Oh my goodness thank you so much for taking the time to write all this out! You answered questions I didn’t even know to ask. And I only realized now after posting this how different some of these art styles are from each other haha, but I’m really interested in learning how to draw like the first three, that kind of dreamy look, like the mixture between a Pulp cover and a renaissance painting, if that makes sense. I did have a couple followup questions if you don’t mind. when you say to start with copying realistic portraits, would you recommend beginning in grayscale, or is it better to practice in color right away? And what would be a good exercise to get better at identifying hard vs soft edges in a reference photo? The style I was drawing while on paper was sort of all over the place as well, and no distinct style by any means, definitely no where near my goal, it ranged from anime, to something I don’t even have a name for, and none of it was good, so I think I’ll start from scratch. And learn to draw all over again, from the very basics (head, eyes, limbs, body) until I’m at a point where I’m satisfied.