Painter's Block (And A Cure)

[punkrabbitt]

I've been kind of stuck painting my 28mm Imperial Japanese for Bolt Action. I haven't been able to pinpoint why this is, but I noticed something the other day: I paint much more efficiently when I am only painting a few figures at a time. I noticed this as I was painting Chaos Cultists for Warhamster 40,000; by painting a single model or two at a time, I seem to be much more engaged in the process.

So when I finish the Cultist unit, I am going to go back and try painting the Imperial Japanese in small groups of four instead of the entire 15 model squad all at once.

I will let y'all know how it goes.

[zemjw]

I have found over the years that between six and eight figures at a time gives me a good balance of maintaining interest and not taking forever.

The count has been sneaking up again recently, partly because I've been painting a few identical figures. However, I'm starting to notice that I'm rushing them a bit, so perhaps I'll dial it back down again for the next group.

Some folk can do it, but the thought of painting 15 or 20 figures at a time doesn't do anything for me anymore. I like to see some progress, however small, which is something large groups don't provide until the very end.

Hope the smaller group works out for you 

[gnomehome]

I'm also a 'smaller group' painter. For 'individual' 28 mm models I limit myself to maybe 5, for 'rank and file' 28mm I may go up to a group of 8-10.

[fusilierdan]

For me 12 seems to be the magic number. I also find id I tell myself that I'll just go and paint one item (boots,rifles, jackets...) or color it's easier to get started sometimes I stick to the plan sometimes I paint a few more things.

[DS615]

I'm with you, there.
I do small groups of 4-5.  It gives me an accomplishment feeling by giving me some figures that are done, so I see progress.  Doing them all at once gives me a long time where all of the figures are just partly done.
Sometimes I will paint all the figures in base colors, then just do the 4-5 figure thing for the more detailed stuff.  That works for me too.

[vcina]

I find with painting smaller figures, I do 10mm, that just painting one unit at a time is helpful and I don't prime the waiting pile of figures until I'm ready to paint the next unit.  Makes it seem like I'm accomplishing something.