Painting Log: 2019

With year-end, time to take stock of the progress made in getting figures painted and onto the table.  Well, painted anyway since getting figures onto the gaming table is sometimes a challenge.  Less of a challenge this year than in years past, though.  I managed at least 26 games not counting a number of solo games and several multi-game sessions which I counted as one.  In that respect, 2019 was a leap forward in gaming activity.  Let's see if I can keep the momentum rolling in 2020.

On the painting front, 2019 exceeded my expectations on the number of figures passing across the painting desk.  Back in January, I posted a goal of 900 figures for the year.  I ended 2019 at a count of 1,630 figures painted.  As my grandfather was oft to say when playing bridge with him, "you have grossly underbid, kid."  That perhaps is the case but this year's totals are a bit of an anomaly, I think.  I don't expect such output in 2020.

Before focusing in on the 2019 painting activity, let me bring up a historical perspective of my painting output.  The chart below illustrates painting production for the years 1995 to 2019 by era.  Looking at the number of tightly-packed bars, each containing a number of eras in a kaleidoscope of colors, it is hard to believe that I have been tracking these data for 25 years.  It is a colorful picture.

Looking at the stacked bars, some years show more diversity in eras worked than others.  2019 was certainly a year of project diversity.  2019 saw thirteen eras receiving attention with some eras experiencing work in more than one scale.  It is fun to look back through the years and witness the ebb and flow of projects as chronicled within the Painting Log.   

When viewed from a Painting Point basis, output has been relatively consistent since 2008 hovering around 4,000 painting points per year.  The graphic certainly leads one to infer that productivity experienced a regime switch between 2007 and 2008. 

From the perspective of painting and scale, effort continues to focus on either 15/18mm or 25/28mm.  2019 saw a bit more diversity in that six different scales crossed the painting desk.  Diversity is good, right?

When digging into the details of 2019, are there trends to be discovered or simply a random parade of figures across the painting table?

First, it looks like I really dug in and got busy in October and November.  Those two blips are driven primarily on getting some 10mm ACW troops into the painting queue.  Second, a mix of projects tends to see action each month without a clear focus on any one.  I suppose that helps keep interest and painting motivation high.

So, a bit random with some focus...

Looking at 2019 as a whole, the Franco-Austrian War and the American Civil War projects take top honors with about 340 figures each completed.  The Seven Years War, Punic Wars, and Suvorov's 1799 projects round out the Top 5 in figure counts.  The Punic Wars project is no surprise since 2019 was spent fielding Celts for a potential Telamon refight.  I averaged one unit per month of Celts coming off the painting desk.  Good to see the mainstays of my 15/18mm projects, 1799, 1859, and SYW consistently in the mix.  I never seem to run out of these figures in The Lead Pile!   

When examined by scale, it is no surprise that 15/18mm takes top honors at just over 50% of total activity given the focus on the three 15/18mm projects highlighted above.

Well, that puts another year into the books with respect to painting effort.  2019 was a productive year at the painting desk with more figures completed than imagined at the start of the year.  What will 2020 hold on the painting front?  More of the same with a mix of projects and scales working through the painting queue.  Very little chance of duplicating the 2019 effort but a target of 1,000 figures seems doable in 2020. 

Happy New Year and May Your Brushes be Sharp in 2020!