Dark Angels Champion 01

I've been feeling like my painting has really plateaued lately and I'm trying to work on the fundamental techniques -- thin paint, blended layers and attention to detail.

This means I'm doing a lot less with my army -- which wasn't much to begin with -- and taking a break from vehicle weathering for a bit.

In deciding to focus on quality painting I'm going to stick with basic models -- most likely Space Marines until I get into flesh tones -- with no conversion, etc.

This first project is a Dark Angels Champion I've wanted to do for awhile. My targets:

Bone cloth
Armor with an extreme highlight
Lens effect on the eyes
SMOOTH BLENDING!

Of course my photos don't help but I took shots from several angles so that some idea can be gleaned: