I've been receiving quite a few questions around my tools and process when it comes to my illustrations. Now that the blog is up and running, I thought this would be a great time to run through my typical sketching stages.
The steps listed below follow the picture reading left to right, top to bottom.
Step 1 // Tools // Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils, Moleskin notebook and a paper towel to prevent smudging. Process // Here I lightly draw in the 'bones' of the illustration. I focus first on the overall gesture of the character then rough in the shapes and refine the details.
Step 2-4 // Tools // Pentel brush pen and paper towel. Process // Once i'm happy with the details and have enough information drawn, I begin the inking process starting from the top of the drawing and working down. The ink in this pen tends to dry slow for me so I take shorts breaks to allow sections to compete drying. When i've completed inking the character I'll go back over sections of the drawing adding small details, part lines, or shadows to add dimension.
Step 5 // Tools // Copic and Chartpak markers // Process // I allow the ink to dry for 10-15 minutes before beginning the color phase. I'll start with my lightest colors and then add darker colors over them. I'll do all grey sections first before adding in the more vibrant colors. This adds some depth to the lineart and allows me to select where I want to add in color blocking. I repeat this process until all flat colors are added.
Step 6 // Tools // Markers and Uniball white liner // Process // This step is the final detailing stage of the drawing. From here I'll add in highlights, shadows and graphic details to the illustration. Once complete I'll scan the drawing and clean it up in Photoshop.
Here's the final mecha from today // UNIT_005 // CHRMLN
I hope you all found this helpful. Feel free to reach out with any other questions or comments. Kristina and I love hearing from you!
