First of all, I start with drawing a scketch.To do this, I don't do it on paper but straight on Painter 7. I create a New Sheet, 2000x2600 pixel, 300 resolution. I like working on a big surface so I can feel comfortable when I go through the details.
I don't draw on the “working zone” (“Background” in Photoshop). I actually create a new layer and name it “scketch”. Then, with B2 pencil, I start drawing.
Once I'm satisfied with my drawing, I create another layer and name it “clean” (as I use loads of layers, I rename them to easily understand what they're about. To rename a layer, you can either select the layer in the “object” window and then on “rename” or you can just double-click on the layer and replace “Layer 1” with “clean”).
Then, I change the scketch layer's opacity to 25% (instead of 100%). Now the schetch is almost invisible but you can see enough to clean it easily.
Cleaning it's easy: I just zoom in and, on my “clean” layer, I draw it again properly using my B2 pencil.
I still use loads of layers. I create a colour layer and I put it UNDER the CLEAN level (which will have to stay on top of the pile all the time!)
I name “Skin” the first layer, “Hair” the second one, “trousers” the third one, “top” the fourth and “accessories” the fifth...
Once I've done that, I go back on the “skin” layer and I start laying down my second colour with the areograph (numeric areograph) to give the picture some depth but first I decide where the light source is: in this case, on the left side of the screen.
Then I lay the third colour, which is darker and finally a fourth colour for the shadows under the nose, under the neck, etc. I also fix her cheeks with some red-pinkish colour.
Then I repeat the same procedure on all layers.
As I'm not so good at backgrounds, I do them at last ^__^°
I create a layer and name it “Background” and I place it UNDER the layers “clean” and the coloured ones and then I start drawing my ship with Pencil B2.
(There are some ropes missing which I've deleted while I was coloring, sorry!!) I don't usually clean that because... It's boring XD and because I want to highlight the chatacter. The background is secondary.
I create then another layer and name it “ship”. With the areograph I colour the ship's deck starting form the brightest colour to the darkest. I fix the chatacter's shadings and the mast's and the treasure chest (the small lightings in orange you can see here and there have been added later, when I decided to make the ship on fire.. actually i like improvising! ^__^)
I create another layer and name it “sky”. As my picture has got warm colours I thought that a blue sky (cold colour) wouldn't fit very well so I tried a high satured orange which shades into grey and with my aerograph I draw green-ish clouds.. there's a fire on the ship! I then fix a bit the orange and then add some touches of very pale yellow and some spots here and there to give an idea of burning.
I take the chance to put some fire on the sails.
I create another layer, “Various” for the ship's accesories. As usual, I start from the brightest colours to the darkest.
Eventually, the background is more or less over. Comparing it with the character, I think it's a bit green-ish. So I created another layer under the “background” one (and obviously under all the character's layers, to avoid makin it interact with Karelle too [the girl in the drawing]) and I change the mode to “multiply” (up to now it jus was “default”). A “multiply” layer lets you blend a colour over a drawing, trasparently . I've chosen a very light pink and I've filled in with color all the layer. The result is a kinda filter :
It already feels better about the tones. To finally end up the background, I create another layer and name it “fire” and change the mode to “screen” (as it firstly was “default”). This function lets you add saturation and light when we use it over a colored layer under a drawing (have I been clear ???..)
I've chosen a pale yellow and I've used it over the gold pieces and over the fire, to underline the luminance softened by the filter :
Finally, the background is over. I look at my picture and I think Karelle doesn't really interact much with the background 's lights. She isn't really part of it.
So I create another layer and put it over the entire pile of layers and name it “character multiply” and change its mode to “multiply”. I then fix the orange and yellow over her clothes and her sword. To do so, I use pale colous as on multiply they add themself to existing colours darkening the drawing, to not making them lighter.
Finally, to give the impression of interaction between fire and the character, I create a last layer which I set on “Sovrapposition” and name it “fire light”. Then I take a light yellow and I color Karelle's hair, her clothes, here sword so that it becomes more shiny. This way I can give the impression of the fire going on even on the right of the screen. I do the same thing over all the furnishment on the boat and quite on everything on fire ^__^ Et voilà...
To sum up, I draw with the 2B pencil, then I colour with the areograph (numerical). I play around with the aereograph's opacity. Instead of making straight shadows, I make them gradient. I don't know if I've answered your question but if I haven't, don't hesitate !
Trad by oOLuMeNOo (Thank you very much!!! :-) )