We’re close to the end of the year, and this photo represents almost everything I painted in 2023. These are only finished projects, and I've got a few that are still in progress as I couldn't keep interest in them long enough to finish, but it sure doesn't seem like a lot.
So what have I learned? I had the most fun with the larger miniatures, the vehicles and the monsters, especially the dragon. Of the smaller miniatures, I had the most fun with the Zombicide Abominations and I'm happy to say I have even more to paint from the Kickstarter. I'm the least happy with the Zombicide zombies and the heroes as I tried using slapchop to varying degrees of success. It doesn't bother me that the zombies don't look great, but they're way too dark. I've got even more, so I'm going to try batch painting them using a different method next year.
I think one of the more valuable things I got out of this exercise was learning to refrain from purchasing miniatures when I don't need them and to focus on what I like to paint. I got a wild hair the other week and suddenly felt like painting Blood Bowl....of course I bought a new Blood Bowl game, but baby steps. I'm pretty sure I bought fewer miniatures than I painted this year. A lot of my costs this year, $1,300.01 in miniatures alone, were actually very large single models like the Gargantuan Red Dragon from WizKids. I haven't painted it yet, so you don't see it pictured below. Will paint in 2024.