Last Bus - Process (Patreon)

2. Following the general layout, with some changes, I go back and work out the proportions and perspective more accurately and toy with ideas for the outfit but without worrying about the detail yet.

3. Now I do a more detailed sketch, working out the the body, clothing, and props.

4. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the characters and a constant-width brush for hard things on vector layers. I use lots of different layers for different parts, which makes it easier to overdraw and erase as needed. I also went ahead of inked the shape for the eyelashes because the brush stablization in Manga Studio makes it a lot easier than doing it in Photoshop later. I exported the inking for the lashes in a separate layer.

5. In Photoshop, I convert the imported lines to a folder with a mask and put a solid black layer in the folder. (CTRL-click RGB in the Channels tab, invert the selection, create a mask from the selection.) This will come in handy later when I color the linework. Then I create another folder and start creating the basic color blocking. I like to do all my color blocking by making a folder and then filling it with different solid color layers for each section of color, whch makes it easy to change a color later. This is a very fussy way to do it and it's probably much simpler to just fill a single raster layer with flat colors.

6. Form shading. I create a dark blue solid color layer (linear burn) and start painting in the basic form shading with a soft airbrush. For the hair, I used color burn for richer shading and I used a variable-width soft airbrush to smudge detail into the shadows, picking up the shape of the hairs.

7. Cast shadows. I make a new dark blue layer set to multiply and start painting in the cast shadows with soft brush, using a smaller brush in places where the object casting the shadow is closer to the thing the shadow is on.

8. Backlight. A very desaturate pale solid color layer (normal blend mode) painted with a soft airbrush. When I combine it with the form shading, backlighting really makes the characters pop. I don't use any backlight on non-reflective objects. For extra glossiness, I also added a white forelight to just the extra shiniest parts.

9. For the parts that are out of the lamplight, I wanted to make them look like they are in shadow but still be easy to see. I added a hue/saturation adjustment layer, set to colorize everything blue and mildly desaturate but only slightly darker. I set the opacity of the adjusment layer to around 90% so a hint of the original color shows through. Then I used a layer mask and painted in just the parts that outside the lamplight.

10. Shiny. I used a solid white layer for the primary shine and painted spots and streaks using a hard variable-width brush. After painting all the shine, I use the cast shadow layer to make a selection and delete the shine from anywhere covered by shadow. For the shine on the hair, I started with thin strokes with a variable-width brush, then use a smude tool to add detail and softness to the tips, then use an airbrush to add a soft glow to groups of streaks, then use an airbrush to fade the tops and bottoms of streak groups, and finally use a soft round brush to erase a few streaks in the middle of each group.

11. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the cheeks and other cheeks. I use the same method to add color for the eyeshadow.

12. Colored linework. Going back to the linework folder, I started adding new solid color layers, using the mask to paint the color of the linework. Since the new layers are inside a folder with a mask defining the linework, I don't have to be very precise when coloring the lines. I always add new color layers below the ones I already did so that I can be sloppy in the areas that are already covered by colored linework. I like to keep using black lines on the hardest objects to give it a contrast with softer objects. I also used lighter colors on objects in the background. I also used black on the lines which are outside the lamplight.

13. I added a texture layer with a pattern of sequins and a second layer with noise to give the dress a sequined look. These layers go above the shading layers, set to overlay. If you put them under the shading, the shading smoothes it out again. Setting it above with overlay lets the texture have a more dramatic impact.

14. Eyelashes are done with a folder containing a solid grey layer and a solid black layer. Using the lashes I made earlier with a variable width brush, I add a few thin streaks on the grey layer mask to add depth to the lashes and soften the look with a few strokes of a soft airbrush.

15. I added lots of sparkles to the earrings and sequins with a sparkle stamp brush.

16. I copied the layer with just the bus and added motion blur. Then I added a mask and made the motion blur only visible on the back end of the bus so it looks like the bus is driving away.