@Christopher Beaven nailed it. I always look at the feet, and which way the clothing or whatever is turning either down or up. Usually photographers will stand when they shoot the model, so the horizon line is usually at around chest or shoulder level. I did a little diagram that might make it easier :)

What a great question! I always have trouble with this. I don't like guessing so let's figure out a logical method to at least get us close. 1. What is obviously above the horizon line and below the horizon line? 1a. The feet are obviously below but I don't see anything obviously above. If the head was way above I would see the underside of the chin when the head is level. 2. Can we get a bit closer with some other kinda obvious points? 2a. The boxer shorts on the guy have a line that is curving downward in the center. That tells me that the horizon line is above that point. A bit closer.... The problem is that I can see things that indicate they are below the horizon line but I can't find anything that clearly indicates it's above the horizon line. I know it's above the ASIS... If I have to guess from here I would say that the horizon line is above the navel and right around the chest region for both models. I wonder, if perspective is this close to being neutral if it even matters. Just draw the figures as if the horizon line is going right through the center. I'm not sure if my rambling helped but there it is. Thanks for the question!

 You have to follow those perspective lines that you find. So if you don’t know perspective you will have to learn the basics to see it. To me those pictures look like the camera is about where the abs are for the guy, and where the chest is for the girl. So that is my best guess.

Hey! Just thought I'd throw my two-cents in. I struggled a lot deciding what type of job as an artist I wanted to do. I tried out environment art, modeling, fine art, concept art, ect... Even beyond art jobs I tried out programming, real estate, various business jobs. I tried a bunch of different things. The answer that I have settled on is that there isn't an art job out there that is going to be the thing that makes your life finished. At the end of the day it's still a job. What I would recommend to anyone wanting to get into the art industry is to try out a bunch of different things and see what you enjoy the most. No matter what you end up doing, you're going to have to be spending 95% of your time in front of a computer doing that thing. If you end up not liking it, I believe that 1. you won't want to do it for long, and 2. the lack of interest in the subject will make you less likely to be successful at it. In terms of how to enter, there are a bunch of different ways and it's different for everyone. Some people get jobs by showing their portfolios to art directors at conventions, some people get approached on Twitter because one of their posts blows up, some people apply directly to their dream job and get it right away, some people grind for years while working at a coffee shop to get the skills to be able to get the job. The list goes on and on. I think by just following the path of trying things out you're going to narrow down what you like, and as a result you will find entry points that you are willing to do. Hope this helps!

If you want the brush to not create sharp edges on each stroke, depending on the app you can just change the 'softness' setting for the brush. If you are trying to blend and get soft edges you can turn down the opacity and/or flow so the colours don't create solid separations and so the transparency 'mixes' the colours instead of just painting over them. For a lost edge they can be different colours but must be essentially the same value. In the end it's about the transition of values (and colours to an extent) and you can use the methods above to achieve those transitions.

Ha that's the thing, you technically don't need any weird brushes. Soft edges are just some patches of colors/values between two different patches, so you can use any brush to dab some of those colors in between and it will look like a soft edge. Dab more and in a wider range then it will appear to be a lost edge...? Those texture-y brushes are just there so you don't need to manually draw those textures. And blending and smudging brushes as well, it saves you time to not need to draw those patches of "in-between" colors manually.

you will need composition AFTER you've learnt everything and want to put them in place. Doesnt mean its not important. It just takes a backseat, unless you're starting from environment art, then its becomes #1 topic. Gesture/ manequin is what you should start with. Focus on gesture. There are 1000 different artists doing it 1000 different ways. Pick what you are more comfy with. Drawing from imagination comes after you've learnt basics, applied it to enough images that it has gotten embedded in your brain. In short, mileage after basics will give you visual library. painting, i suggest you keep at last, extreme last.

Unfortunately, you can't really learn all of these things at once. Before anything else I suggest you work on your observation and visual library. Your visual library will increase the more you observe, so observe everything! After a day of observing the various people and objects you may see, practice the gesture of the people and the form of the objects. This will help your gesture greatly after some time doing it. Story and composition come with the inspirations you have, that isn't to say just copy it. A character needs to show, in some way, what kind of world they live in, if you choose to build a world around said character. For example, Harry Potter wears robes and wields a wand, this shows that he lives in a world of magic and sorcery. Lastly, painting just develops as you practice different techniques and tools. After a while you should develop your own flow with all of these. However, these can't be learned in a short time, it often takes years if you want to "master" all of these concepts. Don't let that discourage you though! If you keep it up you can become a great artist. Hope this helps!

Not sure if this’ll work for you but I get a lot of inspiration from the visuals in music videos. They tend to have distinct visual aesthetics that are lots of fun.

Hey bleng, Your asking a good question, building a scene is not easy. There is a process that you can use that will help. To start with, divide the picture plane into thirds. Wherever the lines cross is a good place to add important elements to your composition. Then decide on your perspective: one, two or three point. also, where to place your horizon line, this will determine whether your looking up or down on the scene. Then, start working out your ideas in small "thumbnail" sketches. Keep exploring until you find the composition you really like. I hope this and my sketch helps :)