I was thinking of entering one of those models I showed you guys for the Beasts of War painting competition, but that’s not happened (it closed last night). Too much work and a week away have stomped on that idea. It’s also my own fault as I’d rather do it properly than rush it for a poor result. This perfectionism is what’s getting in the way of getting any painting done, so I need to break out of that.
Fat chance 😛
Quirkworthy 
I’ve found that having a deadline really does bring the best out in me when painting (I wish I’d known about that Beast of War Painting competition before now!) but I can sympathise with the perfectionism thing – I’ll have models that plenty of people will say look amazing but I keep nitpicking faults with them way after they’re finished.
But then, if we didn’t do that and got too complacent how would we ever improve?
The Beasts of War competitions are supposed to be monthly now (this was the first of the monthly ones), so it’s worth checking the site to find out the subject for the next comp.
I think you have to be self-critical to a degree, or, as you say, you won’t improve. However, I also think that there are times and places for this sort of introspection. If I’m painting a Golden Demon entry then I should strive to make every part perfect, and a critical eye is useful. If I want to paint a hundred model army I need to learn a technique that will get that many models done in a reasonable time to a good standard, but i also need to understand that it is not the perfection of an individual figure that matters most here, but the perfection of the appearance of the army as a whole. Whilst they overlap to a degree, these are really two different skills.