#waveoftheocean faq

oh gosh thank you so much anon!! honestly i find kisses really difficult too, so i'm not sure i'm particularly qualified to make a tutorial >< however i am happy to share more of my process and how i've been approaching them!

here's the timelapse for all the superbat kisses! i didn't record the very beginning but it looks like this:

1) super duper rough shapes - lately i've found it really useful to start with silhouettes so most of my drawings from the last year or so start off like this

2) sketch - roughing out some of the more finicky parts like hands and faces

i think one of the hardest parts of a kiss is getting the head angles right, so that's what i tried to focus on most here! (you can see me really struggle with the angle on bruce's face in the fourth sketch lmao)

also references are a lifesaver!!!!! when it comes to anatomy, i prefer to reference actual people before i look to drawings. this set of drawings is actually referenced from a single scene that i thought had some nice poses (refs under the cut).

anyways ik this isn't really a tutorial but i still hope this helps in some way anon! and i hope you have a great day/night too 💕💕

hi hi!! it's more than okay to ask (i'm always happy to yap about my art process so actually ty for asking and giving me the excuse <33)

the short answer to your question is kind of both?

the long answer is it depends on which texture i'm using - if it's something i add at the end of the process, it's usually to unite a piece and if it's something i introduce in the middle, it's mostly style choice and vibes 😂

this is the texture i use most often - strictly speaking it isn't a paper texture, it's the photoshop noise filter and it's usually the last step in my process. for this one, i'd say it works to unite the piece and provide subtle visual interest in larger areas of flat color without making those areas too busy! the noise filter in action 👐

(i'm very fond of the grainy texture so it is also at least a little bit of a stylistic choice haha)

the other, more prominent textures i use (like the ones below) are mostly stylistic and depend on what atmosphere i have in mind for the piece!

i don't think the paper textures play much part in which brushes i choose to use, since i use just one brush like 90% of the time, or how much pattern texturing/hatching i do, since my process is usually something like: lines + hatching -> colors + more pattern texturing -> paper texture -> adjust lighting and colors -> (fiddle fiddle fiddle) -> noise filter

hmm i'm kinda lazy so honestly if i find a brush that feels right i'll stick with it until i find myself in an art slump, and what feels right depends on what mood i'm in?

the first brush is the one i've used for pretty much everything in the last year - i've been favoring chunkier lineart/filled in shaded areas with a slightly gritty texture and this brush is perfect for that! i also set it to like 70% opacity so i can add value by layering my strokes

the brush in the middle is what i used most around 2022-2023 and it's almost the opposite of what i'm using rn 😂 it's a little hard to see but it gets thinner/more transparent depending on how fast the line is drawn and i love that it works like an ink pen

WHAT BRUSHES DO YOU USE AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!💗💗

hi anon! this is the brush that i've used most for both inking and coloring in the last year (found on csp's website here)

got a couple of questions on ig about how i choose colors and i spent way too long putting these together so!! here's a small color picking guide 🎨✨

no need to apologize anon!!! i don't actually get asked this super often, and i tend to change brushes over time/depending on the piece, so i'm happy to answer! also, i'm really glad you like that piece hehe thank you so much!!

the brush above (csp’s felt pen) is what i used for inking that piece (including all the lines on his compression sleeves/kneepads and in his hair)

the brush on the left (csp’s texture pen) is what i used to fill in most of the flat areas of color, and the one on the right (kyle’s dry media - big dry weirdo brush; sorry, i downloaded a big brush set years ago and i can’t find the link anymore) is what i used for any edges, to give color transitions a bit of texture! i think had it 95% opacity instead of the 51% it's set to in this screenshot lol