Okay some people asked... and since I'm bored... lol.

The request I'm currently working on is the basis for this. Hope you don't mind ~BlakGrafix I'm doing it in parts to make it easier to follow... and less lengthy... plus this is a work in progress anyway so I will update as I go.

I will skip out the obvious bits such as, opening new file, choosing canvas colour etc... I'm assuming people know how to do that anyway lol!! This is more my techniques with shading, colour etc. (Forgive me if I blabber common sense, though.) Ask away if you want anything clarifying/elaborating, or it doesn't make sense, lol.

(The program I'm using is Corel Painter 8, but this can be applied to any similar art program I'm guessing.)

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Screenshot 1 - My drawing to the left, reference photo opened up in Painter, to the right. The canvas is a little larger than the photo since I wanted more space for background. I will likely make it even larger later on.

** Firstly I make a new layer. (DON'T draw onto the bottom canvas layer!! Causes much stress if you want to alter things later on!) On this layer I sketch in the main subject (the dog in this case). Doesn't matter where I place it as I can move it later on. Once I've sketched out the basic shape and moved it (or parts of it) around to where I want them, I SAVE. And continue saving periodically and frequently throughout... I think everyone knows how important this is though...

Then I name the layer something like 'sketch'. There are likely going to be more than a few layers in this drawing. I failed to see the benefit of these at first, and would not use them, but now I realise how helpful they are I use them in every drawing. Most basically they will be used to separate the background from the subject. In more complicated drawings you can have 10 or more layers on the go. I am easily confused so I make sure I name them all XD

(It may be worth pointing out at this stage that I actually have used 2 layers for the dog sketch - head, and body. The reasons will become clear later!)

Now the sketch layer/s are done, in their most basic form. I will usually go back and tweak these as I go along. (I can't get the face right in this one and it needs altering even still.) Forget about it for the moment, the subject needs 'placing' in its environment!

** Create a new layer for the background. This layer will need to be moved below the subject sketch layer!! Basically think of it logically. Whatever will be closest to you in the picture, will be the very top layer. As objects get further away or move behind things, they will need to be behind this top layer accordingly. (This is common sense though.)

I used the same drawing tool in straight-line form to draw the panels of wood. Afterwards I needed another layer for the foreground panel, to the right of the drawing (not visible in the ref photo in this screenshot). Since it is placed in front of the dog, I created this layer above the sketch layer. Then all the linework is done. This might be the point where you would go back and do any reworking to the subject, or wherever else, as the next step will be filling in block colours.

Screenshot 2 - a screenshot of just the drawing, once it has been filled in with basic colours. I use the paintbrush tool in a larger size to block in areas of colour.

** Fill in the colours for the background layer/s. The way I do this, is I will create a new layer underneath the line art layer and use this to colour onto. Each of the lineart layers I've created previously will have a corresponding colour layer. Placing the colour layer underneath the lineart, means you can use the lineart as a guide as you colour, and toggle it on/off as you go. (Eventually the sketch/line art layers will be deleted.)

To further explain this, the layers for this drawing currently stand as follows (from top to bottom):
wood panel line
wood panel colour
head line
head colour
body line
body colour
bg panels line
bg panels colour
ground
Canvas (blank)

This is just the method that works for me... The 'line' layers will be deleted eventually anyway, so less clutter!! Lol.

For now, it's best to just use one colour for each layer. I try to choose whatever I think is the 'midtone' in that particular area, or the colour that fills the most space in that area. Then, when it comes to proper shading, lights and darks can be added around this midtone. The 'midtones' I have chosen, that you can see in the screenshot, may look off to you, or someone else. This is mostly because I am planning on making the background significantly lighter in colour than in the photo, as it stands I feel it would look too 'closed-in'. But everyone's methods and ways of seeing things are different... You do what works for you!

So, once all layers have their corresponding colour layers done, you should see something that looks like Screenshot 2. This means you have been paying attention. This is good.

Keep the lineart layers for now. The next step will be adding more areas of colour.

(That is, if I have the energy to do a next step!!!)