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i would like to know how long some of you guys have been painting, modeling and battling wit your 40k minis, i've been painting for four years now and i've improved a lot so much that my friends are getting me to paint their armies, but i am starting to get swamped with their stuff and have no time for mine also i'm getting nothing out of it. any suggestions on what i should do?

25-ish years now.

Options:
a) help them (e.g. suggest group painting sessions)
b) encourage them (how about running an escalating campaign (each battle is bigger than the next) where units must be painted?)
c) penalise them (-1 to WS, BS and Ld for unpainted models)
d) start charging them
e) tell them to get stuffed

ETA - you may want to make the thread title more descriptive before people come and complain.

Scott-S6 wrote:a) help them (e.g. suggest group painting sessions)

This has worked really well for my group. We have occasional "painting days" where we just meet up at one of our houses, set up a couple of fold-out tables with some newspaper laid down and plastic cups for paint water, and put some music on in the background. We have a great time chatting while painting, and everyone (3-6 of us, typically - including some of our partners who decide to join in) gets inspired by each other. Sometimes we'll put some movie on in the background as well to keep us entertained, and usually we'll order pizza for lunch, etc. etc.

Make a social day out of it and it can be really fun!

Edit: I forgot to answer your first question I've been painting for 13 years now, a little over half of my life. A little depressing to think of it like that...especially since my army still isn't painted!

7 years and I have yet to paint an entire army (Or Stick with one for very long for that matter)

And +1 for what Scott-S6 said.

I've been doing miniatures wargaming since I was a little kid, but I've only really been painting and playing a lot for the last 9 years. I started 40k itself in May 2007, but was collecting/painting Marines for a while before that, but for homebrew rules.

I would stop taking on your friends' models and make them paint themselves. It's okay to paint a model or two for your buddies, but when you're taking on their entire armies then that sounds a bit like they're taking advantage of you. Next time you get together, just schedule a painting day and teach them how you paint, then just work on all your armies. Painting with your buddies around can be a lot of fun.

20+ years.

I suggest you politely decline painting your friends models and tell them that you haven't got time to paint your own any more.

Then offer to arrange a painting day where you get together and paint.

I've painted a mini here and there for a friend as a gift. If they asked me to paint a whole army, I'd tell them to kiss it.

"also i'm getting nothing out of it. any suggestions on what i should do?"

Stop painting. Give them their stuff back and say no.

Have a painting day where everyone brings their stuff and learns to paint. If people say no, that's their loss, not yours.

Don't let your friends take advantage of you this way, man. Stand up for yourself.