a great motivator and record of progress (it's how I worked out how long it took and how many figures).
    Keep at it! Remember though, life is for living. The kids may be irritating at times, but you'll miss them when they have grown up and aren't kids anymore....
    Neil

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    1. Thanks Neil. That’s a respectable total. And still faster than me and I’m not doing fabulous paint jobs either. I try to paint at most 16 bases at a time. One good thing about only having an hour and a half to paint is that around the time that it starts to become a chore it’s time to quit anyway. 😀

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    2. I have to say I was quite surprised when I totalled it up! I don't normally bother with such things as the target is the army but immediate goal is whatever I'm working on.
      I used to be more disciplined; I bought a unit and then painted it. Concentrated on one period. Went awry discovering casting and then later when income exceeded time when it was easy to buy figures......and more figures.......and a new shiny period.......
      Now I refer to that as the retirement project!
      Neil

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  4. Hi Stew, yeah, I hate painting too! I reckon it takes me around 13 hours to do a 18 - 20 man unit, that is from prime to base. I think that is too long. If you just think about a simple 8 unit army and then double it for 2 armies and divide by the working week of 40 hours, it is a lot of ‘weeks’ worth of work and that I just find scary.

    There are loads of days that I don’t paint and I think a better solution would be just to do a bit each day, plus of course get a better technique …. I hear contrast paints might change my life, so who knows.

    I think you have done rather well with your dark age forces this year, but really the kids should be doing all of this painting for, I mean don’t they know who is putting the food on the table! :-)

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    1. I did a mental calculation based upon my current painting output in my spurt to get stuff ready for the CWD show and it was rather sobering to realise how much time it would take to get two basic forces ready for the table. Best not to dwell on it too much at present...

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    2. Thanks Norm. I haven’t really calculated how much real time it takes to get something done bc I find it more useful to think in actual time. Weeks and not hours. I do get to paint more nights than not simply bc there’s nothing better to do and it’s a nice way to unwind. 😀

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    3. Contrast paints will certainly speed up painting, as long as you are happy with the final result.
      Better than the Army Painter varnish (although some achieve amazing results) where it can look as if the figures have been dipped in treacle....
      They give a wash or stain effect, some colours better than others.
      Neil

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    4. I actually like the AP strong tone. I brush it on rather than dip the figures in it. I use it all the time. 😀

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  5. I thoroughly enjoy painting, but cannot seem to do it in the evenings during the week or after 7pm on weekends. Because we are up so early in the morning I am normally too tired by the evenings, and I much prefer natural light and it is always dark here by 6pm, even at the height of summer. If I can find an enjoyable podcast I am quite happy to sit in my painting room and while away the hours.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence. I don’t have natural light as I have my hobby desk down the deepest part of the house. And the sun is lame anyway. 😀
      I usually have a show or YouTube or audio book going as well.

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  6. Hey there, you're doing well with your output. Those shields look great, and from the 3Ft rule will be spot on. It amazes me how much we all fuss over accuracy & detail, but whenever we throw down for a game...no one notices any of those little details. 100 figures, I have to say..that would be too big a psychological mountain to climb for me. I like short & sharp. Most of my stuff is 1/72 Medieval / Dark Ages, so when I buy a box of say 40 odd figures...that's the goal. I have been slowly adding figures for my 100YW collection with a view to putting on some proper big games...but I also play smaller scaled skirmish/big skirmish games like Lion Rampant because gaming is the thing for me. I just really love getting together and socialising around a good table with loads of figures.

    One thing that has driven my output ten-fold over the past year is that I've got a set up close to the 'hub' of family life. I've had a little card table with paints and figures permanently set up.

    I tend to tinker away, most nights, if only half-an-hour or so. I'm still present for all the family commotion..and it's easy enough for me to just drop my brushes and tend to wailing children, etc etc...Occasionally, if I've got a game planned, it will motivate me to punch out a few more units. but on the whole, there's no rush, and if I'm dabbling half an hour a day, the output is pleasing and steady.

    All the best.

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    1. Thanks Anon, whom ever you are.
      I didn’t do the 100 at once; all in batches. The dark ages label will show all the posts of progress.
      My family life is still too hectic for me to set up shop close to the action and I’m in the thick of it most nights anyway. The children being young and so many of them! Maybe when the get older.
      Thanks for the comment. 😀

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    2. Hey Stew, it's Slapdash from Oz here...blogger won't recognise me in my comments anymore...have no idea why...anyway, I'm still following your blog, keep up the good work!!

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    3. Ok. Lame about blogger. Happened to me once. See my post “trouble with comments “ and the answer from JF. Fixed my issue. Good luck. 😀

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    4. Agreed. My most productive years of painting were when I could leave stuff setup and worked on it daily....in small doses. Single colour splashed on a dozen figs.

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    5. Thanks Dave. I do have a permanent hobby desk and it does make it a ton easier to just sit down and start painting. 😀

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  7. Interesting post Stew and one which any of us with family have gone through that’s for sure. My painting when my lads were young and pre- High School was limited to odds and bods and basing Napoleonics that I had commissioned to be painted for me. Priorities similar to yourself and a marriage to keep nurturing. As the boys became young men then time presented itself more and more. I put this caveat on all my comments on painting now; I have to be in the “mood” to paint even today. If I’m in the zone then I can knock off a few figures in a session. These are figures where uniforms are well documented and pretty much look and add paint.
    I have 16 lovely Black Hussar Cossack artillery figures on the table that are 80% completed and have been there for six months! Irregular uniforms are the Sméagol in my Sam Gangee life.

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    1. Thanks Carlo. Another good thing about having limited paint time in the evenings is that by 900 at night I usually am in the mood to paint ; to get a little time to do something for myself after a day spent on service to everyone else.
      I have 2 ACW generals that have been on the desk half painted for years. Whenever I clean up I put them right back. 😀

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  8. I, too, have a fraught relationship with painting--and am also a sloooow painter. Despite this, I embarked on several major painting projects, mostly during COVID, to get some armies done from start to finish (Russians of the Russo Turkish War, for instance). I found those to be less onerous than I had expected, probably like you and your Dark Age project. I think the fact that those projects all had clear terminating points, and thus closure, was the difference between that kind of painting and the endless painting associated with more open ended efforts (ie, never ending). So I think creating a 100 figure goal was a good way to get things done (even if it might have been a bit arbitrary). My projects were determined by OOB, but in the absence of that, a figure count provides the same method.

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    1. Thanks Ed. I like the idea of using an OOB to set the large goal broken down into smaller units. The idea of closure also helps to motivate. Your a good thinker. 😀

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  9. I find painting enjoyable when adding a few units to an existing army or I have reached the halfway point in a project. Anything outside of that and it can become a bit of a grind, except when painting 1/72 plastic figures as block painting and ignoring detail speeds up the painting no end. Overall I think average about 10 figures per week which is one base for me.

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    1. Thanks Peter. It’s true that the beginning of a project is lame but when it reaches that magical “almost done” phase painting gets more enjoyable. 😀

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  10. Great post Stew and good on you completing your target of 100 figures!
    I know how hard it is with children. When my first one arrived and destroyed all my preconceptions of how easy it would be I thought "no more wargaming for the next 15 years" 😊 Luckily it was not that long.
    I try and do a little each night but my kids have all grown up and moved out so that was easier -until some moved back in with the grandkids 😁
    I agree with you, while it is easy to watch TV or trawl the internet, I feel much better when I have created something myself, no matter how lame it is.
    Glad the extra work came in with the extra money - hopefully at double the normal rates! I hope that your wife appreciates that all the extra money is for your hobby and not to be wasted on luxuries for her and the kids like new clothes, food or medical attention. 😁

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    1. Thanks Ben. Unfortunately the money is for important things but I do skim a little off the top for myself.
      I do dislike TV unless it’s something I really do want to watch which is rare. Usually I feel like I’ve wasted my time with TV.
      Honestly the children aren’t that much of a burden on war gaming but that’s more to do with my understanding wife I think. 😀

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  11. Your post arrived at the perfect time as I sat down to breakfast. The joy of retirement is not always (still happens sometimes) feeling I am in a rush. As to your thoughts Stew as you say we are all different. I have posted before my own approach. Firstly I do love painting like you it is both mindful and gives me a real sense of purpose and tactile productivity. For a while ago I played computer games great fun but always leaves a feeling of disappointment whereas painting figures gives a feeling of achievement. I don’t count how many figures I paint or keep a tally (other than making sure I have enough figures for a particular unit) all my projects are work in progress and develop fairly organically. How then to create playable armies, of course it takes time, little and often helps, also having a sense of what is needed for a first game achieving that then developing the collection from there. I have no problem whatsoever with people who decide what they want in their army, write a careful list of the figures and units, purchase the figures then set to until the army is complete ticking them off as they go and counting each figure so they can check if they are more or less productive than last year, or other people I suppose. This approach just isn’t me, I have loads of different units and figures on the go at one time, I finished some AWI limbers last evening and had a few minutes so picked up some Seljuk cavalry and painted all their bows. It might have been Persians, SYW or Egyptians. It’s exciting me me that I don’t know what I will paint this evening 😀 well breakfast is over so I need to post a blog update and get on with some chores 👍

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    1. Thanks Matt. This post is certainly more of a “I’m gonna try it this way’ versus trying to tell anyone else what to do. I wouldn’t presume though I am a war gaming expert. 😀
      If I had no idea what I was gonna paint in the evening I think it would provoke anxiety in me. I like a plan. 😀

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  12. An entertaining read Stew (I love the bit aobut sand at the end) as always Stew and one that resonates on many levels with me. For my 10mm figures, which are based and primed, a rough guide on the time front gives me about two hours per 4 base unit, which excludes waiting for paint to dry etc. So I reckon if I could maintain the discipline I could knock out two units a day, in between parent carer duties. But then I wouldn't enjoy it as it would seem like work.

    Now I'm trying to think of getting enough units for finished for some skirmish games, that will move up to small battles etc, much like yourself. Hopefully this will provide more incentive for me to paint as the Autumn turns to Winter. Time will tell...

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    1. Thanks Steve. I did my time as a parent care giver and know what it is like. Can be rough.
      We certainly don’t want to turn the hobby into work. That would be moving backwards. I work in order to pay for the hobby (and I guess to feed the family bunch of whiners). 😀

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  13. Well, you were certainly right about the number of words in that post Stew. I started reading it about 0610 but had to stop half way through and go to work...just finished it now at about 2330 I think! I enjoy painting for the most part but sometimes I like a break ( or can't be arsed more like) and just sit and binge watch crap on Netflix. I do sometimes feel the latter is a big waste of time but I don't want to force myself to do something that's supposed to be a hobby and therefore enjoyable! Apart from weekends and holidays, all my painting is done in the evenings using artificial light, which I prefer to the vaguries of natural light, to be honest. Like many thins in our hobby, and indeed life, we all have our own preferences. Good luck with your new strategy to stay focused and make measurable and constant progress... Goal setting is a generally accepted method of getting things done!

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    1. Thanks Kieth. The tip off for a wordy post is that I said ‘prepare thyself’ which is much more serious than ‘get ready’. 😀
      The evaluation of the strategy will be if it’s effective but also at least semi enjoyable.

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  14. Really, painting should be fun...pressure kills fun. Do as many as makes sense in a session, build on each unit until your project is complete.

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    1. Thanks Pam. I’m not going for pressure but effective use of time to get to the real fun which is playing with painted armies. Painting while more fun than having teeth pulled or talking with my family; is not the fun. 😀

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  15. Really, painting should be fun...pressure kills fun. Do as many as makes sense in a session, build on each unit until your project is complete.

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  16. Ok you’ll hate me for this…100 figures, 17 days. That said, I don’t consider myself a great painter, rather a workman and for me the presentation of the unit is more important than painting the perfect figure. Being an impatient bugger I need to see the units build up quickly. I also like big games…with figures counts sometimes in the thousands which can be a necessity really when we can have a where between six and ten players in a game.

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    1. Yes I do hate you. And I’m sure I’m not the only one; please provide a mailing address to which we all can send hate mail. 😀😀

      I’m also not a great painter and don’t really wish to be. I’m a decent workman quality painter myself but I guess I don’t work as hard or fast as you. Lol

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    2. Stew, raher than sending Hate Mail to Mark, we all ought to send our unpainted figures to him for a quick turn-around!

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    3. Let’s do both!

      “Dear Mark,
      I hate you.
      Please paint these 100 AWI British for me. I’ll expect them in 17 days. You’re the best! Thanks.
      Sincerely,
      All of us. “

      😀😀

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    4. Dear Stew,

      Thank you for your order. Below is your invoice:

      Note all prices in Nigerian Naira (NIG)

      100 figures @ NIG10,763.96 each…..NIG 1,076,396.00
      Shipping Options:
      Standard mail……………………….….NIG 250,000.00
      International courier……………………NIG 400,000.00

      Basing, add………………………………NIG 542,567.01

      Painting time guaranteed at 17 days. Basing allow 60-90 days.
      Allow 30 days for mail, 18 days for international courier.

      All payments to Prince Owego’s Private Bank, 234 Kosoko St, Lagos, Nigeria

      Please note that all production spaces are taken until 24 July 2024, so secure you space by placing your order now. A 50% non-refundable deposit is required when you place your order, together with a photocopy of your passport and full bank account details.

      Thank you for using my painting service.

      😂😂😂

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    5. 😂😂
      Pretty sure you got the better of that one; can’t top it. Nicely done. 😀

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  17. Some very good insight. I have way too many projects going on at once, so maybe I need to pair it down to one or two and just knock them out.

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    1. Thanks Dino. Do whatever you like and what works for you of course. Some people like chaos; and some people are me. 😀

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  18. Hi Stew. You rightly pointed out that it’s a hobby after all. Leave the deadlines and the pressures for the workplace - they are unwelcome at the paint desk. Concentrating on one project at a time has always been a mantra to me. I hate unfinished stuff so I think you’re making good with that decision.

    Oh, and a final word of advice if I may - DO NOT even think about sending your passport and bank details to that Prince Owego type…….

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    1. Thanks Mike. That prince does indeed come across as quite shady and untrustworthy….
      I’m not quite talking about applying actual pressure bc none of this is important but I’m hoping to boost the number of genres ready to be played by having some discipline. 😀

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  19. This is all very interesting and I'm surprised that people say they get that much painted. I really wonder if they're inflating their numbers or just basecoating them and slapping a wash on them and calling them done. That is the tricky thing about this. Everyone has their own process and standards with painting. You have to do what works for you and what you enjoy.

    In terms of your idea of focusing on one project at a time, I think that could be a great idea if the lack of variety doesn't bother you. I have multiple projects for the sake of variety to prevent burnout like what happened with LOTR a few years ago. I do think tying your hobby goals with what you need to game is smart. That is what I do to motivate my gaming painting. My goals tend to be smaller like paint 5 or less minis of this kind or get this terrain done but it definitely works and keeps me out of trouble :)

    The Dark Ages stuff you painted looks great and I'll be curious to see where your next goal takes you too!

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    1. Thanks Jeff. The lack of variety won’t bother me I think bc my motivation is to get stuff painted and not to really enjoy the painting process. We’ll see how it goes; I can always adapt. 😀

      All I do are base colors, maybe 1 highlight, some fun details and a wash.
      That’s a good enough model for a wargame. Still seems to take me forever. 😀

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  20. Late to the party on this excellent post.

    As you know I love painting when I'm not burnt out (Like now) and find great joy in other's appreciation for my efforts. But I find I am easily distracted by new projects and then get bogged down and feel over laiden by the then sheer number of projects I create for myself. Add to that that I just plain don't have time nor even space to set up a paint station and here you are, a hobbyless Dai.

    Am hoping the new year will offer more incentive to get stuff done once my free time returns after I am done with the evening classes I am taking. Seeing all your lovely Dark Ages stuff certainly does make me want to get back to my own Saxon v Viking project that is barely half done.

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    1. Ugh, and this is Dai. Signed out of Blogger for some unknown reason. -__-

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    2. Thanks Dai. I think you describe the typical case for most wargamers and certainly a situation that we’ve all been it. 😀
      Good luck getting more free time soon.

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  21. Sounds like a plan, I'm a little and often ( well usually, not at the moment) about an hour an evening to wind down, I'm not as detailed, no highlights, as fast as I can, usually 72 figures on the tray while my wife watches tv, destress and be productive, been mostly Napoleonic for a year but I think I'm going dark ages from Christmas onwards, much faster!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. I think we have a similar style. My wife will sometimes join me for her own crafts but usually wants to be cozy in bed and watch shows about murder to unwind…😀

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