1. I start with a blank canvas, I like watching a video or listening to music while drawing. At this point I usually grab a ref and prepare my setup. I use FireAlpaca to draw, so I get a normal pen brush with 0% min width, set it to 3.0 and the colour red. I create a new layer and begin :) 2. I sketch my first sketch using circles and rough lines. I have the ref in the corner to use. This is the first layer. 3. I begin my second sketch, this one more detailed and with less blocky shapes. In this one I selected the muzzle and moved it up a bit to make it look shorter. 4. Normally my lineart is messier because the sensors on my computer are messed up on the touch screen, but I cleaned it a bit to give you perspective. The sketch layer is set to a low opacity to trace around it. 5. Cleaned up completely and filled in the places needed. Hide the sketches and begin the colouring process. 6. Select the outside of the line art and Ctrl-Shift-i to inverse it 7. Once inversed, create a layer above the lineart and colour in your base colour. At this point I made a pallet for the colours used for the character. (pallet is on a separate layer) 8. Bring the layer below the lineart and colour in the lines. I normally use the same pen from the lineart and use the fill (with expansion set to 2) and fill in the lines. 9. I begin shading by setting a new layer above the colour layer and selecting "clipping" (this makes it to where the colouring done on that layer will only show up on the parts coloured in the layer below) 10. I do regular shading with a darker version of the original colours (DO NOT USE BLACK!) Set the opacity to around 30-50% 11. I lower the opacity ^^ 12. Make another clipping layer and do lighting on the opposite side of the side you did shading (typically the front). I use a white colour and lower the opacity down to around 25% 13. I basically skipped forward a ton at this part so lemme make sub steps >> Make another clipping layer and select the gradient option. (I used the blue and purple colours you see from the background) have the lighter colour on your lighting side and the darker colour on your shading side. Set the opacity to 10-20% >> I then duplicate the colour and lineart layer, merge the duplication and hide the originals. Turn on "Protect alpha" and make sure your fill expansion setting is at least 2. Double fill that area (make sure Protect Alpha is deselected at this point otherwise it won't work) and it should create a line around your character. I used the gradient option again, reselected Protect Alpha, and did the colours opposite to the direction in the background. (for the background just make another layer and do as you please) >> Added my watermark on a separate layer and lowered the opacity to around 20% 14. I had to go back and make some changes to the original drawing because I forgot some details in the original colouring. I messed it up a bit ngl, the shading is off on the ear and under the neck, and on the darker spots in the ear and back of neck :") Character - ^^ Kota is literally so amazing
