It's good to read books on how to do it, of course. However, I started out a couple of years ago just making small pictures as quickly as possible over lunch.

It's good to read books on how to do it, of course. However, I started out a couple of years ago just making small pictures as quickly as possible over lunch. If you don't set too high expectations, it's great to just experiment on cheap paper to see what can be done, and get a feel for it before trying to actually make a scene or paint something 'serious' that you might want to show others. YMMV, perhaps some people get more out of it using a course or from a guide.