Hello all! I've been lurking for a while, but I finally convinced myself to get a Wacom Bamboo and try my hand at concept art. I like to draw (or attempt to) on paper, but this is my first foray into digital sketching and concept art. I am a programmer, and hobbyist game designer/programmer, and I'm trying to teach myself how to draw proper concept art.

First terrible sketch:


Does anyone have tips or crits on proper sketching methods? What size brush, what zoom levels, shape dynamics? Also, I'm quite bad at knowing where to shade. I realize that it's where there's an absence of light hitting the surface, but when I look at a face, or structure I've sketched, I feel a bit lost.

Also, what are some proper methods for designing a color swatch? I have seen a few examples where people will choose a few colors they like that blend well, and they just sample between those. I am running Adobe CS if that matters.

Looking forward to being a part of the community, and thanks in advance.