Making Up - Process (Patreon)
Content
2. Final sketch. Now I go back and do a more detailed sketch, working out the faces, clothing and hair.
3. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the characters and a constant-width brush for hard things (the lipstick and buckle) on vector layers. I use lots of different layers for different parts, which makes it easier to overdraw and erase as needed.
4. 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.
5. Form shading. I create a dark brown solid color layer (linear burn) and start painting in the basic form shading with a soft airbrush. Except for the hair, which gets its own dark brown layer but with linear burn blending for more richness. I also use a smudge tool on the hair and various creases in clothing and skin to create detail.
6. Backlight. A pale pink solid color layer (screen). When I combined it with the form shading, backlighting really makes the characters pop. I used both a soft brush and a soft airbrush. When it's done right, it should look like real lighting from a different angle. And again, smudge the edge of creases and hairs.
7. Cast shadows. I make a new dark 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. Put them together and it's looking good!
9. Shiny. Now add in the shinies. I used a solid white layer at for basic shine on lips, another solid white for shine in the eyes, and solid white set to overlay (which makes a richer shine) for the hair shine. Normally I would add shine to the breasforms to make them look artificial but, since they are fully in shadow, they can't have any shine on them. Painting the hairshine, I use a variable width sharp brush, then go over it with an airbrush to give it a little glow.
10. 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.
11. Eyelashes, eyeshadow, and blush. Eyelashes are done with a folder containing a solid grey layer and a solid black layer. I use a variable width brush to paint in lashes on the folder mask. Then I paint in a few thin streaks on the grey layer mask to add depth to the lashes. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the joints and face. For the eyeshadow, I go back to my color layers and airbush in some blue, pink, purple, and white for a fabulous look.
12. Tears. For the tears, I used a white layer with the fill turned down and add a layer effect with white inner glow set to 100%. Then I use a variable width brush in the mask to paint in the shape of the tears. After, I add a new white layer to paint in the shiny highlights.
13. Background. I add a simple gradient to the background and drop in some semi-transparent text to add texture and I'm done!