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Like the texture (grunge brushes maybe?) effects! You are a fast learner, I think!

Nice work! The shadow areas really provide volume/depth for all the shapes.

If the look on the fox's face (Who, me?) doesn't give it away, or the feather dangling from the mouth, then the proximity will nail the fox for sure. Good work! It is appreciated that you uploaded the lines view to describe how you composed the art board. Thanks! BTW, my friend had that problem here in Texas but the guilty were coyotes, not foxes. Tell your niece that 2 Irish Wolfhounds solved the problem here.

MEB, thanks for the backup and correction.

As a Win 10 user, I think I saw something about the Mac Affinity (Apple store) license is restricted to one computer, but Win Affinity licenses purchased from Affinity can be used on any PC you own. Not completely sure, so I'm just suggesting you look into this possible diff. and determine if it impacts you. (You said cost was a factor).

Hi, Tor. I was going to "Like" your post but ran into a forum condition I did not know about: A member is limited to only 10 Likes per day and, apparently, I'm over-Liking today! So, I'm Replying to tell you Thanks for sharing your tip!

Happily downloaded. Can't wait to try them out. Thanks for sharing!

Wow! Thanks! I can see me now... creating Tin Man-like award-winning iso graphics. Well, I'm going to give it a shot anyway. Thanks for sharing!

+1 @mkroot: Nothing like hard steel + snow to convey harsh environment, right?! Always a fan of old bridges and the side-by-side pair in image #9 are superb. In image #12 enjoyed seeing the climbing rungs on the smokestack right-hand side. For more fun, let's assume you didn't realize they would be in your photo. I love a "happy surprise" in a photo I take that I don't notice until it is out of the camera. Yeah, okay, that happens to me too often. Yes, I check the view finder and re-position to omit unwanted background debris, but I still get detail surprises that I enjoy a lot. Keeps photo-taking fun.

Very Creative! Don't change a thing!

LindaN, thanks. I went looking and there are two similarly-named fonts. The one with the spiral is this one Crop Circle Dingbats and the lowercase m is the spiral. There are many other interesting shapes included. Worth browsing.

Wonderful how you "kept" the foreground in it since that is the only indicator that Earth is the viewpoint. Excellent!

As you could see, I tried a couple of times with your special emoji files and gave up.

Ah, ck for the red node, thanks for the tip. My example was a little simplified b/c by the time I'm ready to pressure-ize my curve no longer looks like a simple, straight up and down circle. It looks like a trail through the mountains and round again. You know what I mean, right. But it will always have that red node, won't it? Appreciate it. Oh, the little "Save Profile" clicky I've never even tried out! Of course! I'll try that. Good to know they come back to you in new blank documents. Ahh, so many great features, so little time! gdenby, thanks. SM:DUH

Fantastic, thanks! I've been practicing a lot lately with this great feature and I like your example. Where I get turned around (!) is when I apply pressure to a closed curve like a circle. It takes me a while to get it right as the circle has no start/end but the pressure graph does. Much trial and error in this case. Wonderful idea. Could you expand on how you use it? Eg, can you copy and paste the pressure or do you have to just look at your ref file and recreate the pressure on the new dwg? Maybe you copy the line seg over into the new dwg, then use CTL-C, CTL-SHIFT-V to copy the parameters from the ref line to the new line (except this will copy the color over too (could be an issue). Anyway, I'll stop guessing and hope you reply. (Maybe even share your .afdesign ref file??)

Wow! The power of brushes at work (IN A VECTOR APP!)! Tremendous!

I totally agree. Start with 16GB, better for Windows, better for Affinity Photo. AP (or AD) doesn't much use a graphics card but does use memory. And a faster type of memory is better than a slower type (not easy to check model nos on memory and compare which ones are faster than others). If you decide to use other graphics pgms along with Affinity, you will find that they will take advantage of a graphics card - but if they are not essential/critical, you will still be happy without a graphics card. (Hope that makes sense.) My bottom line: More (& faster) memory + multi-core CPU + good display would be top 3 considerations for Affinity apps.

I always learn new techniques by watching your work flow. Thanks for sharing this tut.

+1 on the great start! I think you'll be able to spend a few more hours/months on all those shadows. Your textures are all really good (especially the cannon) and the hi-lights and shadows will improve with your adjustments. For example, maybe a little more highlight on the bore similar to what you did on the left end knob of the cannon. The shadow of your cannon on the wooden platform is wonderful. " 2) I also know the shadow from the barrel is not correct. " As you adjust the ground shadow of the bore of the cannon, be aware that the bore is higher off the ground due to the elevated end of the platform. That means the ground shadow will need adjustment (as opposed to simple softening) to carry that realism (vs the shadow the platform shows on the ground). This will correct the current slight impression that the bore sags downward as it extends beyond the platform. FYI, this all falls under the category of "easy for me to say," right? I can observe and comment but I'm not coming from the position of being a good artist. So feel free to disregard any and all of the above.

Wow, you are right about the colors. How they blend and contrast from point to point is mesmerizing. Almost an emotional experience! Beautiful!

Tro, thanks for the link. Dragon Bones looks interesting too and they seem to have a good beginner-learner assist.

Well, I think you are not only workin' the art, but capturing the emotion and feeling as well. You can "read" it in their eyes and faces and that is what turns an art into a character!

Whoa! Actual brush strokes instead of gradients - now that is art! Love the eye pupils and hair!

Picturesque city, for sure. Beautiful photos. An interesting observance: many cars in the photos, not many people. Maybe it is by your choice. One advantage is you don't have to get signed waivers by any identifiable people before you can post/publish the images.