I have been painting military miniatures for at least three years. I have been painting at a demon's pace and can't seem to stop. Am I possessed with an insane desire to wield a paint brush, or am I just having fun? At this time my armies number 6,000 strong. 1500 of them are of the larger 25mm scale, while the rest are 15mm sized. I started painting figures for the D&D game but soon found that historical miniatures made the greatest fantasy figures. It was not long before I found myself painting historical armies. That's when I switched to the 15mm guys. Who knows how much money I have squandered on my new armies? It seems like even before I am finished with one army that I have to buy another army or two. Am I addicted? At least I'm having fun. I have no idea of when, nor do I see an end to the painting ahead. There must be at least 1500 more to go. I just can't seem to stop. Is there any end in sight? What keeps me going? What makes it so enjoyable? I do enjoy the feeling each time I add a new finished army to my collection. I also enjoy the pleasure of knowing that my armies continue to grow with each brush stroke. I also like the way they look on parade, and then there is the thrill I get when they are on the field in battle array. I have no shortage of opponents when I face myself in battle, and it is never the same armies fighting each other all the time either. Painting armies can become a chore if you let it. I have found a few secrets that make the job more enjoyable: 1. I find a large selection of colors make painting more interesting. Painting regular troops can be a real chore, especially if each man is the same color as the next. With irregular barbarian armies it's no problem switching colors half way down the line. And I frequently switch colors. This helps make barbarian armies look even more barbaric. I highly recommend having several shades of each color, especially browns. Even with drab colors some stunning effects can be achieved if there is a large variety of color. 2. I make a game out of painting. I keep score to see which of my armies is the largest. So far my Arabs are in the lead with 1004 men. Then there is my weekly painting contest. In my best week I finished 154 figures. Doing little things like that help keep my interest up.  3. When the point comes when I just can't stand the thought of picking up a paint brush and painting another figure, I do something else like making scenery, or another wargaming project. Currently I am making a portable wargaming table. The apartment I am living in has little space and a portable wargaming table would be very useful. Then you can fight a few more battles with friends or self. That always helps get me back into the painting mood. 4. Finally it is up to you to set your own painting standards. I don't let anyone tell me how I am supposed to paint my armies. I paint them to please myself. Furthermore I am lavish in my praise when I am looking over another guy's army. I am always ready to offer encouragement to those who are thinking about painting their own. And it is easy. Being a braggart, I am always ready to show off my troops. I find that actions speak louder than words especially when it comes to showing off my hoard. And when all else fails, there is no better way to get me back into that painting mood than showing off my armies to the world. Back to MWAN # 41 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1989 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com