High Elf Speed Painting

Given all of the years I have been painting miniatures, the actual number of finished pieces is surprisingly few.  Though this often stemmed from wavering motivation, I think I can properly attribute much of this to the nature of my painting style.  For the most part I'm a slow, deliberate painter, striving for perfection within my limited skill set.  In terms of quality final pieces, this has served me well - I was quite happy with both of the miniatures that I painted in 2011.

However, when you're looking to game with a painted force, two painted figures a year is simply unacceptable.  So, starting with my Mordheim warband, I've decided to tinker with some quick painting techniques.  While I've made a few false starts at this in the past, those efforts mostly revolved around me trying to apply paint quickly, and as a result, somewhat haphazardly.  The explosion in popularity of the "dip method," whether using wood varnish or the tailored Army Painter product, has given a reliable alternative though.  Enhancing this style of painting are the current Games Workshop washes, which behave very similarly to the various dips, but give you the benefit of a much broader range of colors, thereby preventing your figure from having a single, overall muddy tone.  I've opted for the GW route, and the two figures shown here have been basecoated and await their washes.

The problem I've encountered with this technique - though I suppose the same would be true with any quick painting technique - is that I need to force myself to not abide by my normal, obsessive approach.  Slightly painting out of the lines will be covered up by the washes and a figure that is effectively just basecoated and shaded is fine for a gaming figure - at least that's what I tell myself.  :)