"Drakwald Bloodwolves" by Jonathan Hart
http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/7381
Detail is what we pay for when we buy GW models. In plastic, resin or metal, detail is what defines the character before paint is even applied. How would you know what to paint, or where without these guides? Details are the definition of the edges of a three dimensional paint by number supplied by miniature manufacturers.
Jonathan has chosen a simple answer on his Bloodwolves by painting the wolves themselves in a single palette... White for the fur, grey for the skin, and black for the nose. It works immensely well and serves to focus the eye on the miniatures riding the wolves, despite the smaller size. The red spot color serves as another well chosen signal to pay attention to the character of the piece.
However, what if you felt there was not enough detail?
"Chaos Lord" by Sergey -We7- Chasnyk
http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/7402
Case in point. Sergey has added detail to the clampack lord. The feathers on the cape are not sculpted on (in case you were wondering.) Amazingly, he has not overbalanced the miniature. The back of the cape has almost more attention than the front, but the different facings allow the front and rear view to not compete. The technical level of freehand is rather mindblowing.
"Green Knight" by Artem "Landreth" Romanov
http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/7394
And then we have Artem's piece. But seriously, this freehand is kind of ridiculous. That last picture with the thumbs is three times the size of my thumb. So reduce that 2 to 3 times, and that is the actual size. Notice also the caparison on the horse. The Fleur de Lys in the diamonds are rather stunning as well. The overall execution is just rather amazing. Not much else to say here, except to notice that by adding the detail to the banner, Artem allows the horse and rider to exist as beautiful individuals in the paint scheme. Well done. What I think we can learn from these three pieces is to keep in mind where the center of attention on the miniature should be, and allow the secondary focus to be separate, instead of competitive for attention.