10 TIPS

1. Work out who or what will be the focus of your picture. Perhaps an old sketch will inspire you, as it did with me.

2. Don't be afraid to mess around with something you have previously drawn, and modify it to meet your needs. Just keep a backup of your old sketch, unmodified.

3. Place separate elements on different layers. I found out the hard way that layers are pretty much essential for adding and subtracting elements from your scene. If you don't have a package that allows you to use layers, then you will need to save different versions of your picture as you add new elements. That way, if you make a bad mistake, you can go back to a previous version, but that is not an ideal solution. Fortunately, some cheaper packages - such as Paintshop Pro - do allow you to use layers.

4. If you want the focus of the picture to be an object or person, try to keep the background a bit hazy. It is tempting to add a lot of detail...but if you do, you will need to work all the harder on the main object of attention to make it stand out. It's often better to keep background details hazy and out of focus.

5. Add each element on a separate layer, and move them around until they fit the scene. Don't be afraid to experiment - or to take away some elements if the picture is getting too busy. Using layers, you should be able to bring some objects closer, or send them further back in the scene by changing the order of the layers.

6. Try to add special lighting effects on a separate layer as well. This is so that if some elements in the scene change - like moving a character wielding a lightsaber - you can change the lighting cast on other elements to match the source of the light. It's easier to change a light effect on one layer than to change a whole series of objects on different layers that you may have highlighted separately. Only highlight a character or object on it's own layer if you know that element of the picture, and the main source of light for the scene, is not going to be moved.

7. When drawing a lightsaber, remember that it should be one of the brightest objects in the scene. The core should be pure white, while the glow around the edges of the blade can be any colour you like. Lightsabers show up best against a darker background, which heightens the contrast.

8. When adding light reflections, remember that cloth is usually less reflective than metals or other shiny surfaces.

9. Don't be afraid of making some areas black, or very dark. Usually, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow in contrast. The use of light and dark areas helps to define the solidity of an object.

10. Know when to stop. Some people often make the mistake of adding too much detail and too many elements, so the intended focus of your picture is lost in all the other detail. Sometimes, you will want to add lots of detail - especially if you are aiming for realism - but as I said before, you then need to make your central focus stand out even more.

Last but not least, please keep in mind that I have not attended art college and I too have a great deal more to learn. Happy painting! ;)