Collectible - Drafting Process

For this process post, I'm going to focus on how I draft a character so that the perspective is consistent and convincing.

1. In Clip Studio, I draw rough thumbnail to get the basic concept down.

2. Since all of the dolls should be identical in size and shape, I start by making one which I can then use as a basis for the others. As a doll, the character pose should be perfectly symmetrical so I start with a symmetry ruler and draw an outline of the character. I added some rectangular corner guides and plan the placement for restraints to help me later. Once the outline is good, I use distortion to place the outline in the position the newest doll will be on the preparation rack.

3. Using the outline to guide me, I draw the body both in front and behind the outline, using the outline itself to plan the position of the seams on the doll shell.

4. After saving off a copy of the finished doll fo later, I start breaking the drawing into multiple layers, filling in the inner edges and human body that will be inside the shell.

5. To plan the shape of the rack, I go back to my original outline and use the same symmetry to draw an outline.

6. Using the same perspective as the doll, I distort the rack three times. The rectangular guides I added in the doll outline help me line up perspective rulers to match the tilted perspective of the rack.

7. Using the three layers of rack outline as a guide, I can now sketch in the shape of the rack and padding in perspective.

8. With the doll in place on the rack, I can use the doll to sketch in some detail on the padding to make the doll feel as if it is placed there. with weight.

9. Now I can work on the other dolls. Going back to the saved copy, I use just a little bit of rotation and distortion to shift it a more upright pose, redrawing the shoulders and arms to match the new position. Following a compatible perspective to the rack, I place additional copies along the back wall shelf.

10. Finally, I can use the finished doll shapes as a basis for pretty doll outfits.