I rarely do preliminary sketches, other than rough stick figures to give me a feel for the layout. The initial drawing can take anywhere from 15 minutes to several days. Sometimes I have to set it aside for a week or so and try something else before getting back to it. Then, when I'm happy with the drawing, I start to paint. I generally like to do the background first, as it's the hardest for me and also the most boring.
Skin comes next, and it goes from there.
I don't like to spend more than 3 days on a painting or I get bored with it. Most of my pieces are under 11X17 inches, and take less time to complete. This was the best step I could have taken toward my eventual career. So, I went home and did just that. In 1993 I started testing the market for my work by having laser prints made.