Catwalk - Process

1. Start with a rough thumbnail, just working out the concept and general layout.

2. Next, I worked up a more careful sketch of just the basic body shapes, matched to a more precise perspective.

3. Final sketch. I sketch all the fabulous outfits and rough in the backdrop.

4. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the characters and a constant-width brush for hard things on vector layers. I use lots of different layers for different parts, which makes it easier to overdraw and erase as needed. I also went ahead of inked the shape for the eyelashes because the brush stablization in Manga Studio makes it a lot easier than doing it in Photoshop later. I exported the inking for the lashes and lighting on separate layers.

5. In Photoshop, I convert the imported lines to a folder with a mask and put a solid black layer in the folder. (CTRL-click RGB in the Channels tab, invert the selection, create a mask from the selection.) This will come in handy later when I color the linework. Then I create another folder and start creating the basic color blocking. I like to do all my color blocking by making a folder and then filling it with different solid color layers for each section of color, whch makes it easy to change a color later. This is a very fussy way to do it and it's probably much simpler to just fill a single raster layer with flat colors.

6. Form shading. I create a dark brown solid color layer (linear burn) and start painting in the basic form shading with a soft airbrush. For the hair, I used color burn for richer shading and I used a variable-width soft airbrush to smudge detail into the shadows, picking up the shape of the hairs.

7. Cast shadows. I make a new brown blue layer set to multiply and start painting in the cast shadows with soft brush, using a smaller brush in places where the object casting the shadow is closer to the thing the shadow is on.

8. Backlight. I used a desaturate solid color layer (screen blend mode) painted with a soft airbrush. When I combine it with the form shading, backlighting really makes the characters pop. I don't use any backlight on non-reflective objects. I added a second white backlight on the side closest the light source for the shiniest surfaces.

9. Shiny. I used a solid white layer for the primary shine and painted spots and streaks using a hard variable-width brush. After painting all the shine, I use the cast shadow layer to make a selection and delete the shine from anywhere covered by shadow. For the latex shine, I added a soft glow around the white shine and I also added a second colored shine for the backlight to make it extra glossy. For the shine on the hair, I started with thin strokes with a variable-width brush, then use a smude tool to add detail and softness to the tips, then use an airbrush to add a soft glow to groups of streaks, then use an airbrush to fade the tops and bottoms of streak groups, and finally use a soft round brush to erase a few streaks in the middle of each group.

10. I added some grey noise, scaled up, levels adjusted, and set to overlay, on top of the gold cloth to make it glittery.

11. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the cheeks and other cheeks. I use the same method to add color for the eyeshadow.

12. I added semi-transparent solid colors on top of the blush layer, below the shading layers, for hosiery. This lets some of the blush through but tones it down, as it would be under hosiery.

13. Colored linework. Going back to the linework folder, I started adding new solid color layers, using the mask to paint the color of the linework. Since the new layers are inside a folder with a mask defining the linework, I don't have to be very precise when coloring the lines. I always add new color layers below the ones I already did so that I can be sloppy in the areas that are already covered by colored linework. I like to keep using black lines on the hardest objects to give it a contrast with softer objects.

14. Eyelashes are done with a folder containing a solid grey layer and a solid black layer. Using the lashes I made earlier with a variable width brush, I add a few thin streaks on the grey layer mask to add depth to the lashes and soften the look with a few strokes of a soft airbrush.

15. For the tears and sweatbead, I used a white layer with the fill turned down just a little and add a layer effect with white inner glow set to 100%. Then I use the mask to soften the edge where it touches the skin. After, I add a new white layer to paint in the shiny highlights.

16. I added semi-transparent solid layers of color, carefully masked around the figures, to add a gauzy peignoir to one of the models.

17. I added the lighting support as two layers of solid silhouette. Then I made one light, added some white to the sides, and added a full white light coming out of the light. To make the light beams, I created a new file, large and square, then added some random blobs of white in the middle at the very top. Then I applied the strongest motion blur to turn it into varied vertical streaks. Then I did again, several more times. Then I added a black gradient on the bottom to make sure none of the white quite reaches the bottom edge. Then I applied a polar coordinates distortion to the whole image, turning the vertical streaks into a pie-shaped flare, which I copied over to my light. Then I copied the light several times, scaling it for perspective. Finally, I collapsed the lighting rigging together an applied a little bit of gaussian blur to give it some distance from the characters.

18. I added some random soft spots of while, like a starfield, then used distortion to give them some angle and perspective. I also added some darker gradient to the backdrop near the top.