Post #19 looks better than post #1 but that brush looks damn happy to be painting if you know what I mean.
Flip it so the stroke is going down, and so the highlight on the metal ferrule would be on the top.
Make the paint splat in a straight line not messy, and for the love of God, not white.
Make Painting biggest.
Lose the black drop shadow or lighten to a grey, (dark green over the shield) you don't want your shadow to have more weight than your words.
It's hurting your legibility.