Clearing Your Piles O'Lead, Part 1
Clearing Your Piles O'Lead, Part 2

Well, time's up on my little deadline, and I have to report that I didn't accomplish my assigned goal of finishing off my ACW minis. Still, I did clean up my work area (some...but right now you wouldn't know it!) and I did get enough forces in at least one era (1/6000th Hallmark naval minis), and I've also come up with a plan of action to continue whittling down my lead pile. Why haven't I accomplished my tasks? For starters, in the last month I have had a golden opportunity to start a miniatures gaming group in my hometown. That's right, there will be historical gaming in Muskegon, again. Well, more than just me and my buddy at any rate. That has prompted us to start recruiting new players. More about that another time. That has prompted us to start painting more 15mm troopies for World War II actions. That, in turn, has taken time away from what had been my primary goal -- finishing the ACW.

Looking at the blocks today I see that I have indeed made progress -- good progress in fact. There is far less white space showing on the blocks of minis. There is still a lot to go, but I'm proud of the serious progress I've made. I'm also proud of the fact that I've at least started on the clean-up process (whether I can keep it going is another question). I've also developed a better understanding of what I need to finish some of my painting projects. I have also gotten new, or renewed ideas on how to improve my work area.

Lessons Learned

1. DEADLINES: Deadlines can be both a positive and a negative thing. Obviously, I wasn't under a convention or other deadline for my assigned project. Still, it was a good exercise in how much work painting minis really is. When you are doing it for fun, not for a specified time goal, it seems to be more enjoyable and less stressful than when it becomes work. I think if I had a real deadline (kind of like now), I'm pretty sure I can crank out minis fast and well painted. Still, I'm glad I don't have to do this on a regular basis. I tip my hat to those of you who are professional painters and do this for a living.

2. WORKSPACE: I can't deny that a clean workspace is important to efficient project flow. There are still things I'd like to accomplish for my work area. On the opposite side of the basement, where my grandfathers workbench is, there resides an old TV cabinet that I'm going to turn into a miniatures storage cabinet one of these years (decades, centuries, eons?). Actually, that one I might try and tackle before summer gets into high gear. I'd also like a paint rack. That little project I might conquer in the next couple of weeks. I'm also going to come up with a more permanent system of holding my 15mm In Process miniatures. Currently, I glue them on to nail heads and push these into blocks of Styrofoam. It works nice, but the blocks tend to wear out. The answer is to get a 2 x 4, cut it into manageable sections, and drill holes into it to accept the nails. The last thing I'm probably going to do is make some storage for minis that are finished, but not mounted yet. I might just use some of the existing small cabinets and drawers to hold these guys until I can finish them up.

3. SCHEDULE: Planning to sit down and paint at a certain time of the week is definitely a great idea. By planning to work one day, or at a time of day, I found that I can relax a little more and enjoy painting. I can take it in more manageable bites over time than sitting down once or twice a week, or month and pounding out whatever I can in sweat-soaked marathons (OK, maybe not sweat soaked marathons. I don't think any of us work THAT hard at this!).

I'm going to continue this practice when and where possible. I'm also going to continue planning my projects out a little. I think its helpful to at least finishing off your work. If you have a schedule or timeline worked out for the things you want to accomplish, it gives you a goal. Recognizable goals are a big help in completing the work you have before you. Something else that helps a lot is a little self-discipline when you go into a hobby shop, or at the dealer room at the convention. OK, OK, I know it's darn near impossible to do, but it can help a lot if you go in with a shopping list and at least make an honest attempt at controlling the urge to buy more lead. After all, you don't need more minis that will serve nicely as reactor shielding or an extra layer of protection in the old fallout shelter, but you probably won't get to for the next five to 10 years. Limit your purchases as much as possible to things you really need to finish up your current forces. Look at it this way: If you finish off more of your lead, you can then buy more minis at the con to paint.

Well, I hope I've been of some help to a few of you. This has been a learning experience for me, and has given me new insights and ideas for tackling my painting projects. Aside from the storage issue, one other thing I'd like to do is set up a working library for my painting table, with reference books and information I'll need while working. Heck, I might even put a PC down there linked to the Internet (yeah right, might as well wish for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model buddy). That and some place to put my rules and terrain, and I'll be all set.

More Piles O'Lead

Clearing Your Piles O'Lead, Part 1 (Herald 44)
Clearing Your Piles O'Lead, Part 2 (Herald 45)
Clearing Your Piles O'Lead, Part 3 (Herald 46)