After purchasing inking supplies and still being intimidated by them, I stumble upon this tutorial:
Al Mackey’s Photoshop Tutorial
What a godsend. He gets my first born (Dexter). I will gladly let the inking supplies collect dust as the permanence of ink scares the bejesus outta me.
Onward and upward!
(Be seeing you)
I uploaded a few more to the library and have a dozen more on my laptop to use as reference images. Yeah, kinda want to redesign the base — again. 
http://io9.com/5195942/newly+discovered-meteorite-from-an-otherworldly-rock-formation
Panel 2 sample
I need to re-do the line work and add a coffee cup. Also, the walls need a texture and the “UI” needs a dozen or more finger effects. And I need to figure out how to ink properly. 
Coordinates of Base: 60N Latitude, 47W Longitude (approximate)
Right here.
For future reference. You never know right?
More reference material here. Oddly enough this guy seems to be indirectly doing some of the ancient research for us. Search for tages: permian or permian ecology.
He seems to be focused on the age we’re studying (250M BC). I’m skimming a little here so perhaps he has a broader interest but either way I think it will at least help me figure out how to draw Permian era vegetation.
EDIT:
The Dragon’s Tales (thanks Will)
Art reference for me (found on his site)
Strange but the images from the above site bare a striking resemblence to what I’m trying to make the “jellyfish” aliens look like — at least in their facial profile. Weird.
PS: Prototaxites didn’t exist (according to fossil records) during ‘The Gate’ timeframe. But I really want to draw them. Any chance we’re going to visit 400M BC at some point? 
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