Well, I made it to one year! I almost gave up a few times, because it wasn’t easy, especially when I got Covid. I owe my perseverance to all the kind people who encouraged me with their likes and lovely comments, and also kept me on that leaderboard for several months. Thanks ever so much; God bless you❣️ One thing I’ve learned about being an artist is that if I’m not struggling, I may be playing it too safe. Hello! I’m Vickie and I live in the United States. I so enjoy seeing everyone’s work here, and it motivates me to try new methods and media. Two tools that can help a new artist immensely: 1) the proportional divider,..look here at how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENBv-TZjZb8 . And 2) the app called Colored Pencil Picker, which can be used to determine what colors you need from a photo reference; it even shows the mix ratios! It is based on the top colored pencil brands.