! mars !

Step 1: Basic composition

Even if I already have one composition in my mind for a piece, I always try to brainstorm and sketch a few different options. I actually came up with the final one right away, but wanted to try something else before I even sketched it out just in case. I ended up picking it because it shows both the sky islands and the surface, combining the worlds the two boys come from

Step 2: Sketch

A detailed sketch with proper expressions, proportions and perspective (if necessary)

Recently I dropped the lineart stage and started cleaning up the sketches instead. I've mentioned it before, but I've been working on building up my confidence with my lines, and I'm definitely getting there! I still erase/add more weight to the sketch when I'm done with it, but at least it's not as messy as it used to be

Step 3: Values

Values are another thing that I've started working on more. They're the most important part of the image, so if the values are messed up - the whole piece feels off, so instead of frantically fixing them in the end with a shit ton of filter layers, I start with them, blocking out the lightest and the darkest parts and adding some subtle shading

Step 4: Basic color

This step is... different for each piece lol. For this piece specifically I used a gradient map as a first step of coloring, adding some yellow/light green overlays on top, but sometimes I just use an airbrush on layers set to color/overlay/multiply and then merge them all with the values layer.

The palette depends on the mood: my works are mostly very fluffy and cozy, so I use warm colors a lot (yellow... everywhere.... that's my favorite color..) Also, since there's a lot of green and blue in this work, I added the complementary purple and orange in shadows to make the colors pop.

Shading also depends on the mood! Those soft works have very soft, natural lighting, an the more serious ones have a more dramatic lighting, usually with some strong light source for contrast

Step 5: Coloring the characters

This step is always separate because my pieces are always character-centric, so the characters always need more attention (see how masterfully she's denying that she hates painting backgrounds).

The line/sketch is set to Multiply and colored (usually into dark magenta or a cool green color depending on MY mood lol). There's a base color for the characters already, which kinda tricks my brain into picking the colors that look good with it. I always paint skin and hair first.

The most important part of this step is to always check the values! It's very easy to mess them up here, so what I do is 1) create a new layer 2) fill it with white/black/grey 3) set it to the "Color" mode 4) hide and unhide it while you paint. Some details might end up having a different value, but it's important that the whole character is still separate from the background.

Step 6: Render

FINALLY, render. For the characters, I create a new layer, set it to Multiply and just paint those shadows. The color of the shadows depends on the environment, it reflects it: for example, in the outdoor setting shadows are blue because they reflect the blue sky. I also always add some blush (dark red/pink set to Overlay, under the shading layer), and some light to make it all shine (light yellow/orange set to Overlay/Soft light, painted with a soft brush above the lineart). For the hair I add a Color dodge layer and paint the highlights with the same color I use for hair (or a color leaning more into red)

Now, that's the stage where I have the most fun with the background. To make it look interesting you can make the colors buzz by using a special color selector that looks like this:

(this one's from Krita, but most programs have something similar)

So, what's the trick? Basically, you have a base color for something, and to make it buzz you need to build it up by adding colors that slightly vary in hue, value or saturation.

Step 7: Details and insanity

Noticed how composition on those WIPs looked.. different from the finished piece? Well, usually when I'm done with some basic rendering I start feeling that something is off. Even if it isn't.

So, I try to fix it by cropping, and recropping, and undoing it, and recropping again, and "oh it looks kinda empty. I need to add flowers", and then adding trees too, and then it looks oversaturated, and that island above draws too much attention, and then-

That's what happens on bad days. On good days I finish everything off by adding some brushstrokes here and there, some shadows/light with an airbrush and a gradient map set to low opacity on top.

And that's it! Here's an actual timelapse of this piece. If you want to laugh at my overthinking ass go to 1:23