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Description
Well, as promised, I did indeed make a series of steps for my Menardi picture [link] . This way, you can see how I go about making my pictures.

Step one is to assemble your references. It doesn't show up in this, but that space in the middle is where the "page" is, which is a good space to work within as it's one of the default options for exporting images. I typically resize the page to 234x234 pixels, since that's what I started with. It's a little less than twice the maximum size of avatars at the Giant in the Playground forums, which gives me a nice amount of space to play around in while also seeing how it will look at a smaller size. Plus, I can then upload something a bit bigger to dA.

My references, starting at the top right and proceeding clockwise, are:
The Order of the Stick banner, which is my single constant reference; at this point I mostly use it for eyes and the female body shape, since I feel pretty good at the other proportions.
My Saturos drawing, mostly for sizing and (in this case) making sure they're simplified in stylistically similar ways. I like to keep my characters about the same size, so having the most recent to compare to is a help.
Menardi's official portrait. For the pose and character details.
Several game sprites, to offer alternate-angle views in case I need them. In this case I didn't use them, but on occasion I have.

Making Menardi part 2: [link]
Making Menardi part 23: [link]

Description
Well, as promised, I did indeed make a series of steps for my Menardi picture [link] . This way, you can see how I go about making my pictures.

Step one is to assemble your references. It doesn't show up in this, but that space in the middle is where the "page" is, which is a good space to work within as it's one of the default options for exporting images. I typically resize the page to 234x234 pixels, since that's what I started with. It's a little less than twice the maximum size of avatars at the Giant in the Playground forums, which gives me a nice amount of space to play around in while also seeing how it will look at a smaller size. Plus, I can then upload something a bit bigger to dA.

My references, starting at the top right and proceeding clockwise, are:
The Order of the Stick banner, which is my single constant reference; at this point I mostly use it for eyes and the female body shape, since I feel pretty good at the other proportions.
My Saturos drawing, mostly for sizing and (in this case) making sure they're simplified in stylistically similar ways. I like to keep my characters about the same size, so having the most recent to compare to is a help.
Menardi's official portrait. For the pose and character details.
Several game sprites, to offer alternate-angle views in case I need them. In this case I didn't use them, but on occasion I have.

Making Menardi part 2: [link]
Making Menardi part 23: [link]