I start off with a sketch that sometimes takes multiple tries to get it right. I only need to do one sketch to get it right for this one. Start off with loose gestures (in either red or blue pencil lead), then add basic shapes "flesh", next add some actual "flesh", after that add details, and finally go over the drawing with standard lead.
I do all my sketches traditionally. After the sketch(es) are finished I scan them into the computer and work on the line art. Usually I use the pentool as tedious as it is, but I've recently started using the brush tool and drawing out the line art myself.
Finally I color it using one of three different coloring styles: Cell Shade, Soft Shade, or Painter Shade. This one was done with Painter Shade. Also I added textures by clipping them to the image to add more of an effect to the drawing.
The top one was the first version of what I thought the final piece would be, but I didn't like how the background was bare when the foreground had a little bit of action and movement with the characters. Which is why the bottom one is the final piece by adding the Fire nation insignia and a Kyoshi Warrior fan to help the characters stand out some more.
