Daily Sketch: "First Encounter"

My Daily Doodle. 

EDITED 10:51 AM: A few people have asked me what medium I used to create the above image, so in case anyone else is curious, here's additional info:

I created it entirely in Photoshop.

I'm experimenting with my own custom-made brushes but also other brushes I've found online (and users have granted permission to use in commercial works). My newest acquisition: brushes by Alex Dukal. I emailed with Alex to confirm it was ok for me to use his brushes in my commercial picture books. Alex Dukal is an amazing illustrator, by the way. He regularly posts fascinating process videos showing how he creates some of his illustrations.

On how I got the effect of the little creature guy fading into the water:

Because it was a quickie sketch, I cheated by copying and pasting that textured water layer, with the creature guy in between two layers. Then I fiddled some more with the textures and opacity. Ever since seeing Richard Jesse Watson's hands-on demo at SCBWI-LA 2011, I've been inspired to experiment more with textures, even though my art tends to be more cartoon-y. 

I may or may not use these brushes in future book projects, but I like knowing I have the option. I never want to get into an illustration rut, so I am constantly experimenting and trying new techniques and tools. Playing around with these new art tools in my Daily Sketches is the perfect way to learn how to use them, figure out what works and doesn't work for me.

Plus it's fun. :-)

On how long it took me to draw the above illustration:

About 40 minutes. It would probably have taken me less time, but I'm still familiarizing myself with how some of these newer brushes work. But before you email me with "Wow, that's so fast! Could you whip a drawing off for me, too?", please read my Daily Doodle FAQ.