Spoil Your Sissy - Process (Patreon)

1. I started with a rough thumbnail, just to get the concept down.

2. Next, I did a rough sketch, getting the figures and pose settled and roughing in the general shape of the gowns.

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 bumpy brush for the petticoat. 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, blush lines, 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 backdrop, I started with a solid color for the tree trunks, following a rough heart shape and adding some branches.

7. I added detail to the tree trunk with a simple bark texturing brush, made from a photo of bark, then brushed along in the direction of the tree. I also added a layer of form shading to give it some shape and a color adjustment layer to push the highlights more toward yellow.

8. Next I used my basic foliage brush, which is a three impressionistic clusters of leaves, radiating out from the center of the brush, with scatter, rotation, and scale variance, to add leaves in front of and behind the trunks.

9. To give the leaves depth, I switched the foliage brush to have pen pressure opacity and dabbed in a lighter shade of green, locked to the pixels of the existing foliage layers.

10. Next I did the same foliage effect in different colors for bushes and more trees to fill in the space around the heart trees. For the flowers, I drew three flower shapes, arranged in a triangle, facing outward, and made a brush with rotation, scatter, and scale variance, set to vary between foreground and background color. Then I brushed them onto the bushes with two shades of red.

11. For the fence, I used simple dark grey silhouettes and added a bevel effect and a grungy texture overlay to them.

12. Finally, I added cast shadows to the trees and fence.

13. 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.

14. Cast shadows. I make a new dark brown layer (and a blue one for the interior) 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 or a larger brush if the thing casting the shadow is softer in surface, such as from the hair or petticoat.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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. I also added some scribbly blush lines to show extra-blushy excitement.

18. I added a semi-transparent solid white with red hearts above the blush layer, below the shading layers, for hosiery. This lets some of the blush through but tones it down, as it would be under hosiery.

19. 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 choose colors that are closest to black if they are hard surfaces or closer to the base color if they are softer.

20. 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.

21. For the tears of joy, 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.

22. I stamped a few sparkles in key places for interest.

23. I added some text to each piece of heart-shaped jewelry, using mesh distortion to match the curved surface and perspective.

24. Finally, I added text with a simple white stroke effect to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!