Hello Harry,
seems you obtained the answer by yourself
Personally, I like to paint my own flags and crests, etc. It seems not dominant among most gamers who prefer highly detailed printed flags, but in my case I want to do the painting part and I like the non-perfect look.
So when I paint a lion or alike I follow some rules - these will not assure you success. Only trial and error and then try again and again will.
So here my few penny's worth:
- when you paint a crest you need to "insert" it into its surroundings. So the lions have to "fill" the entire space. It is good to subdividein your mind beforehand
- paint the main elements with as little strokes as possible. The finer details can come later. First you need the general lay-out and the famous "space filling"
- painting tiny miniatures means that you need a fine-tipped brush. Doesn't need to be a tiny brush, but a very fine tip
- put only very little paint onto the tip to avoid drowning and apply with small movement with the tip
- for tiny details I use a magnifying glass on my nose and I search a relaxed seated position with both, model and painting hand, well supported and stabilized
I think that's about it. Ah yeah. Having a good model to copy always helps
... and then it's all about trying
Have fun... and show us the result
Michael