Hi folks,

I have recently spent some time dealing with a very serious issue: my painting yield has been reduced of about 50%. And I am not taking as a reference my productivity during lock-down. Rather the average production of mine for the past two years where, on average, I have managed sorting out one unit every 5 days. All game systems included.

So, what happened?

Extra stuff to do beyond hobby? – not really. Or at least not in an amount that prevents me from getting time left for practicing the hobby side.

Boredom? – not really, I have a variety of models lefts for various armies, various color schemes…

Fear of being left without miniatures to be painted? A.k.a. proscratination? I thought about it as a possibility for a while but let’s be frank, even if I am closer to the end of the pipe for 40k material, I still have plenty (thousands of points) of miniatures left unpainted for Fantasy. And ironically, I play much more to the Old World than to 40k while most of my WFB armies are at max 50/60% painted and 40k armies closer of 95%...

Yet the break in the painting rhythm still looks like being related to WFB in a way.

Back in time:

-          Summer 2025. I am painting approx. 1 fantasy unit for 1 40k unit. Good ratio. The notion of unit is relevant: 1 single character = 1 unit, 1 war machine (with crew) = 1 unit, 1 squad = 1 unit… See the pattern?

-          And, interesting fact, I have always something like 3 projects on going at the same time; so, a working log of let say typically 1 vehicle, 10 linemen and 1 monstrous unit or special character. 12 to 15 models.

And the breakdown happened in September 2025: Horde batch painting with units counting 20 to 30 heads per block (small evil and mean greenish fantasy gretchins in black robes if you see what I mean). From there the statistics started to collapse. At least in terms of number of entries painted per month... After a series of weeks like that up to a total of 102 small evil and mean greenish fantasy gretchins in black robes treated through brushing and shading, I must confess that shifting to something different was an absolute mental health need (as I’ve said they are evil and mean – “you have to pay one day or another” – “no crime is left unpunished ever”…).

This is when I have identified my breakeven: from there I have stopped managing multiple projects at the same time, and I have started dealing with one after another. Just like in the good old times I started in the hobby. Bad idea. As I lack this possibility of shifting from one project to another, which helps me in general to keep the momentum. Let’s see in January I have resumes painting tiny yellow marines with raised fist, one unit after the other. 2 weeks of this treatment and I have painted almost nothing the rest of the month.

Shock therapy was needed: back to multiple projects in parallel, and Feb started with a piece of scenery, a Titan and some DE Wytches. And as soon as one is finished another one enters the polka’s ballroom. We are now on Feb 10^th and it looks like it is a fruitful strategy; I even reincorporated yesterday a block of 18 hobbit’s like minis in the queue. And I spend max 1 hour per day painting (needless to say that I am not aiming at Golden Daemon standard but tabletop ready…).

As I’ve said, I had a serious issue. But I have solved it thanks to an organized addiction pattern. What about you? How do you plan your painting program, and can you sustain it? Do you have tricks or strategies to keep the momentum high?

B.R.