In need of painting advice....

[Atsurou88]

I recently bought a tablet (intuos3 9X12) and I've been trying to get used to it. I've never painted before, I'm still working with pastels and charcoal, but I hope to get better through CA's forum. Anyways, this is a wip of my first painting. Done in painter IX, I used the scratchboard brush along with the just add water blender. I'm trying to get that painter look, but I can't seem to achieve it. If anyone could direct me to some tutorials or advice on using different brushes or methods, please help me out.

[softocean]

Hmm,
I'd say become more aware of value, saturation more than just the hue of your subject in different areas. Also, be aware of sharp/hard edges vs soft edges. You have a good start, just keep pushing it a bit further...

my favorite painting tutorial is here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37474

My sketchbook is here

[Atsurou88]

Thanks for the tips;also, I'll definitely check out that tutorial.