Sketchbook: Talon
I need to get decent at this digital painting stuff so I can start to concept my own pieces properly (and generally improve my drawing skills). And that doesn't happen in a vacuum, so I figured I'd start one of these threads and let you lot pick it apart 
Easy and fast stuff to start off with - all from refs - to get to grips with the tools before moving on. I'm using that SAI PaintTool app that pior linked to a while back, feels way better than Photoshop I find.
Earliest first.
From photo. ~4hrs. Won't be finishing it, was really just messing with the brushes.
From a clay sculpt of an angry face. I forget where I got the ref from, dug it out of my reference folder. ~30min.
From the ever-awesome opening scene of Aliens. Again ~30min.
Easy and fast stuff to start off with - all from refs - to get to grips with the tools before moving on. I'm using that SAI PaintTool app that pior linked to a while back, feels way better than Photoshop I find.
Earliest first.
From photo. ~4hrs. Won't be finishing it, was really just messing with the brushes.
From a clay sculpt of an angry face. I forget where I got the ref from, dug it out of my reference folder. ~30min.
From the ever-awesome opening scene of Aliens. Again ~30min.
Replies
Another one from ref. Some photo off sxc.hu.
About 4 hours, but a good 2.5 of that was painting the face over and over again. I badly need to practice painting faces. I got the sketch down pretty accurately but the shading just fell apart. So, I guess that's what I'll be doing for the next few pieces
I think your ref on that face is from right here -- http://philippefaraut.com/images/tools/anger.jpg
Have you read through this yet: http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm ?
Also, I don't generally think painting by numbers is such a good exercise. You usually end up learning very little, I find. If you're going to practice figure-drawing, do that (preferably from life). If you're going to practice your colour and shading, maybe do that in speedpaints? It might teach you a lot more in the long run than obsessing over copying a picture.
edit: I also notice you put down linework first. That can be a valid way to work, I suppose, but have you tried using only brushes? it might force you to think about the shape of things more while you're working, rather than colouring in what you drew before.
MightyPea; Yeah, I have that page in my bookmarks and I've read through it a good few times. It reads a lot easier than it is to do straight up. Thanks for your tips, I'll give some speed paintings a go with just brushes, see what I come up with.