I don't know if this counts as advice...might not be the same for everyone.But, what I find usefull is to just walk away.
Don't try to get it all done at once. I don't mean to let layers dry or whatever.
What I mean is...do some work..then...leave it alone for a few days.then look at it again and do more.
It helps to have several ships going at once in various stages so you can ignore one for a while and do something else.
What I find helpful is approaching a ship with fresh eyes now and then. You will notice things that go to some sort of psychological 'invisible' land. Especially if you are free handing some sort of pattern like stripes or checkers. The little imperfections somehow vanish when you keep working on the same thing but pop back into reality after you ignore it a while then look at it again.
Another reason I do it is because I don't often have a plan for a paint job. Just a rough idea. And stopping ...doing something else for a while then going back to a older project helps stimulate some ideas. And it gives you time to refine a concept rather than plow through the fog of " I'm not sure what I want out of this."
So, I'm not saying repainting miniatures is 'art'....its ' crafting' or 'hobbying' but not art.
However, it can be approached like art in a way. ....fluid....dynamic...an evolving result. With higher expectations for what you want out of your canvas....er...spaceship...
You can say to yourself..." I want a green stripe a red star and blue engines on this one."
Or you can say " I'll start with this sort of color...add a bit of that....see where the happy trees live and maybe when it's at that point I could put a bird on it and go get an espresso"
Maybe some of that makes sense.
Edited by Velvetelvis