When I was doing my Alex Ross Kingdom Come master study, I came across his original thumbnail in "Mythology, The DC Art of Alex Ross." I'm sure this little sketch only took a few minutes, but so much about what makes the final piece amazing, is right there from his initial conception. Thumbnailing is one of the most creative parts of the picture making process. When staring at the white of a blank sheet of paper, the possibilities are infinite. As soon as the first mark is made, it starts to become specific, literally making something from nothing--creation in its purest form. For many, me included, this part of the process is intimidating, but like anything else, we can get better at it with practice. As 2024 draws to a close, I'm nearing the end of my scheduled master studies. From them, I learned a lot about the painting process. The next step as we start 2025, is to apply what I've learned from that process to my own original compositions. But what to paint? In this thread, I plan to develop a thumb-nailing habit, and from the library of ideas I intend to generate, to pick a few to complete as paintings. I love comics, so you'll see a lot of comic book cover concepts from me, but it doesn't need to be limited to that. As this is a good habit for all of us that are interested in picture making, this is an open thread anyone can join in. No finished pieces here, just rough concepts--the first efforts you make when wrestling with the blank page or canvas. Good luck! I hope you join in.