HOME | DD

Description
This were all the steps I took while drawing my last pic. It more to show how I draw most of time than an actual tutorial. It has too many mistakes

1 - I draw the sketch directly onto the computer. Sometimes I do it on pensil, but since I don't have access to the scanner very often I prefer using my tablet

2 - I do the inking on a different layer (normal). Most of the times I use pen pressure, but since I wanted to give a more comic look, I disabled it this time

3 - I hidded the sketch. I don't like to erase them because you never know when you need to use it again

4 - I created a new normal layer for the base colors and put it under the lineart one. Sometimes I use a multiply one one, but it depends on what type of effect I want to give when it comes to the lighting stage. As for the colors I used full opacity and no smooth edges on the brush

5 - I created a new multiply layer for the shading and put it between the other 2 layers. I also decided the light direction to use, as you can see on that lil sketch (it's just a general idea, it's not accurate)
Since I'm using the cell-shadding technique I use the same type of brush as before. The colors chosen were the same type as the ones bellow, but much more lighter and with a more greyish tone. I don't like the effect of using opposite colors, not on the first shade at least. As for the use of grey, it's because the light is white
When shading I pay attention to the type of material being shaded (ex: metal has a much deeper shade than wood) and which objects cast shadow over the others

6 - I like to give a second layer of shadow to give more "roundness" to the objects. Some like the sweat drop and he metals receive and extra layer of shading, since they will reflect much more light than the others. The hair will be shiny as well, but when it comes to shadows it has the same amount as most

7 - I created a new normal layer for the lights and put it over the shadow's one. Since I wanted to give the sensation of a soft light, I only apllied it where it hits the surface the most. I used a lighter tone of the base color instead of a low opacity of the light color, since each object would reflect a different amount of light (and the computer tends to lighten dark and light colors differently!)

8 - I created one last multiply layer for the details. Usually I just draw them at the same time as the base colors, but since I was going to use a standart layer for the lighting I decided to put them on a seperate layer above it. I used a very thin brush to give the textures (rough cloth, hair strands, etc) and applied them over and over

Notes for Beginners:
- Layers work like invisible sheets of paper over each other (they're only visible when you draw something over them). Normal layers just put one sheet over the other, while multiply ones "adds" its colors to the ones below;
- Opacity in brushes (and layers, but I didn't use them here) is just what the word says. You have to be careful while drawing with it, unless you want for the color to add up and become "darker";
- Avoid using the fill tool on the lineart. It leaves a white edge near the lines hard to hide;
- Always pay attention to the light direction and the type of light source when shading, specially when using more than one - The shinier the object, the closer the lighting will be to the light color;
- Objects interact between themselfs and it's the shading that tells which is over or under each one and which are closer or further to the viewer.

Description
This were all the steps I took while drawing my last pic. It more to show how I draw most of time than an actual tutorial. It has too many mistakes

1 - I draw the sketch directly onto the computer. Sometimes I do it on pensil, but since I don't have access to the scanner very often I prefer using my tablet

2 - I do the inking on a different layer (normal). Most of the times I use pen pressure, but since I wanted to give a more comic look, I disabled it this time

3 - I hidded the sketch. I don't like to erase them because you never know when you need to use it again

4 - I created a new normal layer for the base colors and put it under the lineart one. Sometimes I use a multiply one one, but it depends on what type of effect I want to give when it comes to the lighting stage. As for the colors I used full opacity and no smooth edges on the brush

5 - I created a new multiply layer for the shading and put it between the other 2 layers. I also decided the light direction to use, as you can see on that lil sketch (it's just a general idea, it's not accurate)
Since I'm using the cell-shadding technique I use the same type of brush as before. The colors chosen were the same type as the ones bellow, but much more lighter and with a more greyish tone. I don't like the effect of using opposite colors, not on the first shade at least. As for the use of grey, it's because the light is white
When shading I pay attention to the type of material being shaded (ex: metal has a much deeper shade than wood) and which objects cast shadow over the others

6 - I like to give a second layer of shadow to give more "roundness" to the objects. Some like the sweat drop and he metals receive and extra layer of shading, since they will reflect much more light than the others. The hair will be shiny as well, but when it comes to shadows it has the same amount as most

7 - I created a new normal layer for the lights and put it over the shadow's one. Since I wanted to give the sensation of a soft light, I only apllied it where it hits the surface the most. I used a lighter tone of the base color instead of a low opacity of the light color, since each object would reflect a different amount of light (and the computer tends to lighten dark and light colors differently!)

8 - I created one last multiply layer for the details. Usually I just draw them at the same time as the base colors, but since I was going to use a standart layer for the lighting I decided to put them on a seperate layer above it. I used a very thin brush to give the textures (rough cloth, hair strands, etc) and applied them over and over

Notes for Beginners:
- Layers work like invisible sheets of paper over each other (they're only visible when you draw something over them). Normal layers just put one sheet over the other, while multiply ones "adds" its colors to the ones below;
- Opacity in brushes (and layers, but I didn't use them here) is just what the word says. You have to be careful while drawing with it, unless you want for the color to add up and become "darker";
- Avoid using the fill tool on the lineart. It leaves a white edge near the lines hard to hide;
- Always pay attention to the light direction and the type of light source when shading, specially when using more than one - The shinier the object, the closer the lighting will be to the light color;
- Objects interact between themselfs and it's the shading that tells which is over or under each one and which are closer or further to the viewer.