#twst tutorial

Please don’t repost! I did this style study a while ago and just updated it for some friends. I hope it can help fellow artists trying to learn the twst style :)

The chibi style seems complicated at first, but once you establish a consistent workflow, it becomes much more easier to execute. Here's my process when recreating them.

Step 1: Gathering References The first part of my process is creating a reference board with twst chibis that have styles similar to the character I want to create, or using preexisting chibis if they are a canon character. I'd recommend looking at their texture atlases as well if possible to get a better understanding of the head shape. You can find chibis in game or on Alchemivich's page. For original chibis (outfit or character), I'd recommend having additional character references of the details you would like to add that you can constantly refer to. These are massively helpful when adding finer details like accessories or nailing additional character elements.

I use PureRef for organizing my ideas and refs (It's free)

My Ref Board

Step 2: Understanding the Form

The TWST chibis have more ovular heads compared to the round ones of most chibi styles. These taper down and slope to a curve representing the cheek for the face. The TWST Chibis are about 3 heads tall proportionally, but the sense of scale is impacted by the length of the head and torso (compared to the average chibi style). The proportions can be adjusted depending on the character (Shorter torso, longer legs for taller characters like Sebek vs longer torso, shorter legs for Kalim) TWST chibis in general tend to have longer forearms, and when drawing clothing, the style tends to narrow sleeves for outfits like suits while keeping the cuffs wider. This might be due to the joint mechanics when attaching the elements in L2D.

For the eyes, TWST chibis do not have a lower eyelash, so you'd create a thick top lash and add the eyes as desired. The top lash is the same color as the top half of the eye. I'd recommend making it the shadow color of the eye color of your character but feel free to play around with your color combinations. Lastly, you'd want to add your eye diamond and position the left and right corners to split the top and bottom eye colors. For this step, I'd recommend breaking down the original chibis and redrawing them until you get the hang of the proportions if you're going in as a complete beginner. If you have experience with drawing chibi characters, you might want to practice adjusting the proportions in order to tweak the style. Kalim Breakdown

Note: These are just some observations I made as a guide when studying the chibi style but do not fully replicate. If you want to make TWST chibis for the purpose of creating L2D style animations, you might want to follow the models more closely to have an easier time with separation, etc. I personally don't have any plans to make L2Ds outside of illustrations, so I adjust the proportions as I recreate more complex poses with them.

Step 3: Creating the Sketch

If you're used to lineless artstyles, feel free to skip this stage. For an easier time keeping my chibi consistent, I usually create a sketch of my chibi concept. When creating sketches, I try to make some indicators of elements I like to keep in the style such as the facial shape and eye diamond. This helps me create a more streamlined workflow when adding details in the shading and rendering phases. Completed Sketch

Step 4: Adding the Flats

After I create my sketch I make a general color folder (either on top or below below my sketch layer depending on if i'm working traditionally or digitally) and create several sub folders for easier organization with my elements. I'd recommend separating the clothing, skin, and hair into their own folders as the detail with these can become extensive when shading. When adding flat colors. I'd recommend using the lasso tool or a non textured brush (I use a combination of the lasso tool and a hard round brush with a consistent opacity for details) in order to make it easier to fill in blank pixels with more control over finer details. At this stage, I block in the general shapes of my sketch and focus on cleaning up smaller details with a hard eraser brush, When adding the flats over a traditionally drawn sketch, I select my colors and set the opacity to 54% while I work, constantly using the sketch to color check and match the details I want to keep. If you're using a digital sketch, you'd ideally want to use the sketch layer to check for details, but you do not have to match the general opacity. As a rule of thumb in general, when adding colors, I'd highly recommend working with a darker background a dark layer underneath your colors, to check for any spots with empty pixels, as these spots can be noticeable if you're exporting the work as a transparent png. Flats (After adding the face in the initial rendering phase)

Rendering and Detailing I find the twst chibi style to be extremely forgiving in terms of rendering. You mostly have to focus the detail around the hair and depicting details like the seams to break up the flats and define shapes. It is primarily cell shaded, but gradients are added around the bottom of the figure.

Because I render my twst chibis for an illustration format, I put more emphasis on defining the folds and places where I'd like to separate clothing with overlap. In the original twst chibi style, there are also lines that separate the fingers so I will usually add that detail in this stage. I tend to utilize the lasso tool directly for looser details and use the hard round brush to draw the shapes that I will fill later with the ice cream lasso tool in CSP. I use a hard eraser to adjust and correct my edges and repeat this step throughout the process. For details like the expression and eyebrows, I use the same hard round brush that I have been using for the general illustration at a smaller size, and use a darker tone in order to define the mouth and eyelids. I add in a gradient around the eyelids using a soft brush either from the characters render or from the outfit I am giving them. (I tend to add these right after the flats to get a sense of how the expression looks with the colors) For the highlights, twst chibis usually have them in the positions where they are in the full sized character render. If you do not have an existing one to work from, placing them on the bangs is also a good option.

Rendering and Detail Timelapse

Final Details and Completion Once I finish the rendering stage, I do a final check and add any details that I feel I've missed throughout the process. I also like to use this stage to balance out any areas where I don't like the edges and clean up any loose pixels from erasing that were missed during the process. I tend to add patterns and details during the rendering process but I chose to add them at the end of this piece because I was debating on if I wanted to or not And the final chibi is completed! Technically he's not done bc I still need to add his pup but shhhh