If you were using standard syringes, then there's your problem. I suspect your next round of paint will be MUCH better. After a little learning curve, I really don't think painting is all that cosmic. It's just a whole lot of work, and you have to be very, very clean! And that means clean air, too, so you don't get dust.
If you really want a super nice paint job, plan on cutting and polishing at the end. There really is no other way to get the "perfect" looking paint job, I think. After having painted my plane as an amateur, I now scoff at paint jobs on very expensive cars that quite often have a fair amount of orange peel - I know what it's supposed to look like now!
After my syringe debacle, I bought some "paint can pouring lids", i.e. these things:
http://www.amazon.com/Spill-Painting.../dp/B005T3JQAI
You can reseal the paint cans by just screwing the lids back on. The plastic they are made of did not contaminate my paint (however, I did not use the exact brand in the link, so YMMV). You can re-use them when you use switch to a new gallon of paint (just clean them off with acetone or thinner). I had some paint left over and stored it for YEARS with these things still on top, well past the "shelf life" of the paint. It worked just fine after I pulled them out again. I highly recommend.
My advice - keep painting! I can't tell you how much more pride my wife and I have in our machine since we did the painting ourselves. We also learned lot and used that knowledge on other projects (car repair, painted a steel toolbox, etc).
Good luck!
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