Direction
Got some very useful advice and a game plan from an illustrator I look up to, Dan Warren. It's going to mean any work you see for a while will be slower to update, but after a few months the life in my drawings and speed should be much better.
The basic rundown: PER DAY
6 ten-minute drawings from movie still or pictures, something with natural poses and movement
-focus on getting an accurate representation in ten minutes. It's not going to look "good" but it will improve speed
1 hour-long rendering session
-set up a still life with interesting lighting, or copy a master painting. Again, it's not going to look fantastic. The goal is to be easily recognizable, and learn to make big artistic decisions more quickly
Then of course continue working on personal work, applying the things I learn from studies. This plan should help me quicken my art a lot, and also keep my pieces from being too stiff. If I can do it, you freaking can too.
Here are the first set of ten minute drawings. See how bad they are? But they are going to be helping me get faster with my work, so...not ashamed to post them, if people want to see them.