Auto-Tailor - page 16 - Process (Patreon)

Since the colors and shading were done by my partner, Jade, I'm going to talk more about other aspects of my process in more detail.

1. I start with a rough thumbnail to plan out the page.  The first two panels are the same as the last panel from the previous page because I wanted to hold that tension, stretch it out, to really show how much the date is fuming before she snaps in that third panel.

2. Now I go in and work out the final poses and proportions. The third panel and fourth panels retain the same camera angle and proportions as the previous panels, working a bit like an animatic so we get a sense of linear change and motion, going from a stable situation to action.

3. Now I go back and work out all the fine details.  Again, I retained as much of the dolly from the first two panels as possible in the third panel, changing only the arms and head as our dolly realizes how bad of an idea it was to be so disrespectful and unprincesslike. For the date, I only retained part of the face and the hand on the hip. Having her move a step toward our dolly, unbalancing the distance between them, indicates a shift in direction, the tense balance toppling back into chaos. The fourth panel was completely drawn from scratch except for the massive skirt, which I copied from a previous page, using mesh distortion to match the squash and tilt.

4. Then I ink everything, using a couple of different pens (one with a blunt tip, for outer edges, and one with a fine tip, for fine detail). Thicker lines in closer objects contrast with thinner lines in distant objects. As usual, although I copied a penciled skirt from a previous page, I still have to re-ink it by hand, adjusting and tweaking the shapes to match the new position, smoothing out parts that get too distorted or which need to be seen as if from a different angle.