If you are like most wargamers you can't wait to get your army painted and on the table top for the next game. How many times have all of us passed up the opportunity to break into a new gaming period simply because we just could not find the time to paint an army.
The purpose of this article is to examine various techniques for painting mass armies in the quickest fashion possible while still adhering to detail and authenticity. Another name for this technique is battery painting and the objective is to paint several figures at once, cutting the time usually taken by a considerable amount.
Two Rules
There are two key rules when painting instant armies. First, never try to paint too many figures at one time. Second, take time to plan out how you will approach painting the army, and fix a time schedule.
The reason you should never try to paint too many figures at once falls under Hadley's Law of Diminishing Enthusiasm. How many Old Guard Grenadiers can you paint before you loose interest? The longer you spend with one figure or even one unit the less you want to work with it. I would suggest never painting more than ten foot figures or five mounted figures at a time. The five figure rule should be followed with armor.
It is also easier to vary the order of the units: 10 Grenadiers followed by 10 Austrian Jaegers, followed by 5 Russian Hussars. This variety will add a refreshing aspect to the whole process. One word of caution -- never paint a variety of units from different armies of various historical periods at the same time. This practice has led many a sincere painter down the path of having 40 armies started with none completed.
Planning
This insight brings me to the second rule. Plan how you are going to paint your army. An hour's planning will save you 20 hours down the road. The trick to good planning is being consistent. Once you have established a good game plan stay with it.
First, write down the nationalities and time period of the armies you wish to paint. Under each army write down the units that comprise each army. I have found that a very basic army works best. This stops me from painting 17 Guard units before I start on basic line troops. Second, breakdown the total number of units by time factors.
For example, one battalion of the 78th Infantry of the Line, French, 1812, will have 36 figures plus cadre. If you can paint 10 figures a week then schedule that unit to be finished in one month. If you plan to paint two or three units at the same time simply add all of their times together and make the adjustment. Third, make sure that you complete the first units that are slated for painting. This really takes discipline, but it will pay off as you see your army begin to grow.
The practical application of battery painting is a basic process filled with short cuts, but the first step must be done exactly according to the game plan. Be sure to carefully examine and clean each figure before beginning. Since the key word in battery painting is speed, figures that are not cleaned properly can have disasterous effects.
After cleaning the figures take five of them and mount them on a heavy piece of cardboard six inches long by 2 inches wide. Use Elmers glue to bond them, but give it at least 12 hours to dry. Then take a large brush, usually a three, and apply a white base coat. If you use a water based paint,it will dry quickly. Make sure that it is properly thinned so that it does not build up in the undercuts of the figures.
Proper Guides
The next step consists of examining the figures to be painted and having the proper Painting guide. List on a separate sheet of paper the colors you will be using and then next to each color list which part of each f igure will be painted that color.
Let's use Austrian Jaegers as an example: Start with the flesh color and cover the face and hands. Start from the left and go to right of the cardboard base. Paint only one side of each figure then switch the figures around and do the other side. A perfect job is not necessary since later colors will cover any paint that might have run over to other parts of the figure.
The key is to paint all the parts of the figure that must be painted in a specific color. Use this technique with all ten of the Jaegers. By the time you have returned to the first figure that you painted, it is dry and you are ready to apply a second color. Always paint your figures as you dress in the morning -- from the inside out. The order should run something like this: face, hair, shirt, pants, belts straps, and finally, weapons. When a lighter color has to be applied to a darker one make sure that the darker color is completely dry. If not the darker color may bleed into the lighter one. Do all detail work last (emblems, brass buttons, ect.) since it will take the longest amount of time and can be lost more easily if you make a mistake.
Give your finished pieces 24 hours to dry then carefully examine each piece. Because of the speed in which battery painting is done there will be parts of certain figures that will have to be retouched. Try the same style and format used earlier and touch up each one.
At this point we have a basic paint job that is totally acceptable for the wargaming table. But what if I want something special? There is a method for quick detailing of a figure which is achieved by using the basic wash technique.
Speed
For speed the best technique is simple shading. Mix a darker color with your base color. This is almost always black except for red and yellow where you would use brown. After the paint has been mixed add either turpentine for oil based paints or water for water based paints until a transparent mixture is acheived. Put this mixture on the brush and dab it onto the figure. The paint will gather in the folds of the figure producing a nicely shaded look. Always start with a very translucent mixture as it is easy to apply several coats, but very difficult to lighten an area that is too dark.
One can also shade the face and give the appearance of eyes and a mouth using the same method. Use a medium brown mixture and lightly brush it across the face. If you have over shaded take a dry brush and dab the tip on the areas that have too much shading mixture. The brush will soak up the excess paint giving you the proper effect. One important point to keep in mind is that all basic colors should be completely dry before using the wash shading technique so that the colors do not blend.
What type of paints should be used in battery painting? I use water based paints almost exclusively. Water based paints dry quickly with a minimum amount of fuss. Since battery painted figures are usually done with basic colors water based paints are ideal.
By using the techniques described above you will speed up the normal painting process making it much more fun. And you have the added advantage of being able to game with your army that much quicker.
Painting Series
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