Marin (Link's Awakening) - [How To] Work with a Canvas Background (Patreon)

PSD Download Link: https://mega.nz/#!I6Y1GahD!hHgTP_CwY5JQ8T61BNRlKCOfE6b7P8qVMra1X_-4pi0

What once started as a little experiment for my manga became one of my favorite workflows when it comes to creating some quick sketches or story boards.

Recently I added a new commission format to my portfolio, namely the sepia illustrations which got quickly popular among my followers and clients. Basically I start drawing on a colored canvas and then use additional and hard lights which gives the whole composition a nice depth. I know several artists who used to draw like that for different reasons. One of my mentors told me for instance that he is always at a loss when he faces a blank canvas, so filling it with a darker color helps to set a mood beforehand.

As for me, I wanted to add a special touch to it by using paper textures as background. I used to add textures in the later steps of my creation process, but at some point I realized that the visual direction become clearer during the first steps by adding textures and patterns as soon as possible. It makes it also easier to mix in other brushes and shapes and makes the it look more natural. At the beginning of my manga project I drew my first pages on a brown and dark canvas, however I had to change my style later because my test prints turned out too dark.

I personally love this Zelda fanart in particular where the brownish tone of the cardboard texture supports the intensifying effect of the additional light of the sun at the horizon. You can check out the layer structure of this illustration in my PSD which I put in my download link, so you can get a clearer picture of that workflow.