You probably noticed that I finished my last blog with:

“Wow! Something else shiny! Perhaps I will paint that instead.

Is this a disease, a character flaw unique to gamers or has some 10th level magic user cast a procrastination spell on all of us?

As much as I would like to say I was “under the influence”, of a 10th level spell of course, this is unlikely to succeed as an excuse. If you don’t believe me try it on your significant other and see how far you get!

However, there is hope for us all as the Guru has sought enlightenment at the temple and has come up with the following:

Phone a friend.

I have used several versions of this over the years.

Many moons ago our group decided to put on a display game of the Charge of the Light Brigade using 54mm figures. I paid for the figures and built the hills and gun emplacements and each one in the group painted one 12 man cavalry unit. This was not a massive task because although they were 54mm figures we wanted to paint them up like Britains toy soldiers complete with glossy paint and slime green coloured base. Project done in very short time.

Now this is OK if it is a joint project but how else can you involve a friend(s)? Well regular gaming mate Dave K (mentioned often in these dispatches) happened to say he was building up an Apocalyptic Beastman army. I had put together eons ago a 40k Beastman Imperial Guard army using plastic Catachan and Ungors and a whole lot of Eureka Miniatures Boiler suit apes that I was never going to use. So we bartered the figures for painting a whole lot of Pirates on the understanding that they would take a while to finish. Again problem solved – well almost solved isn’t it Dave?

The third “Phone a Friend” option is to just ask. A lot of my French Indian Wars figures have been painted by another mate Steve N. Steve has a painting style similar to mine (I unashamedly copied him) so I knew they would fit in with what I was doing, and at least I would have enough ready to game with in short space of time.

Steve note the blog on the Savage Frontier Kickstarter!!!

Get stuff professionally painted.

Early on I used to do this because as the head of a government department and with four young kids I was asset rich and cashflow poor BUT these days I prefer to paint my own.

In the last few years I have only used this option once, and again this was with French Indian Wars Figures. B & B miniatures had some painted figures for sale and I needed more than he had, so we negotiated a price for the additional figures and their painting and again project completed.

Now these may or may not be solutions for you but they don’t get over the real problem of us getting off “where the sun don’t shine” and getting on with it, does it?

Here are some tips I have used over the years. Oops I have just had a thought pop into my head- is writing blogs just another excuse for not painting minis?

Nah would never happen………..Little guy on top of the painting desk “But why are you writing three blogs at once”……..Me “shutup and get back in your box or you will stay Tamiya TS3 undercoated for the rest of your life”……….. Little Guy “at least I won’t be on my own!”.

Hmmm. Anyway, here is what I have tried with varying degrees of success.

1. Manufacture a deadline

The two that I have used successfully are sign up for a tournament where you can only use painted figures and have to submit your list in advance, or secondly organise a game with your mates saying you want to use your newly painted miniatures. Give yourself a reasonable time say two months, but what I found was that it took 4 weeks to paint the first 10%, 2 weeks to paint the next 10% and painting to all hours of the night in the last week to finish the last 80%. Not good for family life but at least it works.

2. Only paint figures you like.

I just cannot paint any figures I don’t like. You may ask well why did you by them, but hey you haven’t? I am now giving them away, selling them for peanuts on ebay, or using the “Phone a friend” or “Professional painter” options above if I really need them but just cannot stomach painting them.

3. Develop a Variety of Painting standards.

Do your best paint job on figures you really like and all commanders or “stand out” figures and paint the rest to to an OK Wargaming standard. I have a blog which explains my quick and dirty style.

4. Keep a list.

In January I posted a blog with a list of projects I wanted to complete this year. This was for me so that it would provide a guide or a plan (they never survive first contact). Now some of these are just wishful thinking, but many have already been done and a lot are already on the way. I would hope that a good 80% will be finished by the end of the year and probably a lot that were not even on the list will grace the wargaming table.

5. Paint a number of projects together.

I find that painting a number of projects together means that I get them finished quicker as I undercoat them all at once, paint the flesh on all of them and so on. I also get bored VERY easily (this is about the fourth go at writing this blog) so I need the variety of jumping from one project to the next.

6. Look at the finished product.

Paint a few figures to completion first. This works for me on a few fronts. Firstly I have now worked out the order of painting things and secondly I get inspired to finish them as I look at the final product while I am still painting the bulk of them.

7. Do a little bit on a regular basis.

I undercoat all of the figures I am working on with Tamiya TS3, black wash them all, and then paint the flesh colour.

I then try and paint one colour a night on every figure. By that I mean paint all of the white on the figures one night and all of the red the next night and so on. You will find that by the end of the week you have most of the basics on each figure done as there is rarely more than seven colours on a figure (if there is think about how many you actually need). This then just leaves higlighting and washes to finish the work.

Not sure how good this stuff is but it has helped me…………….. I think.

Wow something new and shiny. Must paint that!!!

As a Management Consultant in my professional work I will often talk about how you get things done by:

1. Plan ahead;
2. Do a lot in a short period of time;
3. Get a team, friend or colleague involved;
4. Work through your own negativity;
5. Break tasks into manageable parts;
6. Give yourself reminders;
7. Plan to complete the task at the last minute (as this is what always happens!).

I think all of these are included in how I approach my mountain of lead and plastic.

Anyway back to meditating under my pyramid in the temple!!!