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Ok... first off for those gentlemen and ladies who put up amazing works of art....

Quick overview of what I have achieved with painting so far...

100% primed- black

of that 19.6% is based Brown

of that 5% painted completely in three colors with some detail work.

Just to be clear I have no citadel paints or other common model paints besides Testor.

So I am using a mix of different paints, model paint that I found lying around for model cars and planes and acrylic which I have an abundance of. They look good for the most part however the acrylic is kinda thick and covers up the model detail but gives the best coverage and color. Although no shine to it like model enamel paint that I have, but I think that is fixable with an overcoat of varnish?

So my questions are should I stick to model paint or along those lines? Or stick to the different types of paints? I will post pictures soon of what I have completed.

Also if my white is real thick how do I thin it without watering it down? Because it is a pain to get out of the brush. It is like glue.

I will post more questions as they come up.... wife wants me in bed

I tried painting some of my figures with a mixture of various acrylics I happened to have too and eventually ran into enough problems that I was willing to try the citadel paints. They seem to cover much better- not as opaque as some paints, it also goes on in thinner coats preserving the detail work of the miniatures. I also thought normal white was strangely thick, the citadel white is amazingly better to work with. I highly recommend buying the citadel stuff- it's worth it to me, although I still recommend experimenting and even mixing some of your paints with the citadel, you can find some amazing colors and combos that way.

That is what I attempted with the restore paints and I got a great brown but I couldn't mix it well enough and it keptdidn't getting oranger hence the move to acrylic. But you suggest that I should get citadel? Looks like I will be making a stop at the LGS to get some.

I started off like you did with a mish mash of paints. Best thing to do is go out and try as many different brands as you can. You will find the paint that you like and compliments your painting style. Citadel paints are fine, P3 paints are good, Valajeo is good. But every has a preference just explore till you find yours.

Aright here is the sergeant that I finished the other night the first complete infantry model. The eyes need yo be fixed up and the gold eagle brighter otherwise I am happy. Anything you guys suggest on improving would be great... my painting skills are limited to painting on paper with my fingers

The dreadnought is the AoBR dread with the original color scheme ... so I am re painting it more brown and painting the arms white. The base was made from sprue nubs and model scenery stuff.

I'd suggest trying more than just citadel. Citadel has good washes, worth a buy at least once. and the color goblin green is indispensable. It's just one of the best colors in thier line that isn't duplicated in the others.
P3 makes great parchement colors Menoth whites, and Jack bone. Also thier Fleshes are good. Midlund and Kharnite (maybe? You'll see if you look) they also have a flesh color for black people that is pretty good if you want to head down tha road.
Vallejo is the go to for any paint in the rainbow. I personally prefer the Model Color line and if you aren't already married to the GW naming conventions you should stay away from Game color. The color selection is wide from muted historical colors to fluorescents. Dropper bottles are a plus
Miniatures paints are defiantly easier to work with but if you have the time and patience to expand you horizons artists arcrics open up some new doors.
The 99 cent craft paints are worth mentioning, they can be useful but the quality is several orders of magnitude beneath anything else I mentioned.