Sometimes, no matter how prepared you are to paint your next army - - all the figures could be cleaned of flash, primed, guidebooks ready with uniform data -- mentally, you're not ready. You just look at the figures and shudder. You find excuses not to ... that History Channel special looks interesting, you've got errands to run, and so on.

I've found the key to persevering on a project is keeping yourself inspired to paint. Here are some tips that usually keep me primed to crank out that next batch of miniatures:

Paint In Smaller Batches

Some painters are machines and will gladly 11 assembly line" hundred of figures, painting all the flesh, then all the blue, etc. I can't imagine anything that would sap my will to paint more quickly. Instead, I like to do batches of 8 - 12 miniatures at a time. That way, I see progress -- finished figures -- all along. For example, while gearing yourself up for that unit of Viking Huscarles, you can pick up those Berserkers you just painted and eyeball them. The pageantry of painted miniatures thrills us. Seeing part of your army ready to take the field can inspire you to sit down at the painting table and speed more of them on their way. Another advantage of smaller batches, especially with regimental armies like those of the Horse and Musket period, is you can start playing with them sooner as units are finished.

Read an Appropriate Book

I find it I read a book about the army I'm painting, its nation, or even just set in that time period, it inspires me to paint more often. I love historical fiction; the way it immerses you in that world. Painting corresponding soldiers adds a new dimension to the reading experience, too. You see a bit of the world "come alive" before your eyes. I owe my Greek Hoplites -- especially their detailed, individual shield patterns - to Mary Renault's novels set in Ancient Greece. I don't know if I would have been as diligent about making each shield unique if I wasn't living, breathing and sleeping Ancient Greece at that time. Non-fiction works just as well, too. As I was painting my Dark Age Byzantines and their Vandal and Goth enemies last year, I was enjoying John Julius Norwich's "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall." Try tailoring your reading to what you're painting and watch the results.

Mix It Up

If you're working on a massive project, and are bored with painting in general (you can't bear the sight of another Napoleonic foot soldier), try alternating batches from a different project. Most of us are interested in multiple periods and armies anyway, so use this to your advantage. Currently, for every batch of Vikings I paint, I follow it up with a batch of Seven Years War Austrians. This also allows me to keep two projects going simultaneously. They say "variety is the spice" -- let it keep up your appetite for painting.

If anyone else has tips on inspiring yourself to paint more often, feel free to send them in. I will print them in this column.