Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly

I've been asked a few times to provide some guidance on how I create vector illustrations that look lifelike and almost photographic in Affinity. Many of these illustrations take hours, and sometimes a few days, so it is nearly impossible to explain everything, because what I do evolves as the illustration progresses. However, there are some tips and approaches I can offer, at least as a starting point, which is what I am hoping to do here. There are many approaches, but this is one I use…