Pregnant Mira Commission - Art Process

For those who might be a bit curious about my art process for the preggoXpresso commissions I've made this blog post.

Typically a commission like this takes me 3 to 4 hours. Mira took just a little over 4 hours.

1.  After going through any reference and requirements from the commissioner, I start on the sketch process. This process can be very quick if I'm 'in the zone' and can be done in about 10 minutes. The Sketch and Drawing phase are the part I enjoy most as when it goes really well it feels fun and almost effortless. The sketch is very rough and mostly about the pose.

2. The Drawing phase is where I pull out what I think I can see in the smudge sketch and realise it as the character - getting the face, expression, personality nailed down. There's a lot of me squinting at the smudgy sketch and turning on/off my drawing layer that sits above the sketch to see whether it's straying from the sketch, is faithful to the sketch or maybe much better!

3. If my lines were clean enough I probably wouldn't need this stage but they are usually not so I think if this as my inking phase. I like to make each line with one sweeping motion, avoiding anything that looks wobbly. I am hitting Cmd-Z on my keyboard and going again on a line a lot as I seek out a near perfect line.

4. Colour Flats are just putting each area of colour on it's own separate layer behind the drawing. I'll also colour the black lines to a darker version of the area colour it's near so as to turn down the harshness of the black lines (unless it needs to be black).

5. Shading is simplified in this art style so it consists of two levels of shadow - slightly darker under the neck, arm bits, crotch areas. Highlights are kept very minimal - tip of nose, chin, forehead, breasts, belly. Some times also thigh and cheekbones but less strong. I'll ask add blusher to cheeks, a slight redness to the nose but very, very subtle.

I may also change the colour saturation of the skin or the whole image at this stage. I'll also create either a simple background or purchase it for a couple of dollars or get one from a library I have a paid subscription to.

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If you have any questions about my art process the let me know. I'll be happy to answer it.