make use of Reference

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip, but use reference! Throughout my process, I keep a collection of various images that I think might be relevant to the current sketch or painting next to me while I work. In the above example, I knew I wanted this dragon’s design to be based on dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex, so the accompanying reference helped inform my decisions about his bone structure and anatomy. Other images I would use here include various pictures of dappled light, forests and reptiles, to help with colour, texture and lighting.