Painting Log 2020: A Year in Review

Figure 1

Time once again for the annual Painting Log review.

While the year limped out with only 67 figures crossing the painting desk in December, November overcompensated with an output of over 200 painted figures (see Figure 1 for monthly totals).  Unless I step it up, January will look much more like December than November.

As always, there was a unit or two nearing completion at the end of the year that just could not quite make it across the finish line.  These laggards will muster out later in the year.   Still, 2020 witnessed a very productive year at the painting desk.  While 2020 did not produce the largest productivity with respect to actual figure count, the year did produce my largest total in Painting Points as adjusted for figure size.   In summary, 2020 saw,

Total Number of figures painted: 1,412 figures and 44 pieces of equipment.

Total Number of Adjusted Painting Points: 6,076.

While figure count was down from 2019 (1,456 vs 1,630), Adjusted Painting Points actually increased by about 34% (6,076 vs 4,530) over 2019. That painting point count placed 2020 in the top spot of the largest annual total since I began tracking such things more than twenty-five years ago.  I've been tracking this for 25 years?  I know, some will think this madness. 

What do 25 years of painting log summaries look like graphically?  Well, Figure 2 provides a good indication of total figure counts by year.  Thrown into the mix in Figure 2 is the breakdown of yearly totals by gaming era.  While 2020 saw a large variety of figures cross over to the completed side of the ledger, Biblicals, with a concentration of fielding a Hittite Army, and the 1799 project saw better than their fair share of activity. 

Figure 2

When viewed from a Painting Points perspective, these 25 years look like Figure 3.  Now, the all-time high in painting points can clearly be seen for 2020.

Figure 3

With the variety of projects seeing work at the painting desk in 2020, which projects saw the most attention?  Figure 4 details that result.

Figure 4

As noted earlier, Biblicals and 1799 garnered the largest slices but a lot of variety is present.  This is a nice mix of projects and a blend that prevents me from becoming bored or unmotivated at the workbench. 

With respect to figure size, my 2020 painting effort was well balanced with about an even 45% split between 15/18mm and 25/28mm.  That is nice.  See Figure 5.

Figure 5

As I mentioned in last year's 2019 wrap-up, I did not believe this level of productivity sustainable.  Therefore, I set my 2020 goal to about 900 figures.  I estimated too low once again for 2020.  Given that the last two months have seen a huge increase in remote gaming, I expect painting time to decrease.  For 2021, I lower the bar to a goal of 1,000 figures.  

Having hit the Hittite goal of a new, 20-unit army in 2020, I plan to tackle a similar, new army project for 2021.  Of course, more Hittites and other Biblicals will make their way across the painting desk but I think another new Biblical army for 2021 is in order.