Uploading this not only to give you some insight into what I'm currently doing but also to hopefully impart some of the art "wisdom" I learned from this trial and error process.

Not really a tutorial, but more of a guide through my work process as I struggled to put an idea onto paper.
I've always been stingy with doing proper prep work for illustrations, thinking I could do good enough by just running with the first thing I put down on the paper.
It took me a while to realise that that one hour of extra work would later turn to multiple hours of extra work as would end up with something I didn't really like and then try to salvage it.
I could probably have continued working on the top right picture here, salvaging it into something acceptable- but I would most likely end up hating both the process and the final painting.

So instead I admitted that it wasn't good, and went back to the drawing board and actually spent some time revising it, and not only did I find a composition and colour balance I was happy with, I found an idea that I liked even better than my first sketch.

Of course this doesn't apply to everyone and every piece of art, but I hope at least someone finds it useful/informative.