Tracking my painting progress

Some of you may recall a while ago I mentioned I was going to try and get involved in a painting competition over the Olympics.

So, how did that go?

Bother.

Anyhow, I think I have managed to use the time a little more productively:

As this floor is no longer waist deep in junk, I feel like I'm getting some progress! However, there is a pile of boxes as tall as I am around the corner to the left, and I still have to neaten the bookcase, plus a further bookcase downstairs. Still, I feel some sense of achievement.

I've also finally got a spreadsheet together to keep track of all my projects.

The way this works is that it doesn't simply count the number of models I still have to finish. Effectively, painting a single model to tabletop standard is one "point". Assembly, or prep work, similarly, take about the same amount of effort.

From then, anything more fiddly or awkward gets a proportionately larger amount of points - similarly, something I want to put a load more detail into gets a ton of points as well. The biggest painting job, points wise, is the Black Reach Ork Warboss I have which I want to paint up like the Eavy Metal Masterclass book. I'm skimping on the conversion work they did for the sake of my sanity, but I've assigned a couple of points per page of instructions in the book for a massive total of ten points - not to count the couple I've assigned to clear up, green stuff any gaps and undercoat him.

My total count comes to around 804 points, which is around 13 months work for me alone working at the pace I was at when prepping up for Throne of Skulls at the start of the year.

Lets just say I'm not at that pace yet. I have no idea how many models it is, but its a lot. I may want to think of some way of adding a model tracker as well, but that might also make me sad...

Still, my first goal is to start by trying to get more done than I buy, which I'm aiming for this month. The kitbash test models I picked up earlier in the month amount to 16 points. (Because the kitbash experiments will take time, and I also want to paint them up to a decent standard for the blog & the bits people I bought the parts from.)

In an effort to get my first point done, I've started work on an Empire Battle Wizard for my beloved wife. Well, I'm doing the prep work and assembly, in exchange for the rest of the bits in the kit. She got given it at the Golden Demon Masterclass she went to!

The wife painting, at GW in Nottingham.

Anyhow, they did freehand on the back of a wizard's cloak, but got given the box with the second wizard and all the bits.

I immediately coveted all the bits. Negotiation then occurred. I get the bits if I assemble the other one for her to paint for ebay.

The first one is still a work in progress, and I got sulked at when I asked if I could take a photo of the work in progress with my terrible photography skills and camera!

Here is a photo Sim took on the day, comparing her freehand to Joe's.

So, I have tried a little blu-tack to see what the second wizard would look like when assembled. I had the idea of using the potion bottle to make it look like something has just exploded in the wizard's face! However, I'm really not sure if the pose of the model will allow it, so I'm going to show it to Sim later and see what she thinks. I currently think the hand with the potion bottle is just too high and I can't incline the neck high enough to make it work...

Yeah, I'm not convinced...

So, finally, there is movement on the modelling / painting front, if epicly slow. Lets see if I can at least end the month with as much work as I started the month with...