So perhaps try to think of your collections as ‘finished for now’ rather than ‘finished for ever’. The open ended nature of the former reduces the pressure to round off any given project as a ‘must do now’ - although I’m sure all wargamers and collectors suffer from that urge to some extent.
As someone with a degree of OCD myself, it doesn’t sound like your current cycle of painting is healthy for you.. what you’ve described is “mentally tiring” or a chore, rather than something you enjoy....if anything it is leaving you unhappy.
;)
...merely painting miniatures that I like for no other reason than I like them.
My intention is to start buying and painting miniatures I love and, perhaps, make small displays, completing only a couple of models per month but to the best of my ability
Looks like it's nor just me then that's made this newbie mistake; thank you for the wise words of you folk who have been doing this much longer than me.
I guess most of my ‘armies’ end up with somewhere between 75 - 300 figures. Typically 150 - 200.
I can't even imagine this scale of endeavour.
The other problem I encounter is starting some miniatures, with enthusiasm, but then for some reason they aren't turning out how I envisioned them, that kills the enthusiasm. Then I struggle to finish them to the point I've had half finished minis sit around for months, even years, that I just cant face finishing off.
I've never really gotten into painting. Would have been nice to have figured that out 18 years ago. Would also have been nice to find a rules system that required only a handful of figures to make a new faction of some sort. Pulp Alley is doing that for me now. Only need from 1 to 12 figures to make a new "league" (about 3 to 7 figures is typical). So finally started painting again last weekend after 3 years off. And there's no current pressure for a specific game.
I am going to politely not comment - because I know you, and the snark is trying to come out, Warren.
;D