Painting Log 2021

The counts are in for the 2021 Painting Campaign.  

While I did not proclaim a figure count goal for 2021, I expected a total of near 900 figures would be a reasonable objective.  With an expectation for a steady diet of remote games (right!) and no new projects on the horizon (wrong!), I set my sights on a slightly lower total than the previous years.

What I did not expect was an explosion of remote gaming and two new projects.  Of the two new projects begun in 2021, the War of the Roses project wrapped up by year-end and the Sumerian project is making good progress.  As seen from the following charts, both War of The Roses and Sumerians made up a big chunk of 2021 output.

On to the numbers. 

The totals for 2021 were 1,103 painted figures amassing 4,297 Painting Points.  Much better than expected and certainly a nice sum.  Now, if I could only restrict new projects and new purchases so that I can make dent in The Lead Pile. 

Figure 1

When looking at painting production by era, Figure 1 confirms that WotR and Sumerian projects did, indeed, represent most of my painting output.  There were some Hittites in the Biblical grouping as well.  ACW was up there in figure count too but at 10mm, the figures do not count much in either time spent or painting points.  

Figure 2

Breaking painting totals down by scale, Figure 2 illustrates that 25/28mm projects dominated my efforts.  Surprisingly, 15/18mm figures saw very little activity in 2021.  Something I need to correct for 2022 to bring about more balance.  

Figure 3

On a Painting Point basis, Figure 3 demonstrates the usefulness of translating actual figures counts to Painting Points.  Both the WotR and Sumerian projects see their weight expand at the expense of the smaller (in size) projects.  With a translation from Actual to Painting Points, the WotR project's effort increases from about 28% of total effort up to 37% of total effort.

Figure 4

Converting the figure counts from Actuals to Painting Points (see Figure 4), the 25/28mm projects expand their percentage of effort (84.2%) while the 10mm ACW projects gets squeezed due to the heavier weighting of 25/28mm figures over 10mm figures.

With no new projects planned for 2022, what can I expect on the painting front? I have many projects that may contend for my time at the painting desk but laying down a few priorities may help maintain some focus.  Many of these projects already are in a gameable state with the exception of the Sumerian project which needs more units to field two playable armies.  Getting close but not quite yet on that one.  Where should I spend my painting efforts in 2022?

• Finish enough Sumerians to field two armies.
• Build a SYW French army in 18mm to complement my Prussian and Austrian armies.
• Expand the Biblical armies with additions to Hittites, Egyptians, and Babylonians.
• Expand the Samurai armies to include foot and mounted Samurai bowmen.
• Given the figure size mix from 2021, try to paint more 15/18mm figures than 25/28mm figures. 

If all goes well with the above list, perhaps 2022 is the year I begin a Trojan War project or expand the Franco-Austrian War project into the Franco-Prussian War by beginning a Prussian army?  Time will tell.  Since figures for both the Trojans and Prussians are already languishing in The Lead Pile, try to resist starting a new project requiring new figures.  We will see how that goes.

What are your painting plans for 2022?