Some rough and finished designs

I think the best thing an artist can do is to learn from as many other artists, people, and life experiences as possible while still retaining who they are. It's not about learning to draw like someone else. I've tried that for years now and it just doesn't work. It's about learning to be the best you that you can be by learning the basic principles that make artists great: imagination, patience, virtue, charity, faith, knowledge, and most of all discipline.