En Deux Pointes - Process

1. In Manga Studio, I start with a very rough sketch with big fat pencils. The fat pencils force me to keep the sketch loose without getting too caught up in the details. I worked a lot from ballerina reference photos to get the poses and the shape of the tutus right.

2. Final sketch. Now I go back and do a more detailed sketch, working out the the body, clothing, and hair.

3. Inking. I use a variable-width inking brush for the characters and a constant-width brush for hard things (the buckles) 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 inks in multiple layers. I didn't ink the laces or grommets at all because I'm going to paint those in with a different technique later.

4. 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.

5. Form shading. I create a dark brown solid color layer (linear burn) and start painting in the basic form shading with a soft airbrush. Except for the hair, which gets its own dark brown layer but with linear burn blending for more richness. I also use a smudge tool on the hair and various creases in clothing and skin to create detail.

6. Backlight. A very desaturate pale blue solid color layer (screen). When I combined it with the form shading, backlighting really makes the characters pop. I used both a soft brush (for the shiniest parts like the buckle and lips) and a soft airbrush (for everything else). For extra shine on the latex, I added a second pink layer for a second backlight on the opposite side. I don't use any backlight on non-reflective objects. When it's done right, it should look like real lighting from a different angle. And again, smudge the edge of creases and hairs.

7. Cast shadows. I make a new dark brown 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. I start on the backdrop, then the characters last, because it makes it easier to visualize where the shadows will land when starting with the simplest, furthest back objects. For fun, I made the shadow on the ground into a big heart shape that vaguely resembles the placement of their tutus. The shadows cast by the extended legs suggest an arrow through a heart very nicely. I want to pretend that I planned it that way but it was just serendipity.

8. Put them together and it's looking good!

9. Shiny. I used a solid white layer at for basic shine on lips, nails, and shoes, and solid white set to overlay (which makes a richer shine) for the hair shine. For the shiny latex, I used a pink shine on the dominant light side and a blue shine on the backlight side. Painting the hairshine, I use a variable width sharp brush, then go over it with an airbrush to give it a little glow. After painting all the shine, I use the cast shadow layer to make a selection and delete the shine from anywhere covered by shadow.

10. For the blush, I add in a light red layer, airbrushing just on the same area as the skin for the joints and face. I use the same technique for the eyeshadow.

11. 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. Everything soft gets colored linework. Hard objects stay black.

12. Lacing. I didn't ink the lacing because the linework would be too small and fiddly. Instead, I made a simple donut-shaped brush and used it to stamp the grommets on in a new layer. Then I added a very thin black inner glow to the grommets so that they would appear to have thin linework. I did the same on additional layers with a simple hard brush to make the laces. Then I went back and added cast shadows onto things the laces would cast shadows onto.

13. 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.

14. Finally, I added a pink gradient to the background to suggest a floor and some simple white shapes for a dramatic spotlight.