Retrospective - 2021

 Going to take a moment out of the normal posts and write a bit of a retrospective about just what I managed to do painting-wise for 2021.

I started the year with a sort-of goal of one miniature per week. I didn't reach that (at the time of writing). Am I sad about this? Not at all. I've had far less painting time this year than last, I still managed a good number done (for me), and I also painted quite a variety. From Sons of Horus, to Allarus Custodians, various planes for Aeronautica Imperialis, a Lamenter, the Sanguinor, Assault Intercessors, and of course finishing Horus.

All of these models offered different colours to work with, different textures to explore, and allowed more practice with the airbrush. Then there's Project 20 Marines, which is still ongoing. While that project was originally just intended to get numbers done, it's become an exploration of batch painting, efficiency in painting, and how well my formula of painting Blood Angels holds up. Fairly well, fortunately, which makes them much easier to progress with - I'm not constantly thinking of how to paint something, instead just getting something done. On those areas where I need to consider it a bit more, I can just keep going with something else while mulling over the options. After all the fun of the other models during the year, it's actually relaxing now to just painting something familiar for a little while. Maybe I can always have about 10 in the background on the go in future - painting I can get done without constantly considering.

And this leads into perhaps the most important thing at the end of the year: am I still as motivated to paint now, as when I was at the start of the year? Yes. Absolutely. I might have been less so if I'd forced myself to get models done just for some arbitrary "one model per week" idea - that helped keep me going as a great-if-I-could goal, but it should never come at the cost of actually enjoying the hobby.

It has now come to a point of next year. I would like to try for one model a week again, if only to help clear the backlog. I would however also like to explore different styles of painting, different approaches to textures, and maybe pushing myself a little on things I've not done much of before, e.g object source lighting, more NMM, that sort of thing. There's also the recent grimdark style from Trovarion that would look great on Death Guard, or some other models I have in mind. Just to mix it up a little.

Some discipline in only buying one new model for every two painted has been a good choice. I've curbed my hoarding, and started to really think about whether I really want those certain models or not. The main benefit behind all of this is again related to motivation: seeing piles of miniatures in boxes is actually a little disheartening, where as seeing a shelf of painted models just wants me to get more done.

There are some side projects that I've started and made some progress on, but haven't mentioned on this blog at all. There are reasons for this, but they're very slow moving because I've been wanting to do other things instead. They'll appear here eventually.

And the Thunderhawk isn't paused either. Actually that's something I'm thinking about the next steps for, but with a bit of luck won't be too far out.

Highlight of the year has to be getting Horus finished, and not just finished but actually looking as well as I wanted him to turn out. Very pleased with that, made the long time spent on him well worth it.

-- silly painter.