CEO Rebranding [WIPs]

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/8tyni0awlfxn5f8ta5efc/h?rlkey=dzudlqydre5j9vlz46s840vd7&dl=0

Password on Discord in the ceo-postings channel, or DM me ~!

The process for this piece pretty much followed my normal pipeline of drawing, but I want to give a very special thanks to astarvingfarbeagle and theboundraccoon for helping me with both the hair for the goth alts and Simone's legs respectively.

Im going to do something a little different and do an in depth description for each pic in the WIP folder~

1.  Initial sketch) Starting with the sketch, I started by drawing the chair and Simone, as they were the focus of the piece. The background is very roughly blocked out and poster sizes determined.

2. Secondary Sketch) I decided I wanted two characters in the scene, so I extended it to include Inque. Using a lot of references I went piece by piece and gave the sketch some more detail, adding new items and polishing the ones already blocked out. 

3.  Tertiary sketch) This final sketch is to make sure that everything is given the detail it needs to be finalized on the next step. Any final tweaks are made, but the the piece is still rough overall.

4. Lineart and initial flat coloring) I messed with the perspective a bit on this one, as I wasn't happy with the angle of the far right counter. After fixing that I made sure to fully line the piece, keeping the characters on a separate layer than the background line. Whenever I start coloring, Im always sure to do the characters first, as the rest of the background can change depending on their color scheme. 

5. Flat coloring) At this stage its important to remember that colors may stand out a lot better/ look different with shading, so I don't get too hung up on how washed out the black on Inque looks. I use both irl references and my own artistic intuition to gauge what color things should be, often tweaking things a few shades if necessary.

6. Initial Shading) With a piece that has so many details like this one, it can be extremely easy to get overwhelmed and lost. This is why I fully render each individual piece as I go. Typically starting with the characters. 

7. Shading) Its a bit random what I decide to shade next, I kind of just go as I feel and take it one step at a time. Making sure everything is fully completed before I move on, including extra details like scuffs and stickers.

8. Shading) Continue shading and begin sketching out the posters, one at a time. (Really small details such as the hoops on the rag near Inque are done using a stroke effect so I dont have to line them with the rest of the piece)

9. Final details) Shading is finished and last details such as the struggle lines and posters are added.

10. Filter) Wanted the characters to pop a bit more so I added a filter over just the background (which is why its important to keep your characters on a separate layer)

Overall this piece had 230 layers by the time I was finished with the base piece and the alts.