you can improve by practicing on every damn model you can get your hands on! practice makes perfect, and soon you will find your own ways to paint and you will like it. parts of this mini i like: the axe is good, and i like the cloak, along with the drill. parts i dont like: the armor. although it prolly looks striking from a distance, you'll want to put some form of realism into it, and that means highlighting. there are plenty of articles on highlighting on the web, so look around. good luck!