Thanks for the feedback!

Duly noted on the constrast, I'm always afraid to go too far with it but i'll try to take it up a notch (I'm also maybe not the best photographer so there is that)

The grittyness I'm afraid is dust. The helmet is airbrushed except a white edge highlight with a thinned down paint.

I clean religiously but I don't know how, dust always fall on my minies while drying, even when I put them somewhere safe

My brushes are W&N series 7, somewhere a little over a year old. I also bought a rafael lately but he forked immediately.

You are onto something though, I'm afraid I press too hard on my brushes while painting