The Finished Image

And here is the finished product: Sonic and Shadow trying to stop a train by hanging onto the front. In case you're wondering, the idea was taken from the final accident in the train level of Sonic Shuffle, and touched up a little. I filled in the background with dark blue and hit it with the Filters | Render | Difference Clouds filter. It looks hazy and mysterious, like something in a dream. I used a sponge brush for the ground, again, setting it to 30% opacity and going over and over it until it was dark enough. In the process, the ground took on a great stony texture.

Now that I've divulged my secrets, go draw something! You don't necessarily have to use Adobe Photoshop. Paint Shop Pro (availible at jasc.com) works quite nicely on these types of pictures, too. It even has a lot of the same tools.