Castlevania2: Simon's Quest- WIP

I am working on a new painting and after going mid way through the process, I learned a few things.
First it's better to keep the painting into two main groups, the characters and foreground in one group or layer. Then a mid group/layer and then finally a background layer for sky/cloud and background elements. I can then create groups for the foreground, mid-ground and background pieces, and can add as is necessary.  I also can add in adjustment layers (multiply and overlay and screen etc.) and "merge the group" but still keep the three pieces separate.

I use a modeling program called Daz studio to model the human characters. It's a process that is pretty lengthy yet helpful. Instead of modeling the entire scene and then painting it, I can just model the parts that I need help with. Hands, head, face etc. It's a much more effective use of the program and of my time.

I used all of the above on the above "Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest" piece. It's a WIP, but I will be adding more as I go along. I will post the final once of course.