youandplant asked: Hi, sorry if you get these kinds of questions a lot. First of all, your illustrations are amazing! Second-of-ly, I want to get into graphic design and illustration, but I know absolutely without a doubt nothing about it. (beware of the stupid ?s)... Do you draw on a tablet? If so, what kind? What kind of software do you use? What would you recommend for a beginner? I've been doing art all of my life, I have never used computers though. Any basic info you have would be splendid. Thanks so much!!

Firstly, thank you — I’m glad you enjoy my artwork! (And I don’t mind answering questions at all. I’m always happy to help, if I can! ^_^)

Secondly, I do draw on a tablet. I have a Cintiq 20wsx. (Which is a Wacom tablet, if you’re not familiar with what that is.) It’s a tablet that allows me to draw directly on the screen, like I’m drawing on a computer monitor. I use that as my secondary monitor and then use my main computer monitor for holding any references I’m using and any misc. applications I’m running while working. (iTunes, Skype, Safari, etc.)

For software, I mainly use Corel Painter 12. I do use Photoshop to occasionally make small tweaks my pieces, but about 98% of each piece is done in Painter. (I prefer the brush engine in Painter because it feels more natural to me, even though I started out learning to paint in Photoshop. I swapped almost exclusively to using Painter last summer.)

For a beginner, Painter can be a somewhat overwhelming program because there are so many brushes try out and almost an infinity of options for tweaking things, but I do have a tutorial here which might be helpful if you decide to try it. (If you stick to learning a just few brushes well to start with, then you expand to try others, it’s a lot easier to learn the program. That tutorial tells all my main brushes and what I use each brush for, so it’s a great starting point to work from.) I don’t know that I have a specific program I’d recommend to a beginner digital artist because they each have their own learning curves — it’s really about what’s ultimately most comfortable for you. The best I can suggest is download few trial versions of the main programs people use (Photoshop, Corel Painter, Paint Tool Sai, and Gimp) and see which suits you best, then learn that program. (You can find a ton of tutorials for any of those if you Google them, so you shouldn’t hesitate in giving them a go because you don’t know anything about them.)

If you’re looking to start digital art, remember that simplicity is best — don’t expect to create masterpieces right off the bat because working digitally is definitely different than working traditionally. (Though traditional skills will translate to a certain extent.) Start with easy things while you acclimate to how it feels to draw with a tablet and learning whichever program you ultimately decide to go with. Sometimes the best way to learn things is to experiment and make mistakes, just don’t get frustrated when you make them — you’ll get the hang of things in no time!

Best of luck! 

The commission for the Sherlock Committee (from the recent Tumblr auctions). The commissioner wanted a scene from ‘The Norwood Builder’ (because it was their favorite episode), where Holmes & Watson are examining the will together.

Painter 12

Finished custom commission for the winner of the Baker Street Babes Twitter contest that wrapped up a little while ago.

A cozy night of reading in Baker Street. (Who doesn’t love to curl up by a fire, in a comfy chair, with an interesting book?)

Painter 12.

lotrlockedwhovian asked: Just wanted to say your art is amazing!! Your fan art is my favorite that I have seen. :D

Thank you very much — that’s very sweet of you to say! <3

Done for the new Let’s Draw Sherlock challenge. (Because these are fun to do. XD)

Whistler’s Sherlock.

Painter 12.

Print available here.

Anonymous asked: Are you, by chance, selling any of these? Mainly the girl waiting?

Yes, I have quite a few pieces for sale in my Society 6 shop.

The piece you’re looking for can be found here.

Hope that helps! ^_^

“There’s a little girl waiting in a garden. She’s going to wait a long time, so she’s going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story. Tell her that if she’s patient, the days are coming that she’ll never forget. Tell her she’ll go to sea and fight pirates. She’ll fall in love with a man who’ll wait two-thousand years to keep her safe. Tell her she’ll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived and save a whale in outer space. Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond..”

Painter 12.

Bow ties and Fezes = cool.

Painter 12

“What a lovely thing a rose is..”

A ‘thank you’ piece for all my followers. (Old and new.) <3

Quick photo study of Gandalf. (Testing out some new brushes!)

Painter 12, about 2 hours

Anonymous asked: like when someone leaves a comment on DA for example, thanking for the fave or something, how/where does one respond? i'm new on DA and I am not sure if it's supposed to answer on your page or like go to people's and comment there to answer? any help? :))

On all messages, there should be a “reply” button at the bottom (usually under a person’s avatar) that you should be able to click and just answer through there. (Then it will post your response to wherever is appropriate.) 

If you’re asking about etiquette for replies, it’s generally the practice to reply to wherever the message was originally posted. For instance, if someone comes to my profile to thank me for watching them, then I would reply to their original post on my page. (And vice versa if it had been done on theirs.)  

Hopefully that was helpful. ^_^

For the “Let’s Draw Sherlock” challenge.

BBC meets Granada. Awesome.

Available as a print here.

More Brett!Holmes because it’s my favorite thing ever.

I’ve also discovered that I really love working in black and white. Like, seriously. 

Painter 12.

Now available as a print through here.