I suppose I should do a quick step by step explanation of my process...

• Preliminary research and sketches, followed by transferring the drawing to the final board (re-drawing it basically). Adding detail to help with painting later.

• Then I prep for painting by covering the drawing with medium, which keeps the pencil from smudging everywhere. Set up my palette and do some colour studies.

• Then get into the painting. I start at the back and come forward. I block in the basic lights and darks in glazes (thin washes of paint) and then just keep rendering. Sometimes in glazes, sometimes using thicker paint, untill it looks the way you want.

• A good way to do it is take it section by section. I always do heaps of prep work, so for me it (usually) all just kinda falls into place (which is why I do so much planning). Traditional mediums are pretty unforgiving, and there's no editing like in digital, so the better prepared you are the easier it will be. About half the time spent on this (about 11 hours) was just in the planning stages.