Ok, here goes....
Here is my first attempt at a bust.
Its no where near as good as what i keep seeing on this site but its a start!
I know for a start that the eyes are disappointing and if I'm brutally honest i'm not 100% happy with the highlights/ shadows on the face.

Hi Rob.
It's ok as a first attempt at painting.

I would like to give a few pointers.

I think you should first concentrate on blocking in the colour's as neatly as you can.
Look on youtube there are many painting tutorials this is a good one.

When you are happy with blocking in the colours,then you can concentrate more on shade/highlight.

When I was first painting I was given a great tip.get some stones wash them and block in a single colour,then practice shade/highlight(stones are free and you can practice until your heart's content).

Remember most people here on PF have been painting for years,just don't expect to be like them anytime soon.
Practice practice practice and remember the main thing is to enjoy what you are doing.
All the best.
Ralph.

It's a good first try.
To improve, we need more information. What do you use, oils or acrilics?
The first i can say you is try to put the colour base in the element you want. You have brown of the wood at the metal of the axe.
The second, when you have the different elements painted, you can outline to separate one from the next and give depth. Try not to use black. I use to do it with the darkest shadow of the element, a bit darker. You did it at the blaze of the axe with the rivets of the right, but not at the rest of the bust. It's easy to do, and very effective.
The third, is about faces. Talking about figure, the face is the 50% of the final work. About busts, is the 80%, and inside the face, eyes are very important. Try to make them rounds, and watching to the same direction. The right one is more like a square than a round. The left is better done. I know is difficult and must spend a lot of time with them, (i hate paint the eyes too) but for a bust is very important.

I insist that for a first bust is good, but all want to improve. So we are here.

Thank you all for your comments, they are greatly appreciated.
Sorry its taken so long to reply, its not that i took the huff but 1 sick wife, 2 sick children and a bucket load of work kept getting in the way!
Thanks for all the info, theres plenty to look at to improve

Metal Extremo gave excellent tips.
I will just add another one.
In order to paint, you need to observe, you need a source for your painting.
What I mean by that is, since you'are painting basically a face with a beard, either do a google search and try to find a picture of a face with the right kind of lighting, or take a picture of yourself.
Then with that source on your workbench, try to replicate what you see.
It is that simple. One day, you will be able to paint a face without any source but at first, it will be much easier this way.

Cheers
Alex