Valentine's Day Dance Decorations - Process (Patreon)

1. I started with a rough thumbnail, just to get the concept down. This was actually from two separate suggestions but I later realized that they would work better together as a combined image. DarthRevan suggested the heart balloon outfit and LeilaStoat suggested the cupid costume.

2. Next, I did a rough sketch, getting the figures and poses settled and roughing in the idea for the background.

3. Next I did a more final sketch to work out all the details.

4. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the character and a constant-width brush for hard things on vector layers. I used my own brushes for the chains. 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 characters and eyelashes on separate layers.

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. For the crowd, I drew eight silhouettes of slowdancing couples and stamped them in rows of diminishing size, using a darker shade for each more distant row.

7. For the balloons, I made a simple balloon brush with flip and just a little bit of jitter and angle, with spacing to stamp every third balloon. Then I brushed in diminishing rows of red, pink, and white balloons. I made a dangling ribbon brush, drawing two styles of ribbon, one going up and one going down, with flip and a little roundness variation, and stamped ribbons on selected balloons in each row.

8. I added some simply shading to all of the balloons, just making them all dark with a bright spot at the bottom, and brush in a few highlights on each ribbon.

9. I added a simple soft shiny spot on each balloon.

10. I added a touch of backlight to the side of each balloon.

11. Finally, I added some dark violet tint to each row of balloons, going darker with each more distant row.

12. Form shading. I create a dark violet solid color layer (linear burn) and start painting in the basic form shading with a soft airbrush, using a smudge tool to add detail in the creases and the feathers. 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.

13. Cast shadows. I make a new dark violet 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.

14. Backlight. I used two desaturate solid color layers (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.

15. 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.

16. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the cheeks and other places where bone is near the surface of the skin. I use the same method to add color for the eyeshadow.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. Finally, I added a little reddish gradient and a levels adjustment layer to the backdrop to add interest and contrast.