#rendering process

I start out with the sketch; it's usually pretty messy 😭 but I'll just clean it all up.

I make a new layer and paint over the sketch! These leftover lines should be very thin, so when I DO get to the lineart, they won't bother me too much.

The shading and lighting and other stuff. Not focusing on this part, but the lighter lines surrounding things like hair and clothes, I add after the lineart.

Now we get to the lineart 🥳 I compile all the other layers in a folder, lower the opacity and then add a new layer. I start working on the lineart there.

My hands are very shaky so my stabilizer is always high, but even then I end up having wobbly lines; Instead of long and smooth traces, I'm usually doing short, quick traces one on top of each other. Somehow they all come together into some mostly smooth thing.

Some artists who apply lineart to their work tend to hate doing lineart in the first place, so they try to get it over with quickly and end up being careless. You don't HAVE to add it, but if you really wanna, keep in mind this part of your piece also needs time and patience. 🤧

Coloring the lineart is my favorite part! I like to add shading and lighting to it. I make a new layer, clip it, and then start coloring. Having different layers dedicated to hair, clothes, eyes, skin, etc helps a lot.

If, for example, I color the lines surrounding the hair in a clipped layer, I alpha lock such afterwards so the shading and lighting will be easier to apply and they won't overstep onto the clothes or skin sections. Anywhere the shading touches will look darker and anywhere the light touches will appear lighter.

In case there's any residue from the sketch lingering, the past section and this one are good for noticing and getting rid of whatever oversteps under the lineart.

It ends up looking like that before I add the sparkles and filters to finish the piece 🥳 I hope this made things a little more clear, and sorry if I'm not very eloquent!