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I only took up this hobby about a month ago. To be fair, this is my second painted SM, but the first one was a trial for techniques, paint mixing, brushes and I didn't finish the base.

I'm also working on getting proper lighting and already built a little photo booth, but these pics were just close ups with my iPhone 6. The pics look a little grainy. Much clearer on my phone.

Feedback appreciated!

Cracking stuff for your first proper mini, the lines are neat and in the right places, your paint isn't thick or obscuring details, and the effect on the melta barrel is really neat!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks!

Very good brush control. I think you'll develop even better skills as you try other techniques.

Great start there. As others have said. Your brush work is neat and you seem to thin the paint which are both key to painting at this sort of scale. You asked for crit so I will say a couple of things you could take on board for the next mini

- Scrape off all mould lines and flash. It is always a pity to see a well painted mini let down when this step is ignored. I use the edge of my scalpel for light work and liquid GS and very fine sand paper for when things get tough.

- Buy a very very small brush. You will find it invaluable for painting eye lenses and other insanely small detail. Have a look at this page (Scroll down a bit) for a great technique to paint lenses.
http://www.librarium-online.com/forums/projects/163704-petes-various-projects-18.html

- Try using transfers. After painting. brush on some gloss varnish to the area you want to add the decal and let it dry thoroughly. Apply the decal then with a clean brush, carefully brush on some Micro Sol to soften and conform the decal to the surface. After this is dry, add another layer of gloss varnish. I suggest thinning the gloss varnish down a little as it is often quite thick and can quickly start to obscure detail.

- Matt coating the mini. At 28mm gloss or just looks wrong. Personally I always use acrylic matt varnish spray for paintings. You can pick up a huge can for not much. I have never had any problems with frosting or unwanted shininess that I sometimes got with the likes of Tamiya matt spray. The brand I use is Pebeo Matt Picture Varnish.

I look forward to seeing more.
Cheers, Vim

Wow. Great start!
At the very least, paint a black hole in the end of the gun.
The rest I think you'll pick up very quickly!

Thanks all for the feedback!

I have a 3/0 Brush and I'm having a hard time with the eyes for sure. Thanks for the link. I will practice more on some spare bits I have so far.

Those darn flashings are so small! I'm getting better at seeing it and trying to get it off. I'm also practicing with green stuff to fill any holes and such.

One thing about the decals is that I don't really like them, LOL. I'm reading more about how they fit into the lore so I will likely start using them more.

I'd like to start drilling out the hole for the gun barrels. What size bit are people using for this?

Depends on the type of gun. You can get sets of small drill bits for not much $. EG: http://www.amazon.com/SE-Drills-Metric-Pouch-1-05-2-0mm/dp/B000OVNS0Y/ref=sr_1_19?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1454806788&sr=1-19&keywords=micro+drill+bits

I hear you about the flash. Try standing close to a light source and carfully go around the mini. Turn it around and look from another angle. It is a tedeous process but worth it in the end.

As bubber says. You can pick up a nice set of mini drill bits quite cheap. As to what size to use. I use 1mm for pretty much everything. 2mm for Heavy bolters or melta guns.

Vim