Your tips for speed/batch painting please.

[Ninefingers]

My method is the same for everything basically-

• White spray undercoat
• Paint basic colours
• GW Agrax Earthshade wash
• Highlight face
• Matt acrylic varnish spray

[Reed]

Using oils for washes instead of fast-drying acrylic washes/inks. The clean-up step goes faster.

[modelwarrior]

I find speed painting achieves the opposite for me. Anything bigger than 8 figures in one batch becomes a chore for me so my enthusiasm drops and it takes for ever. I have found that four figures in one go is my perfect number for getting stuff done quickly. I think the feeling of getting four figures completed is the drive to do another four etc etc.

 Bigger batches also drops my quality control but well done to everybody who can mass produce. Its beyond me

[Belgian]

Depends on which miniatures you're painting but I paint my lotr orcs

- Black undercoat
- Dark Grey/ Dark Brown basecoat
- Pick out other block colors and metals
- Wash Army Painter Strong Tone

Often in batches of 24 miniatures but in overall groups of roughly 100.

Note, going for quantity and not quality but they suffice for me.

[BZ]

I find speed painting achieves the opposite for me. Anything bigger than 8 figures in one batch becomes a chore for me so my enthusiasm drops and it takes for ever. I have found that four figures in one go is my perfect number for getting stuff done quickly. I think the feeling of getting four figures completed is the drive to do another four etc etc.

 Bigger batches also drops my quality control but well done to everybody who can mass produce. Its beyond me

Just like myself. I like to paint 5-er batches, can make 10-er too, but more than that is a pain for me.

[Elbows]

Gotta agree with the "stick to small batches".  You're still speed painting in whatever method you choose, but do an amount that doesn't drive you nuts.  I frequently try to tell new gamers the worst thing they can do is assemble hundreds of models, glue them together and then set them on the desk in front of you while you're painting.  That will destroy your spirit.

Open a box...assemble...paint.  Open a box...assemble...paint.  Keep all of your projects to small, feasible builds.  Build in batches of 3,5,6, etc.  You won't be any faster if you start trying to paint 20 guys at the same time but it annoys your or pisses you off, or scares you away from the painting desk.

Instead...built and paint five guys at a time.  Then you're motivated to do the next five.  You can even sit the five finished guys in front of you.  As far as "speed"....

- Colour spray primers for the base coats, particularly if they're wearing armour or predominantly one colour.
- Washes, inks, dips, etc. 
- Don't paint eyeballs.  99% of the time you won't see them...or you'll screw them up.  It's not noticeable and washes will outline them anyway.
- For basing use something simple like Vallejo muds or grass tufts, etc.  Simple and easy ways to give them a little sprucing up.
- If you're churning out basic infantry...limit your colour palette to 8-10 colours, the real ones you need.  That's plenty.

[Hobgoblin]

Gotta agree with the "stick to small batches".  You're still speed painting in whatever method you choose, but do an amount that doesn't drive you nuts.  I frequently try to tell new gamers the worst thing they can do is assemble hundreds of models, glue them together and then set them on the desk in front of you while you're painting.  That will destroy your spirit.

These are excellent points. One psychological 'hack' that works well is to set yourself game-related goals along the way. So, if you're building an army, do it by creating a succession of warbands for skirmish games or RPGs. Then you can use the fruits of your labours on the table long before the whole army is complete, which helps keep motivation going.

So with your Anglo-Saxons, you could think about creating an opposing warband for what you already have in Saga, or perhaps sets of opposing warbands for Song of Arthur and Merlin or equivalent.

One more speed-painting technique - and a very fast one: black undercoat, block colours for everything, then drybrush the entire model in Vallejo silver-grey. Then paint in the metals and slop appropriate washes over everything before tidying up. You can get away with using Agrax Earthshade for everything except flesh. And you can refine the skin tones at the final stage.

[swiftnick]

The great thing about lion rampant is that all units are 6s or 12s so not to onerous to churn out.

[racm32]

Unfortunately i have already assembled the full army. The initial force was for SAGA and already painted, the rest are to bring it up to 3 Divisions for Hail Ceasar. Taking some of your advice in mind I have decided to focus on 1 Division at a time (4 units of 16 plus 1 or 2 units of Skirmishers) and then further focus on just one unit from that Division at a time.

[Dolnikan]

Forget speed. Just make a rule that you must do something every day.

I personally set myself a weekly quotum, because daily tasks become difficult. After all, I do need my time with my partner for instance.

[LazyStudent]

The process that I find works best for large numbers of minis that sit in units is:
- undercoating in a dark grey (black is too harsh/dark for realistic shadows)
- then block painting the areas of clothing that can be seen in a slightly brighter than 'normal' base colour (even better if your minis are wearing mail!)
- wash with a brown wash for clothes, black for mail, and a pink wash for skin
- Only on really easy to see parts (faces, hands, backs and head dresses, etc) add a highlight of the original colour
- Then go in and add a third much more careful highlight on the faces. It is the main part of the mini that people look at after the shields so worth spending time on.
- Paint/get a transfer for the shields

I tend to paint in batches of about 8-12 minis. A good podcast is essential to keep the mind focused!