The first car that I bought on my own was a ’69 Dodge Charger. It was a base model but it was beautiful. It wasn’t a hot rod but it was quicker than it needed to be for me and that led to the damaged front fender. I’ll skip the stupid details of how that happened but that is what led to my first experience with bodywork and painting automobiles.
I dove into the bodywork on the fender without a single thought that I might be in over my head. It actually turned out looking pretty good but I’m sure the car was significantly heavier with bodyfiller that I applied. Eventually cracks started to appear and I replaced the fender and color matched the color.
I’ve painted several cars over the years and I’m happy to say my skills have improved with bodyworking and painting. I’ve been a member of Learn Autobody and Paint for several years now and have gotten a lot of ‘tips of the trade’ through videos and online forums.
If any of you guys and gals are interested in painting your car or other vehicle I recommend you check out this program. The forum is very active with lots of people sharing tips and techniques.
The last vehicle that I repainted was a ’98 Toyota Tacoma. The body was in fair condition with one small dent to pull-out. 
I didn’t document any of the work unfortunately but it came out very well. The truck was bought by the first people to take a look at it.