In this Hobby Cheating episode, I’m not walking you through a single technique—I’m walking you through my actual leveling-up journey, piece by piece. It starts with the ugly truth: one of the first minis I painted back in the late 90s, rattle-canned black and slapped with yellow because I thought it looked cool and I understood absolutely nothing. I show that on purpose, because if you’re looking at my work now and thinking “I could never get there,” I’m telling you: I started worse than you. If I got from there to here, you can too. From the Cave Explorer where I first wrestled with light (and reworked it endlessly), to a fallen angel bust where real-world reference taught me how to paint char and embers, to Edge of Autumn where nuance, subtle color, and intentional brushwork mattered more than flashy tricks—every “level up” came from pushing just outside my comfort zone. I also talk about using everyday gaming pieces (like Clawlords) as low-risk playgrounds, changing styles to avoid ruts (hello, chibi tank), and pulling inspiration from lore and art (Bane Lash) when the muse doesn’t exactly shout at you. The big takeaway: set a challenge, research it, fail, fix it, and iterate—because that’s how you actually get better.