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So I just started painting this is one of my first. I enjoyed it and hope to learn as much as i can from all you great painters out there. Any constructive criticism is welcome, still tons to learn. thanks guys.

This is really one of your first paintjobs? It's a very good start. I would suggest a dark wash on the skull to pick out the eye sockets and the face, and perhaps on the weapons too, black on the gunmetal and blue on the plasma bit if you can manage it. I spend more time these days assembling miniatures than painting and you need to be careful to get rid of mould lines - there is one from ear to ear: running a knife blade over it several times at right angles to the mould line will remove it (so it scrapes off gradually - don't gouge into the plastic with the blade because you risk taking too much off).

Non too bad!! Well done chap, My only critique would be a different colour banner/ shoulder pad trim just to help break it up a bit. Else i like the colour, and its all nice and tidy!

It's an excellent first!

Great job! That is a great quality even if you had said you had painted entire armies before.
Suggestion: Paint the banner a cloth color to break up the wall-of-red. Maybe try bleached bone washed with sepia or delvan mud.
Are you happy with the darkness of the red? I love dark red and a gritty feel myself, so if thats what you were going for, bravo. If you wanted brighter colors, perhaps more coats or try priming in white. I also find that if you prime black, color the whole model brown next, then start layering the red. Looks nice when complete and takes out some of the "black to red" stuff you have going on in the armor.
Great stuff man! I love the plasma!

I like him, but I think his banner could use something, unless you want the single color flag to serve as an identifier of squad. (Like red for squad one, blue for two, etc) That could be useful. I would also recommend a coat of matte varnish if you haven't already done one. It will make your paint job last longer and take some of the shine off of him. Really good work, especially for a first go. My first job war far rougher, lemme tell ya. Keep at it, and as long as you keep trying to push the mark with the little extra details like you have been here, you will keep doing work that you can be proud of.

This is great considering it is your first go. My firsts were quite bad and sloppy by comparison. Even if it were the last model in the army it is still much better than "table-ready". Like the others though, the banner needs some help and the

Brymm wrote:
wall-o-red

is a good decription of the mono-chrome red you have going. If you want to keep the scheme a simple silver/red but break the "I'M RED!" of the model, add some highlights. These are done with a simple thin line of a lighter and/or brighter color on raised edges. Don't go overboard with it though, your goal with highlighting is to add accent to the existing color, not cover it up.

Paint looks awfully thick, lacks consistency, and obscures some of the details.

Consider using a wet palette instead of paint pots or some other method.
A wet palette is basically a tub of water with sponges or towels or something in it. You place a sheet of parchment paper on top of that, and put your drops of paint on the parchment paper.

It stays moist, even, and consistent. A splotch of paint will last for a couple of hours or so before starting to dry out on a wet palette.
Consistency is really important in making a model look very cleanly painted.
My models improved 100% when I started using a wet palette, couldn't believe I hadn't heard of it sooner.


I can't find a decent video or tutorial right now, just search "How to make a wet palette"
I use sponges, easier to manage than paper towels.




EDIT:
Sorry, didn't mean to only criticize

This is great for a first model!
The details are there, and it looks like you have the basic ideas of shading and highlighting down.
The colors are bold and vivid, and that's something that I've been working to improve in my painting for a long time now, mine turn out too drab and poorly highlighted.
I like the comic book style, the bright and bold characters - although many prefer dirty realism which is often more challenging.

Follow the advice of the other posts here and you'll be able to improve next time

Did you dry brush the metal? It's the only part that looks chunky.

Nice for a first timer!

Thanks every one for the comments, I totally see what your saying about the wall of red and the banner. This figure is the 5th or 6th ive painted so not exactly my first. Looking at it I see the metal is a bit thick. Ive been trying hard to get my layers smoother. Thanks again everyone.

This is so much better than even my twentieth. Keep at it, i look forward to seeing what your models are like when you improve as a painter!

Well i was nowhere near this when i first started (13 years old) so I think this is great! Did you drybrush or just wash? Or perhaps both?

Looks really good. If you are using GW paints get out of the habit of painting straight from the pot. You can grab some of the cheap plastic egg well pallettes from an art store or a cheap wet pallette. I like the Masterson one, its only about $8 so it really beats making it yourself. On the washes dont just slop it on, place it carefully where you want shading. A common mistake is just putting it everywhere and expecting it to just run into the proper place on its own.

Looks good for a first model, mine looked...bad.

Here's a tutorial on how to make a wet palette

http://forums.brushthralls.com/index.php?showtopic=4806
They use tracing paper here instead of parchment, not sure if there is a difference.
But it's the basic idea.

Here's another
http://www.pepehiller.com/tutorials/painting/how-to-make-a-wet-palette-for-acrylic-colors/

I can't tell you how much my painting improved after I started using it.

Good sir I am jealous, my first space marine looked like a lemon marine with a streak or two of silver. Great job on keeping all of the paint where it was supposed too go or maybe your really good at touch ups well best of luck, hope to see what you can paint when you get really good.

I really do like your work for a first im most impressed. My only sugjestion is to have a little more contrast. It is for the most part one color, RED. The lines on the shoulder pads could be another color and like others have said change the banner even if its only slightly. All and all great work on peice #1

Thanks for the links to the wet pallete The_Juggler, i appreciate. thankyou again to everyone for the kind words and the tips.