Cake Princess - Process (Patreon)

1. I started with a simple thumbnail just to get the idea and basic layout down.

2. Next, I do a more formal layout sketch, working out the pose and proportions.

3. Final sketch. I sketch the characters and props in full detail.

4. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the character 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 made a few simple tube brushes for the tubing since that's much easier than drawing two consistently even lines. 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.

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 brown 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. (That's for the real hair, not the cake frosting hair.) Pn the frosting, I used dappling to give the icing some texture and used lots of smudging to give the frosting that creamy, rippled surface.

7. Cast shadows. I make a new brown 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. I used a desaturate solid color layer (screen 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. I also used a second white forelight on the primary edge of the shinest objects. I went extra heavy on the secondary lights for frosting to give it a yummy glisten.

9. 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.

10. I added a simple cake texture pattern (created by sampling from a photo of cake) to the bare cake, set to overlay.

11. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the cheeks and places where bone is near the surface of the skin. Even though the character isn't wearing make-up, you still need some natural blush to make the skin look alive.

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.

13. For the sweat, I used a white layer with the fill turned down just a little and add a layer effect with white inner glow set to 100%. Then I use the mask to soften the edge where it touches the skin. After, I add a new white layer to paint in the shiny highlights.

14. To create distance and make it easier to see the different robot arms distinctly, I applied a hue/saturation layer with a mask and painted a gradient so the arms that are further back would be more pale and lighter, creating a contrast with the arms closer to the foreground.

15. Finally, I added some simple abstract shapes and a gradient to the backdrop.