right-o... finished painting here fav.me/daodbat first stage is sketching and giving the canvas a bit of texture.second stage is grayscaling in the general values. setting the mood. this is done on a layer separate from the background.third stage is colouring. i clipped a layer to my grayscale layer, turned the layer blending mode to Soft light and gave the figure a wash of orange and red for the hair.and now the noodling begins!detailing, adjusting proportions and stuff, using the liquify tool to push that nose cavity around a bit, adding the vignette, all the fun mindless stuff. and done. finishing touches by sharpening it a little and adding a cliché title.