One Hour, Two Miniatures, Zero Successes
1 Hour Warhammer Painting Challenge
Sometimes the goal isn't to paint your best miniature.
After spending weeks working on larger projects and display pieces I wanted something completely different.
Sometimes the goal is simply to see what happens when you put yourself under pressure.
fter spending weeks working on larger projects and display pieces, I wanted something completely different.
That was the idea behind these two one-hour painting challenges. Both miniatures came from my local Warhammer store's Miniature of the Month program: a Darkoath Marauder and a Crypt Ghoul. The challenge was simple: paint each miniature from start to finish in one hour.
Challenge One – The Silent Failure
1-Hour Painting Challenge Darkouth Marauder
The first victim of the challenge was the Darkoath Marauder.
I started before the timer and spent some time studying the miniature and deciding on a colour scheme. It's a habit I want to develop and one that I think benefits any painting project, regardless of whether you're speed-painting or spending months on a display piece.
Taking a few minutes to understand the miniature, identify the focal points, and decide where colours will go means you're making decisions before the brush ever touches the model. It gives the painting process direction and helps avoid unnecessary second-guessing halfway through.
With a plan in mind, I started the timer and got to work.
Or at least, I thought I did.
As it turns out, setting a timer to mute isn't particularly helpful for a timed painting challenge.
By the time I realised what had happened, I had already gone well beyond the allotted hour. The challenge was a failure from the beginning; however, although this was a timed challenge, the goal wasn’t necessarily to paint a model within the time limit, it was to paint quickly and under pressure, which was a success.
Despite the time failure, I was reasonably happy with the result.
The body and weaponry came together much as I had hoped, and the overall model reads well from tabletop distance. The one area I would change is the face. My intention was to keep the skin extremely pale. Without knowing much of the Darkoath lore, my own interpretation was that a follower of Chaos wouldn't be spending much time relaxing in the sun.
The idea worked in theory, but I don't think I pushed the face in the right direction. Looking back, it's the part of the model I'd revisit if I were painting it again.
Challenge Two – So Close
1-Hour Painting Challenge Crypt Ghoul
Determined to actually complete a challenge properly, I picked up the Crypt Ghoul.
This time, the timer was definitely working.
Once again, I spent a few minutes examining the miniature before starting. With the Crypt Ghoul had a very clear image in my mind before I painted it. I wanted a sickly green-yellow skin tone, patches of raw red flesh, and a simple, true metallic metal sword that would read well without consuming valuable time.
The plan came together surprisingly well.
The skin ended up looking almost exactly as I had imagined, with the greenish-yellow tones giving the miniature an unhealthy appearance while the red areas added a bit of visual interest and contrast. The metallic weapon was quick and effective, doing exactly what it needed to do without demanding too much attention.
I also tried something new during this challenge.
For the first time, I used a makeup sponge to highlight the hair. It worked far better than I expected and made the process incredibly fast. The technique is definitely something I'll experiment with again in future projects.
The only issue was my colour choice.
I should have chosen a more distinct colour for the hair because it blends into the surrounding skin tones more than I'd like. The effect works, but it doesn't create enough separation between the different areas of the miniature.
Then the timer rang.
The miniature itself was finished.
The base wasn't.
Unable to leave this miniature unbassed I spent 5 minutes slapping some snow and tuffs on and painted the rim black to finish it off.
Failure number two.
Technically, I exceeded the one-hour limit by about five minutes. But in my mind, a miniature isn't finished until the base is finished. A completed model standing on an unfinished base always feels like half a project.
Rules are rules, though.
The challenge was one hour, not one hour and five minutes.
Lessons Learned
1 Hour Painting Challenge - Crypt Ghoul and Darkouth Marauder
Although I failed both attempts, the challenges were still worthwhile.
Painting under a strict time limit forces you to make decisions quickly and prioritise what matters most. You stop chasing perfection and start focusing on the elements that create the biggest impact.
More importantly, it reinforced the value of planning.
The few minutes spent studying each miniature before starting proved invaluable. Understanding the sculpt, deciding on colours, and visualising the finished result gave me a clear roadmap once the timer began.
It's a useful reminder that preparation is part of painting too.
However, with the timer looming over me when something didn’t go to plan or what I had envisioned didn’t work there was no time to fix my mistakes, leaving them on display, a reminder of not only my mistakes and poor choices, but in 6 months or more, it will show a snapshot of my abilities from now.
As for the challenge itself, the score currently stands at:
One muted timer.
One unfinished base.
Two failed challenges.
I'll call that progress.
The next attempt might finally end with a successful one-hour finish.
Maybe.
If you'd like to see some of the other projects I've mentioned throughout this post, you can check out:
The Miniature That Measured My Progress
On to the next.
And remember: always Paint Your Way
