I have very little experience with digital painting, but a little more with traditional oils. Hopefully the interwebs doesnt screw too much with the color in this sketch either. Anyway, I've found that the quickest way to get a quasi-realistic look to your digital paint without rendering it is to:

1)Paint the highlight and the reflected light using a variation of the same color. Not only does this keep the colors in the same family, but it's faster! Notice below that the reflected light is almost exactly the same color ( with few exceptions) as the highlight.
2) Also, the terminator can become too flat very quickly. This is where the light ends and the shadow side of an object begin. As a result, the tendency is to over-render (i.e. gradient transition) this region. Instead, use a definate color change. This will help you get a better idea if the color you chose for the terminator "feels" right. Also, dont be afraid to use that undo key!! The easiest way Ive found is to choose a color for the terminator and paint it in one quick, wavy stroke. U should be able to tell immediately if its off. Simply hit the undo key and try a different color. Hope that helps.

--Pedro

Wow.

Ok animation, its time to kick you in the @$$. So ive been doing a ton of things: web design, animation in Maya (3d), Flash animation, sketches of my dog, and otherwise trying to stay out of trouble. Recent events have definately made my life more..difficult. You ever had dreams of making a film, owning a comic shop, or otherwise doing something that you love? I'll say this right now: it aint easy. Even if you have something that you're really good at, something you want to make into a career. I believe this is because being really good at something usually involves some degree of selfishness. Meaning that at some point, you'll have to forgo pleasurable things, like hanging out with friends, sometimes even being with your family. Maybe you even break up with someone just to hve some extra time.

These are all extreme case of what can happen when you do something you love. The key is to ask yourself what your willing to sacrifice in order to do what you love. Are you willing to sneak into a life drawing session where a fee is required? Are you willing to live in your parents' basement for a few extra years? think about it.

Animation is the thing Im willing to sacrifice a lot for. But I've reached a limit. I know what Im not willing to do in order to make this dream a reality. And I had to make a LOT of mistakes to get to where I am. A lot of tough decisions. A break up. Quiting my job for a film that I wasnt going to get paid for. Designing a website.
Doing clean up work for a t shirt company. Random things.

So if you have fallen asleep up till this point, remember this: Nothing worth doing is easy. I know its been said before, but I learned the hard way to find this to be true.