The tablet I got and the software I use are basically the latest and greatest out of what I can afford and what my obsolete MacBook can run. I have a philosophy that tools are tools, and an expensive tool does not a good artist make (it only makes expensive art). A good artist makes the most out of what they've got.
I also am keeping in mind the nature of my project, a narrative told through sequential art. The limits of that medium dictate that I quickly and consistently churn out images of a congruent style, so that is what I'm working towards here. Still learning, still fine tuning the things I've learned. I also don't know how well "quickly" is going to factor into the equation, personally. Oh if only I were the type of person who could focus on one thing at a time.
The layering effects and the burn/dodge tools are what Ive been using photoshop for. Basically, I sketch out the character in painter, fill in basic colors, then bring the image into photoshop, do a gradient layer set on overlay to put down basic lighting, bring it back into painter, do the bulk of the work there, add in the background, back to photoshop to do highlights/shadows with the burn/dodge tool, adjust color balance and contrast with the levels tool which helps just tie the whole thing together, then BACK to painter to go over it all and retain the painterly feel. Phew! But yeah, that's the process I've settled on, because it works for me!
