Hey hey!
In my last digital illustration I decided to track some steps and today I’ll write a little bit about it!
1. Sketch – It’s still easier for me to draw an image from my head directly on paper instead of a digital media. I don’t do this always because sometimes I use visual references and those are already virtual so I do my 1st sketch digitally. For me, paper will always have a different touch and it’s the best to sketch freely! As I only have a Wacom tablet, when I want to draw I always have to sit on my desk.. but with a sketchbook I can be anywhere!
2. Digital Sketch – In this stage I draw an outline of my drawing with a vivid color. No details or shadows. I use this sketch as a guideline throughout all my illustration process. However, it is just a guideline. I don’t stick 100% to it. This sketch helps me have an overview of how the illustration will look like and if all the element’s positions work.
3. Coloring – This is where I color the character. First I do the face, then I move up to the hair and after that it’s clothing. From now I want to start doing a little color study before starting on the final character. That little study will help me to not get stuck when I don’t know what color to use… Anyway, after having the little study I start coloring and I had details as I go.
4. Lighting – I have to say this is usually my favorite part. Adding the highlights and the shadows it’s what brings the character to life! I usually choose a particular spot from where the light comes and I stick to it. In the future I want to do a lot of light studies so I can improve… Light is a very important aspect.
5. Background – This stage changes depending on what I want with the illustration. Either I choose a picture, blur it, and use it as my background or I just choose a color that matches my palette so the background is not white. Sometimes I draw the background myself and blur it as well but that takes me a lot more time!
6. Review – And this one is my least favorite one… As I am not a professional and still a rookie on this whole digital world I tend to draw and draw and keep adding layers… This can become quite tricky when there’s errors. Either I paint something outside the limits or there’s a layer on top that should be underneath… There’s a lot of little things that need to be correct and the end so the drawing looks neat.
And I guess that’s it!!! Here you have my drawing process. I hope I’ll be able to record my screen so you can see exactly what I do!
If you have any questions drop them on the comments 😉