No, seriously I mean that. Explain the basics and painting preliminary work to me like I’m stupid. I’ve included some art from League as a point of reference only. I know they’re digital but I’m confident I can get something close to the big splash art in acrylics it’s just getting there that I can’t figure out. I’m wanting to do fantasy style paintings (non-anime) like you see on MtG cards and in Warhammer and Warmachine/Hordes. Don’t get me wrong I like Frazetta’s art but not his style. First off: pencils. Everything related to using them that I’ve found online is generic typing or assumes I’m going for full graphite art for the most part. I found David Finch’s channel which lead me to other comic artists and I get why they recommend 2H and HB to achieve the results they do for the second image I just don’t want to go that route since I’m not a fan of how the final results are colored (her dress is two distinct red tones and black lined, good but probably a bit boring to do). Also, while impressive, I don’t like how comic sketches look without color (sorry, David). Other places I’ve seen recommend sketching with 2B or 4B for some reason. So my real question here is, what pencil should I use for my sketching (probably gonna draw it on sketch paper and then transfer it in some way)? Why? Further, would how I made the line or its weight actually matter if I’m gonna cover it up completely with paint like in the first image? Also, how far should I take the sketch before I start putting down paint? Once I get the lines down? Shadows blocked in? Ink. Really not sure it would be a needed supply. I know I’d need it to do something like the second image or if I was going for an ink only image. So worth it for the first image, skip it, or what? Figure. Time for some crunch. I know comic artists use “standardized” construction method like Loomis to achieve consistency since they need to repeat a character’s design. I also know that most fantasy artists lean more on references (live or still) to achieve what is likely a one off piece in a specific pose like the first pic. So where should I concentrate my efforts? Life/reference or construction? Does it really matter? I don’t want to waste time learning something like Loomis if I’ll never use it or drawing from life if I’m always constructing everything from the ground up and only referencing specific items (like a fox’s tail). Bonus: what is a “painterly” style? I’ve seen it in places and have no idea what it means. I know all this is subjective but that’s what is making it confusing, I’m very nuts and bolts like that. And yes, I do have painting experience, I’ve painted minis for years. I’m just tired of painting other people’s work. I want to be able to have an idea, commit it to paper, and eventually have it painted instead of conforming my ideas around what is available.