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The end result is very motivating, but it the getting there that is the crux. Time is precious with 2 kids and a wife.

Here's how I've been getting them done:

1. motivation that a tourney my buddies want to get into (I hate having an unpainted rabble on the board)

2. small chunks of time for small chunks of models. Set out 3 - 5. No more than that. HIDE THE REST.

3. assembly line the models. Base coat, wash, layer etc, so that by the time you're done with #3, #1 is ready to go for the next step.

And that's how I've gotten more done in the last month than I have in the previous year. You don't have to dedicate an entire night to it, just spend 2 hours a sitting. It helps keep you fresh. And I've found 2 hours is enough time for me to listen to and digest a new album I've bought. (I always paint with headphones on, helps minimize distractions.)

Hope this helps. Cheers

I forced myself to get better and practice more because I got tired of losing to a great local player. Now I only play painted armies. It is fun, relaxing, and therapeutic. A great motivator is taking pictures of the models you painted, even if you think they are not great. Keep a file of them, and then you can look back and really see your progress. Honestly that has been the biggest motivator for me. Here are some examples of my progress of older 2012 to more recent 2015
My first model ever. Not doing these to "show off" just more of a progress and examples of learning new techniques and styles works great.



2013, then 2015

2012, then 2014,

Then 2015, my favorite

Clean painting area, and making sure I'm in a good mood when I start painting. Painting little at a time, a few hours a day and stopping when you notice you start taking shortcuts and being shoddy.

Painting in small batches ( 10 marines max for example. )

Nothing, which is why I have so many unpainted models

There was a time I was motivated by not wanting to play with unpainted models, but now I have one painted army for 40k and another for WHFB that motivation is gone.

I enjoy painting 1 or 2 models in a unit, so I have no problem doing that. Painting a whole squad/regiment is just a painful chore.

The modelling side of the hobby is a huge downside for me. I think it is one of the reasons GW is sliding actually. I don't want to have to put in 5 hours of work for every freaking box I buy. That's ridiculous.

Sheer boredom. When I get around to finding a job, I can't imagine how long it'll take me to paint anything

Spare time. A rare and valuable commodity for me these days :(

My motivation to paint....

UNPAINTED MODELS!

The day I paint all the models that I own, I will no longer be motivated to paint. I may have to live to be as old as Commander Dante for that to happen, though.

I actually have fun looking at sprues and imagining the pieces assembled together and painted. When I actually have the time to do that, I'm a pretty happy guy End of last year, I actually consciously declined a whole lot of work (that would have been extremely profitable) so that I would have more time for hobby. I mean, I don't want to be 85 one day and say, damn, I wish I had finished those Nids.

I have a table full of gray miniatures that just disgust me when I see them. I painted a good portion of my army within a few months of acquiring them, and now I just let the rest sit. I need to get back into it again. I just got really bored with painting TONS of Power Armor bodies. I have started rebasing the ones I have painted so I can say the models are actually done. I also need to get to work on all of my vehicles. As of now I have to paint Pedro Kantor, 10 Sternguard, 5 Honour Guard (I need to rip two swords off and give them Power Mauls), 5 Assault Terminators, 5 unbuilt Devastators, two Land Speeder Typhoons, a Stormtalon, three Rhinos/Razorbacks, and an unbuilt Land Raider Redeemer. I am probably forgetting something in there too, and that is just depressing. At least some of these things are primed. I know I would do a lot better if I had an airbrush, but those are so expensive.

Painting itself is the motivation for me. Thats my 'go to' hobby for some relaxation. Nothing beats finishing a squad and feeling satisfied with your efforts.

6 years ago, I bought 40k models to build and paint. I wanted to get good so I bought the models, tools, brushes, paints, etc. I practiced. I told my self that if i got gud at painting like a pro then I could earn good money.

6 years latter. I paint well but I am not a pro because I dont have or use an air brush. Seriously, nearly all the good painted armies are airbrushed and completed faster than regular brush painting.

1. I've entered a tournament at the end of the year that requires 1850 points of painted miniatures.
2. I enter online Army Painting Challenges and Competitions
3. I've always wanted a fully painted army.
4. It was a bit of a pain at first, now I enjoy it, especially when I'm adding the final details.

One of my serious peeves in the hobby is unpainted models, no matter how much I love it I can't bring myself to field an unpainted model.

So I paint them as quickly as possible.

That and I also just enjoy painting miniatures in general.

It is a lot more important to me that a person's army is assembled than it is that it is painted. Army painting is often an ongoing and time consuming process. Perish the thought that people devote their free time to things other than a hobby. I don't like seeing a sea of gray anymore than the next person, but let's not pretend that everyone has the time, energy, and money to get a fully painted army on the board. I don't mind seeing varying degrees of completion (blank, primed, basecoated, and complete), as long as it looks like they are making an effort.

 Talys wrote:
My motivation to paint....

UNPAINTED MODELS!

The day I paint all the models that I own, I will no longer be motivated to paint. I may have to live to be as old as Commander Dante for that to happen, though.

Amen.

My motivation to paint the mandollies comes from wanting to put them on the table, and a complete inability to want to use them until painted. Never will I place an unpainted model on the table. To do so is an insult to the memory of my grandfather who probably put this mindset into my head.

I’m not motivated, I’m driven by an unstoppable need to paint!

I also love playing against painted armies. Amazing paint jobs, tabletop paint jobs, sub tabletop paint jobs. That part doesn't matter to me. If they are painted it makes the game more enjoyable to me.

I recommend looking into the tips folks have on how to paint things as easy as possible.

For instance, I like to just use Shades over white primer as the base for a lot of my models. Its is super quick and easy. It might not look A+, but knowing that I will be "done" can be very motivating.

A sense of completion/satisfaction with a finished squad/army usually keeps me going.
Laying out a fully painted army on display or for a game still gives me that "darn cool" feeling.

After each army/project, I give my work space a complete tidy and clean, wash my cutting mat, and hoover the entire room very thoroughly. Then I buy a new standard and detail brush. Then I get started on the next project in a clean, uncluttered environment (which doesn't last long as it's also my dressing room).