How I Draw

Crazy-Peach-Adopt's tuttorial

AKA: how i draw stuff.

Hi folks so some of you were wondering how i draw what i draw... so today ima show you. Im going to walk you from concept to final product.  

im going to draw something based on a theme.

the theme i choose is summer.

now firstly i think im going to draw a person, so with that in mind im thinking about people in the summer. and first thing that comes to mind is tan lines.

here i'll make a list of my ideas.

-tanlines
-sand
-bathing suit
-cute
-frilly
-girl
-blue
-hawaiian print

okay so that basically describes what this image may turn out to be.


okay so i work on photo shop CS5 with a bamboo splash tablet. on my Hp envy computer. im not the most advanced usere of photoshop infact i have a lot to learn but im getting there.

1. alright when i start an image i usually work in 300 dpi unless its an icon. for this i will be working in 300 dpi, and my canvas size will be about 5 inches by 5 inches.

2. THE SKETCH
i use the normal brush setting. set as hard as it will go at about 8 or 10. and i sketch in color. usually i start as a light color and work my way darker.

2a. the basic shape is usually rough and simple. here we have the girl at 3/4 view with her back to us. one hand on her hip and the other behind her. *i like drawing the back of the figure.*

2b. only one color in and the drawing is already fleshing out. i think she may have a coverup in her hands. or have it resting low on her arms. i still keep the drawing loose it can change between colors and sometimes parts in a lower color get tottaly ignored.

2c. detail is starting to be fleshed out. the face has a shape. and it is looking more semi realistic than my usual drawings. since this isnt any character that i have *yet* she is rather away from the camera.

2d. a new layer and a new color!~ time to work on the clothing. since i cant draw the far hand like i want im going to cheat.... i will cover it up!

2e. now to another layer and another color for the hair. im thinking long and possiably wind swept. i sketch hair in no more than two colors and i keep it loose. because hair is the best visual for wind. its more readily blown than clothing. and this girl is being washed over by the warm sea breeze. *can you tell i have cabin feaver yet?*

2f. finishing this up now i tighten a little more on the drawing here and there and we are done with the figure sketch.

3. BACKGROUND
i resized the canvas after finishing my sketch because i want to get the background in there. im thinking a beach with clear waters that meet the sky and thin cottoney clouds that streatch out in that blue beyond.

3a. the first thing to do is color blocking. the sky and the water are two different colors for a reason. because in real life they are different colors. the white is the crests of the waves and the gold is... well the sand. this is all on its own layer and will be built upon. i also moved the girl off center. to excentuate the background a little more.

3b. next is figureing out the gradient on the sky. i use a large brush with minimal hardness and low opacity to lighten the base color i used for the sky. it gets lighter as it goes to the horizone. it also gets alittle greyer.  i also used the same brush only smaller to make the clouds. this is also done at low poacity but with white. and its small and sketchy storkes.

3c. the water.it is the oposite of the sky it gets darke the farther away it is. the mixer brush works wonders for making the water look seamless. and it makes the wave cresting look good as well and lets me make the water on the beach look like waves rushing on the sand.

3d. the sand is the last to do and im going to lighten it up just a little. useing the mixer brush still im going to work it.

4. LINE
my brush is back to maximum hardness and about 11pt.

4a. the line is simple it follows the darkest colors on the sketches. and brings it all together. so far its turning out well i think.

5. COLORING
now when i get ready to color i use mask layers. i use the magic wand to slect around the line. then i invert the selection, make a new layer under the line, and hit the mask layer button which is the one that looks like a grey square with a circle in it (under the layers box). and voila!~ i can color with out making a mess.

5a. i start with a base tone, usually the skin. i use this to make sure there arent any holes in the mask. then if i need to i edit the mask and fill holes.

5b. the next step is to figure out what colors i want. im thinking im going to do the tan lines on the girl and then decided the color of her hair. im leaning towards making her look like my senshi Solessa. so pink hair and pale (untanned skin). im going to lock this lock this layer. and add a new one making a clipping mask.

5c. the skin tone is done. i used a large bhush with feathering to get the soft edges of the tan line. she's been at the beach for a few days she had to change swimsuits. ging from a onepiece to a bikini has this sort of effect.

5d. the next thing i need to do is take a moment to work on her hair. she has this pink hair. so i have to go find her image and copy the color to get it right. found her original image im going to use the droper tool to grab the color and put it on the same layer as the skin with  hard brush.

5e. the next step is on another clipping mask. im going to make the clothes. this cliping mask layer will be under the hair. with the base colors done i can add a pattern this will be a hawaiian flower pattern on her suit, and possiably on her coverup as well. i use brushes that i found on brusheezy, to do this. and i use about 4 or so colors.

5f. lastly on the coloring is the shading. now i cheat.... i use another layer on top of everything and i make a mask f my line. then i set the opacity of the layer to about 30% and i color with a soft black brush over everting.

5g. this is the tweaking step. im thinking of coloring the line to make it look softer. so i did that and the result wasnt bad so i kept it.

6. Final product. well im finished as soon as i color the line. i save the image as a .PNG and i post it!~

hey i hoped you liked this process tuttorial, on how i do my art. if you did leave a comment. if you didnt leave a comment. and if you'd like to see more... leave a comment.



The finished product!~~~ --- >