Painting Figures

I am getting to work on my next two battalions of 15mm French, 12 figures per battalion. I have in the past painted brigades for Napoleon’s Battles at 24 figures each, and later, 32 figure battalions for Sam Mustafa’s Lasalle. For my new collection, I am painting smaller units for several reasons: they are quicker to paint, which encourages me to keep going; they require fewer figures, which allows me to use the odds and ends I have left over; and finally, they take less table space, which allows more room for maneuver. Large battalions look impressive on the table, but too many of them, and you end up with both armies wall to wall, and the only option is to charge straight ahead.

What I wanted to write about today however, is two methods I have used to mount figures for painting. The first method I have used since I began in 1989, which is to mount the figures on popsicle sticks or tongue depressors. The depressors are better than the popsicle sticks I began with, but they can still cause fatigue in the hand that holds the stick.

Some time in the late 1990s I was acquainted with a gentleman in San Diego named James Hansen, who was a beginner painter and avid wargamer. In his case, being a beginner was an asset, because he came up with the brilliant idea of gluing 4 popsicle sticks in a hashtag (#) arrangement. This makes for a comfortable, ergonomic handle for holding the figures for painting. I have used it ever since, at least for my 15mm figures, where mass production is the key.

For 25 mm figures, I fix them to 20mm washers, and I handle them individually. When I return to them, I should look into a form of wooden handle with rare earth magnets, or a medicine bottle with poster putty. I have read about some painters mounting their figures on roofing nails, so that they can rotate the figures to access all sides of each figure, but I am in the business of mass production of my battalions, and am fine with a few highlights and picking out those few details (like Shako cords) that really stand out.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite method of painting that you would like to share?