That's a very good question, pixel putty. The first part is a combination of doing a lot of painting from life and study from other artists (building up a visual vocabulary, as well as technical skill). The other part of it is simply asking yourself "what do I want to see?" And once you can answer that, you just try your best to see if you can match what's in your head.
For example, for the sketch on the top right, I literally thought to myself, "bridge. at night. spotlight." And this is what came out. It's rare that I get any more specific than that...I like to find the design while I work, and let the process of sketching actually suggest the shapes/colour to me.
If you find yourself in a real mental block, you might try filling a (digital) canvas with random spatter and noise. Then, without thinking too much about it, let your brain see shapes and logic in the mess, and try to pull a painting out of it. This will make you paint stuff you probably would never paint otherwise, and is a great way to loosen up. (Not very good for jobs though, cause you never know what you're gonna end up with).
For example, for the sketch on the top right, I literally thought to myself, "bridge. at night. spotlight." And this is what came out. It's rare that I get any more specific than that...I like to find the design while I work, and let the process of sketching actually suggest the shapes/colour to me.
If you find yourself in a real mental block, you might try filling a (digital) canvas with random spatter and noise. Then, without thinking too much about it, let your brain see shapes and logic in the mess, and try to pull a painting out of it. This will make you paint stuff you probably would never paint otherwise, and is a great way to loosen up. (Not very good for jobs though, cause you never know what you're gonna end up with).