This section is aimed at commissioners who might be curious about exactly how I go about creating my work. It is a generalised overview rather than a detailed one, if you would like some more in-depth technical information please check out the Tutorials section.

My methods are very simple and direct, and although my work is created on the computer, the methods I use are exactly the same as those used by artists working by more traditional means.

My primary software tools are Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, used in conjunction with a Wacom tablet (an electronic input device which works like a pen). I mostly use the brush tool to draw directly on the image - I don't use any filters or effects, I just paint.

Here is a quick step-by-step of my process:

1) Sketch: this is done on a layer in Photoshop, with a modified brush which I've created to mimic the appearance of a pencil. Sketching straight into Photoshop saves me the trouble of scanning artwork in, and also lets me erase and redraw at will without paper wearing out of getting dirty.

2) Sometimes I apply some digital ink, either in Painter or in this case in Alias Sketchbook. This is done by drawing over the sketch with a brush, and is entirely done by hand (just like pen-and-ink, except on the computer).

3) Using a big brush or the paint bucket I quickly block in the main shapes in Photoshop.

4) Still using a big brush I roughly indicate the main areas of light and dark, trying to define the main planes and masses. This stage is done very quickly, without spending too much time noodling with the image, the beauty of digital is that if anything is wrong I can simply paint right over it later.

5) I refine the image using different brushes. Most of the work is done with a standard hard round brush, with size set to respond to stylus pressure and opacity set anywhere between 10% and 60% (having some transparency to the strokes helps to create a painterly look). I skip between Photoshop and Painter at this stage, depending on what look and feel I am after. Painter looks more painterly, and is better at creating blends.

6) I use a smaller brush to add fine details, but generally a bigger brush is better. I do also sometimes use soft brushes, but very sparingly otherwise the whole image can take on a soft and wishy-washy look.

Next I have added a backround in Painter using a large brush, I keep this simple in order to create a focus on the character. Finally I do a little colour-correction in Photoshop.