You're probably done with your 2 minis by now but the painting journey never ends so I'll share my personal experience as a novice too. I will second everything that others said and will not repeat all the great advise. I'll only add the 4 tools that really improved my painting (alongside with paintbrushes and wet palette):

1. A pair of magnifying glass: something around 2.75x is usually the recommended default magnification power
2. A cheap though quality airbrush: GSI Creos PS-270 (I let you check the reviews)
3. A paintbrush cleaner: the one from "The Masters"
4. A good light: it's important to have one between 5000K and 6000K because white light equals less color distortion

No need to go crazy and spend hundreds of dollars on equipment to achieve good results, especially for beginners.

As far as techniques, I've learnt a lot from squidmar's and ninjon's videos. Look at them, feel impressed, try it, and feel proud of yourself :)