ScarletRose wrote:
I like it - it's got good layering, not blended but more of a cell shaded style.

I think the only thing I'd fix is the picture quality, it seems kind of overexposed. Maybe too much light?

Because of that I can't tell if the white horns on the boss pole are highlighted/shaded or not. It looks flat compared to the rest of the model.

 oadie wrote:
That is far from ugly, but we are often our own worst critic.

There are no slips of the brush to be seen. Every single part is clearly defined and has at least 2-3 layers of nicely selected colors to give the sense of light and shadow (pretty sure the bosspole horns are a very light grey with white edging, ScarletRose, but the washed out photo does make it a bit tricky to tell). It's all in the right place, as well. You've got a decent handle on the required level of contrast and placement of colors for good looking shading and highlighting. I can understand the "cell shaded" comment - I imagine it looks better from a few feet away than holding it right up to your nose. I've found myself disappointed after long periods spent attempting a "natural" looking gradient, only to hold the model farther away and realize that it lacks the exaggerated contrast this scale demands. Take a step back and I think you'll be happier - some people that can paint in a more "realistic" style actively choose to paint more like you do, because of how it looks on the table. I know that I, at least, have repeatedly found myself wanting to, then falling back into old habits because the model is right in my face and brightly lit while I paint it.

That said, the single biggest step toward what I imagine you think is lacking in your current painting would be smoothing out those color transitions. Not everything has to be a perfect gradient, of course, but adding even one extra intermediary layer and narrowing your brightest highlights would drastically change the 'up close' impression of the model. It would still look good from a distance, as I think it does now, but it would hold up better under closer scrutiny. The more impressionistic, 'painterly' approach really works best from a few feet away. It's striking and I quite like it, but it always looks a comparative mess when you really get in there.

Another minor point - the gun barrel is just a silver cylinder. Drilling out the barrel (or even just putting a black dot in the center with a marker or paint, if you lack the means) can do a lot to help the sculpt 'read' right. Some people don't really mind, some people are VERY adamant about it. Personally, I always do it, where practical, and think it universally improves the look without requiring much effort.