I got a lot of input on my last post pointing out the problems with the image (especially the nighttime one) and they were all spot on. I really appreciate all the advice people have given and the critiques people have taken the time to make. So many people are afraid of hurting someone's feelings so they won't say anything. Honesty is very valuable to me and it has helped me far more than a pat on the back.
I am finally happy with the process from line art to finished color. I still have mountains to learn, but I'm starting off in the right place.

Having finalized the process of page creation I figured it was time for a stress test. I gave myself a page with several characters and a fairly detailed background with a 6 hour time limit and simulated surprise editorial changes. From start to finish this page was 45 minutes of thumbnails, 2 1/2 hours from layouts to final inks (I used Sketchup to do the background line work) as a time saver), and 3 1/2 hours colors. I flatted this myself which added 2 hours to the process. That's something I won't usually do. Once I completed the colors, I acted as if I the script forgot to mention the scene took place at night and I had to do a hasty revision. The changes I made took about 45 minutes.

Not entirely happy with the first version. The main reason for that is I decided to go for a daytime shot and those tend to bore me. I like a little more drama.

This is very close now to what I'm going for. I need to punch up the line work a bit and be careful about simplification in the wrong places. I switched to rendering the backgrounds by hand rather than relying on 3D renders. It's more time consuming, but much better looking. 

Page sample.

I've been out of town for the past week (which is why I haven't updated in several days). While I was gone I tried pushing things by producing an entire full color page in one day. I achieved my goal, but it really highlighted a couple of issues I have. First and foremost is dealing with value (the progression from light to dark) and using it to bring things forward and dropping things back. I think this can be addressed by abandoning Sketchup for full color backgrounds and by reversing the working process. I like to flat in darker colors and then throw light over the top, cutting away areas for shadow. While this method feels natural for me I don't have the chops to pull it off effectively yet. What I need to do is work shadows in in gray tones and overlay them over the flat colors. This will enable me to familiarize myself with value. Once I have some work under my belt and can recognize what works then perhaps I can switch to the light over dark method.
The layout for this page is taken from an issue of Avengers Assemble I did and reworked with new characters and backgrounds.

This is a really quick panel. I  wanted to see realistically how quickly I could work. Also I was fiddling with the idea of not varying line weight. While the lack of line weight works fine for animation, it looks scratchy and unrefined for a comic. Also I'm not really feeling these Sketchup based backgrounds. They look cold and stiff. I will be using them now and again for detailed background work and reference, but not for everything.
So once again I've got an image I'm not happy with, but I've learned a lot from. While I hate posting these I do appreciate the input people have given. Hopefully it encourages others to try new things and share them as well!

Practice piece 4. This is the most successful piece so far. Line work, color, and background all combine in a way that I like. Still not there, but definitely better than the last 3. 

Practice piece number 3. A very simple drawing because I simply wanted to try a little more line weight variation and see how things looked trying 2 levels of light. While I think this works for what it is, it's still not where I want to go. Adding a second layer of lighting makes things look overdone to me and also would take precious time that I cannot afford to squander if I want to meet deadlines. 

This is my second practice piece fiddling with color and style. It's hard to post this because there is almost nothing I like about it. I learned quite a bit from my errors however so while I'm not happy with the work I can look at it for reminders on what not to do.

New Direction

I'm currently transitioning into new and entirely different projects. As this happens I am trying to approach the work in a new way. Color has always made me nervous and doing full color work in a timely manner has been an intimidating prospect. I've found the best way to learn something is to just start doing it. This is the first practice piece I did trying to discover a new style and working method. I will continue to post these learning pieces daily. Sometimes they'll suck and sometimes they'll be okay, but each one will be a step further down the road. I wonder where it will lead.

Lunchtime Sketch- Agent Smith

One Hour. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Gonna try a different take on these. Working toward a very simple style that brings animated films to mind.