Background Steps WIP explained

1. The sketch beneath the character layers.

2. Linart layer

I could have just started painting right away but my brain works well with "lineart" so where I knew there would be sharp edges I drew lines and here I also drew in the texture of the tree bark. I used more or less pressure to make the lines lighter or darker. 

I don't use white here. (But you can, just keep in mind you will have to make the white transperent somehow, if you want to put color underneath, there are ways like makeing the layer style -multiply-)

If you use photoshop and you have trouble with not useing to much pressure on your pen you can adjust the sensitvity in your tablet settings or adjust the oppacity of your brush (like 80% or more or less).  This is most likely a feature in all painting software tho. 

I also use the eraser alot to do my lines. Esspecially when I want the to look more painterly. 

3. Color layer

(I seperated that layer out here so you can take a better look, normally the lines are still above that layer while I'm painting, like in 4.)

This is the coloring layer beneath the lines. I already paint in some shadow here as you can see. (Compared to the characters where they are solid colors on their coloring layers). 

I had a clear picture of what colors I wanted this scene to be in my head since this isn't my first night time scene. But I also often pull up reference like photos or even paintings or anything really to find out what colors best to use.

I still struggle a lot at this stage. So yeah my visual library needs extending...

My personal plan is real life studies and more research about other painters in history.

4. Colors and lines together. 

Normally I would also color in the lines here but since it's a night time scene the black lines don't bother me. 

5. Overpaint layer group 

A group full of layers where I paint over everything with different brushes in different sizes, use layer styles or adjustment layers all that stuff. 

It's really like painting just with technology. It's the fun part. 

I can'T expain much more here since it's really just experimenting and pushing the image to what I have in my head. I don't have a specific formular. 

But that's also why it's so fun. I recommend learing a lot about your software so you can use everything to your advantage here. I learned a lot in school and also form magazines and tutorial videos online. 

Feel free to ask questions via. message or in the comments here.

All the grammar issues are here as a mini game. Find them all and don't tell me about them it's a secret.

I still have a lot of learing ahead of me myself and I'm just trying to explain where I'm at right now for everyone who might be interested in my process.