That's a really good job!

Haha, thanks. <3

Not a problem.

Oh hush! You did a fine job.

You wanna talk painting sometime, just P me an M.

Thanks! I tried out the brush settings you suggested before for parts of this, and I think the effect is really cool-- I'm just not used to painting myself, so I couldn't make the most of it, but it really made me want to try painting more!

Since my tablet pen is dying at the moment, I'll probably try shifting my experiments to traditional media. If you have any tips and tricks for that (probably going for watercolors or gouache!) I'd love to hear 'em! :>

Yay! Glad them suggestions worked for thee! Painting his hard. It's harder than drawing for me and most of the artists I know, so don't fret it, just paint lots. That'll git ye gooder.

Quick watercolor tips:

1. work light to dark. That is, think about where you want those bright white highlights and save those whites on your paper. Once they've got paint on 'em, that's pretty much that. Short of certain kinds of paper that can take electric-eraser-level scrubbing, it ain't gonna be that white ever agin. Watercolor works best when you're being methodical and thinking clearly.

2. work with a brush at least two times bigger than you think you need. It keeps you from getting anal over details too quickly. Save tight details for last!

3. watercolors come in two flavors: sedimentary and transparent stains. Sedimentary colors (burnt umber, moonglow) can be lifted back out. Transparent stains (the pthalo colors, cad red) do as they're named---they stain. Once they're down, man, they're DOWN.

4. Good paper makes your life easier. Play around with Aquarelle watercolor blocks---those are pretty good for blocks, but once you feel brave enough, it's time to get some really good paper and stretch it to get rid of the sizing. The texture difference between treated and untreated watercolor paper is amazing.

5. Dan Smith watercolors are the bomb. W&N watercolors are pretty good, but the Cotman line are uneven. Some are better than their "pro grade" colors, others are crap in a tube. Schminke watercolors are yummy, too. Get ready to spend money. Good colors will cost you.

6. the main difference between watercolor and gouache is in the handling. Watercolor you can build up a lot; I've managed fifteen layers before. Gouache works best when it's used thick, about the consistency of heavy cream. Three or four layers is the max. It'll start getting muddy FAST. Remember gouache is a medium for banging out color comps, so it's meant to be applied thickly. Look at the work of Syd Mead and Ralph McQuarrie for great examples of how to use gouache. Gouache is pricey, too!

That ought to give you a good starting point. Anything I didn't cover?

Oh, I didn't know that about the sedimentary and transparent stains; that explains a lot. XD; I'll also try working with a bigger brush like you suggest; I was only using big brushes for washes, but what you say about avoiding getting anal over details makes a lot of sense. :> Thanks for the tips, I really appreciate 'em. It seems good enough to start with for now, but I'll let you know if I have any other questions. >w<

Yew dew dat! I'll answer anything I can. (Watercolor was my first and remains my favorite painting medium, but I've worked with gouache for years too, so my brain is wide open to thee.)

It's a good rule of thumb to use a brush one or two sizes bigger'n you think you need, no matter what you're working on. Once I started doing that my paintings improved, I kid you not.