Batch Painting

[Johnno]

I'm painting a large number of figures for this session Army Painter 2016.

I'm trying my hand at batch painting as dedicating approx. 45 mintes from start to finish per figure doesn't seem feasible given my schedule etc.

My current group is 19 figures but I am starting to get tired as it is taking a long time to see results. I don't have long stretches of time available to paint so I typically only get one colour done before having to clean up.

I was wondering if maybe the number of figures is too large? Does anyone have a sweet spot number that works for them? I'm painting 28mm Copplestone as scale is another factor to determine.

Does anyone have any other pointers?

After the first 30 basic infantry are done, I was going to paint the command section and assault troops to break up the monotony.

[Lowtardog]

One approach I use is to batch paint in large numbers to a point then when main colours are on break down into 8 or 4 figure batches that way you will get some finished and it will spur you on

[snitcythedog]

It all depends on how detailed you are trying to paint each model.  Table top quality I tend to paint in groups of ten or less.  If I am trying to paint to the best of my ability I will paint five or less.  If I try to paint in larger groups I usually loose interest due to slow progression.  Hope that helps.
Snitchy sends.

[Charlie_]

Vary it. I go for between 5 and 10.

I do find the batches of 10, especially when using lots of familiar parts which I've painted dozens of times before (multi part plastic kits), can get tedious. So once I've got through one a batch of 10, I will usually 'treat myself' to a batch of 5, perhaps metal figures I have only one each of so haven't painted yet and will enjoy more.

I paint 15th century, Wars of the Roses etc, and there are definitely some sort of models that can be done much quicker than others. Men at arms in full plate armour are the quickest, as it's pretty much doing the majority of the model in one colour, silver, followed by the other stuff, which is generally just leather straps/belts/shoes, wooden weapon shafts, a little bit of cloth (usually the only unarmoured bit is the back of the leg) and sometimes a bit of flesh depending on if they have their visor up or not!
In comparison, the most tedious models to paint for me are those with padded cloth armour, which I'm always trying new techniques on every time and usually getting frustrated with.
Also, if doing a large batch, I limit my colour palette. So I'll do one batch of 10 with just red details, then later another with just green details, etc.

So a batch of 10 lightly armoured models can take up to 2 weeks, and gets very frustrating halfway through, though is ulimately VERY satisfying when they are done and based. In comparison a batch of 5 fully armoured men at arms can be done happily in one weekend. And then there are compromises between the two - most of the time I'm doing batches of 7 or 8.

So mix it up!

[Elbows]

I've tried it.  The most I've managed was about 10 at once, and I hated it.  I can do 3-5 figures in a 2-3 hour sitting when I have the opportunity.  I don't have any tips for ya.  Like you, I have to feel some progress, so I need to finish models within a day or two of working on them.

[Davout]

First post!

I batch paint in groups of 5-6 for 28mm figs. I also tend to plan out what paints I'm going to use and then lay them out in a row. I don't waist time looking for a particular color and I like the feeling of the row of paints growing shorter as the figures get closer to completion.

[dadlamassu]

I've been batch painting for many years.  I have usually painted by the "unit" so this varies from period to period etc.  That way I get a playable force out of each batch.  For WW2 a batch might be a section of infantry, for The Hobbit it may be 12 goblins and a leader, Rohan Riders 6 troopers and 6 horses and so on.  For my 20mm figures I have frequently done 2 "companies" each of 23 soldiers at a time. 

When we did the Uruk Hai pikemen we did them all at once as the palette was very limited.

We listen to music when painting - Lord of the Rings soundtrack CDs are popular.  And we take regular snack breaks.

[Cubs]

Much the same as everyone else, ideally in batch painting I look for no less than about 4 and no more than about 8. Doing more than this I get bogged down and bored (meaning I find excuses to avoid the desk) and less than this I don't see a time benefit.

[Overlord]

I generally paint small groups, usually 4-6 at a time, but rarely do more than large skirmish gaming.  I have done larger groups, but this can be hard work.  Like you I start to think I will never see the end of it with finished miniatures.  I've never been a quick painter which doesn't help.  I usually paint just 1 or 2 different parts of a mini with base/mid/highlight at a time before moving to the next colour.

Currently painting for AP2016 too, I'm on a second group of 13 minis.  This is about the limit for me.  Although being in the same uniform helps, it does seem to drag on a bit.  This second group are all in very similar poses which doesn't help.  With these I have been block painting base colour on the main areas first, before moving on to the mid/highlight stage later.  This has helped as it gives a rough impression of how the finished mini may look at a fairly early stage.

Painting the occasional single miniature (sometimes from a completely different project) helps break up the monotony.  I have no idea how people can paint large groups/armies, it just doesn't work for me.

[grant]

Much the same as everyone else, ideally in batch painting I look for no less than about 4 and no more than about 8. Doing more than this I get bogged down and bored (meaning I find excuses to avoid the desk) and less than this I don't see a time benefit.

Yep. I'm in this camp too. Any more than that and I get overwhelmed and just end up on the neighbour's lawn naked after drinking too much, again. He's said it's ok, but I think that's just more sad.

[Johnno]

Thanks for all the tips!

I have all the colours picked out and on the workspace and have a "done" pile of paints that are there for touch ups. Still working through the block colour stages before washes and highlights.

Looking at what I've done vs. what's left I'm pretty optimistic I'll be washing them in the next few days. I think I have 5 colours (5-6 hours) to go before the wash and some are very minimal (ie. White socks).

I probably will reduce my figures to groupings of 5 (minimum for AP 2016 ) and instead of 1 colour on 19 figures in1 hour I could get 3-5 colours on 5 figures in that same time which would lend itself to figures appearing to get finished "faster".

[dbsubashi]

You can break a unit into smaller groups. I find 5-6 about right. As I am painting for DR lately, I just break a 12-man unit into 2 6-man groups. When I got behind schedule for the LPL, I painted all 12 at once, but that was draining. But it was nice to know I can bust out a dozen figs in a week if needed!

You can also do all the messy parts on a big unit before breaking them into smaller groups. Dry brush everything on all 12 or 18 or whatever. You can also go back and forth between the smaller groups. Just laid a wsh down on 6 figs and need it to dry before going further? Just set them aside and do some work on the other 6. Keeps you at the paint station and working!

[Captain Blood]

5-6 at a time, always, for 28mm foot.
3-4 for cavalry.
I've got a dozen DAK on the paint table at the moment, and God, is it tedious...
I'll probably switch to doing them in two sets of 6 for the finer details...
How the hell people paint huge batches of 20, 30 or 40 uniformed figures at a time, I will never know... 

[Vanvlak]

Small mini-units of 5 or less, ideally with vehicle or large model or anything fun in between groups of five.
But I usually barely finish one model before moving to a different project, so now I'm trying to work on a small number of projects and rotating models. Slower, but keepsme going.

[Nord]

A "regiment" at a time for me. It started out about 10 models, but then grew as I played WHFB for many years and collected undead, so 36 at a time was sometimes achieved. Progress is slow but you will get there in the end. As somebody else has said, do the basics on the whole lot, then split into 2 or 3 groups to finish off if you like. Recently I painted 7 dwarfs which seemed to take forever, but then breezed through 16 Danes in a jiffy. The level of detail and your painting standard matters. If you are aiming for tabletop - colour, wash/glaze, the odd highlight, you should be able to crank them out 30 minutes apiece if you stick to bigger numbers. The fewer models on your table, the more time (proportionally) you spend opening and closing pots, cleaning brushes, etc. I find the sweet spot for me is to make each session about an hour. If I can achieve that 3 times a week then after a fortnight I can have a dozen or so figures finished.