How to Draw a Good Picture: Introduction

This is my first Instructable, so I hope it's okay :)
Drawing is...yes, complicated and somewhat frustrating at times, but that's why I made this. The steps here are:
1. Think
2. Gather supplies and inspiration
3. Draw It and Improve It!
4. Tracing and Erasing
5. Colouring
6. Background (optional)
7. Fancy Stuff (optional)

Hope you enjoy this guide! And remember, take your time on each step. Rushing yourself isn't a good idea!

Step 1: Thinking

So, before you start the actual art, you're gonna need to brainstorm and think the whole process through. If it helps, write your brainstorming down.

First, you gotta figure out what you want to draw.
Then, figure out the details:
-Colour
-The mood you wanna convey
-Techniques you want to test out beforehand
-Composition
-Your inspiration
-Modifications to your inspiration
-And more! The picture included and this list is only to get you started. Get crazy, but don't be afraid to think of some alternatives or scrap an idea later. Just think everything through first.

Now that you've figured out your plan, you can move on to the next step!

Step 2: Gather Supplies and Inspiration

Well, one of the things you should've considered in the previous step was the materials and inspiration you need.
The first picture there is a pile of stuff that I labelled that are examples of things you could use (which I did, in fact use for the drawing used as an example here).
The next two pictures are the inspiration listed in my brainstorming list.
The last piece of inspiration I wanted (a picture of dusk) can be easily grabbed off Google Images with the hit of a key. No need for that picture here, right?
It doesn't have to be an object, and you DO NOT need to copy it completely. You can use bits and parts, or no inspiration at all, but do NOT copy something (especially another piece of artwork) detail to detail, unless you're still learning the basics of art, where you may have to start out by copying.

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for, you can move on to the actual art now that the prep work is finished!

Step 3: Draw It and Improve It!

Now you have to actually draw the picture, which can get pretty annoying sometimes. Remember, practice makes perfect! So even if you are already an experienced artist, you're still gonna need practice, especially when trying out something new. You might wanna make a rough draft first, get someone else to help you find the weird mistakes, and make a second copy with changes. It's not required, of course.

Tip: Make guidelines! If drawing a human face, some examples of guidelines would be splitting the face in sections to make it more proportionate.
Tip: Draw lightly! It'll be easier to erase your mistakes and guidelines later.

Step 4: Trace and Erase!

So you might wanna just make one draft, and if you do (and you really only should if you have experience), then this is the step where you'll also do your editing. After the editing, you grab a tracing tool (preferably a pen or thin-tipped marker) and trace your outlines! Then, erase any guide lines or mistakes you might have made. This is why it's best to use a pen or marker: If you use something like a black pencil-crayon, then that could get erased too! Save yourself the trouble of having to retrace.
Of course, you do not have to trace at all. If you prefer a fuzzier feeling to your picture. Or, you may prefer hard outlines (like in my picture), where you would use a marker or pen, as suggested. OR, if you prefer fuzzy, but with outlines, use a pencil-crayon, crayon, etc. to trace.
And now, for the fun part!

Step 5: Colouring

Colouring! Yayz! I suggest shading to show depth, outlining again, blending and mixing colours, and trying out new techniques, first on another sheet of paper, and then using it on your actual drawing, and more! Feel free to experiment. A background is optional.

Step 6: Background (Optional)

Add a background, if you wish. Experiment first, and remember my other tips! Grab some inspiration, maybe. And now for the fancy stuff...

Step 7: Fancy Stuff (Optional)

No, this is NOT mandatory. But well, why not have fun with it? Add sparkles, scan your drawing or photograph it and stick it in a photo editing program such as Pixlr, Photoshop, or Gimp, and go crazy!

What I've done here are just some techniques that are possible with Pixlr. Remember, this is just for fun, so don't push yourself all around the internet just to find Photoshop tutorials or something!