How To Draw Semi Realistic Bodies

Index

Introduction
Manga

- two.1 Sketching Hair
- 2.2 Shadows and Highlights
- ii.3 Correction Layers

Semi-realistic

- three.ane Sketching Hair
- 3.2 Painting the Overall Shape
- 3.3 Adding Details
- 3.four Background and Finishing Touches

Conclusion

How-do-you-do everybody!

I am the Belgian illustrator known as Esseyli. My specialty is to mix the earth of realism with that of manga and make it my own mode while still being visually coherent. I illustrate characters in manga styles too every bit semi-realistically, complete with backgrounds to stage them. I sometimes even draw hyper-realistic portraits.

1. Introduction

When you start out cartoon, one of the trickiest things to go right is pilus.

Either it isn't proportioned or colored well, despite all the hours spent on information technology, the result can be disastrous. And although some can go by fine with drawing in a manga way, others struggle to make the transition from manga to realism without actually knowing why. Today, we will endeavor to sort information technology all out by comparison the two styles, with Prune Studio Paint, the illustration and animation software. You will meet that there are some things to keep in mind during the procedure to avert mistakes!

2. Manga

Let's commencement correct away with the manga style! Only to clarify, I use the "Hard" airbrush, which is a adept equivalent to the traditional brush constitute in other software.

2.ane Sketching Pilus

Beginning I open upward a new layer and so I tin draw the hair.

The shape of the sketch should be as symmetrical as possible, peculiarly since the portrait is face up-on. Otherwise, it volition look like the skull is deformed.

Since nosotros're not going for realism, I can exaggerate the proportions a scrap. Generally, in manga, the size of the skull is larger than a real skull, as are the optics. Only depending on your mode, it'due south up to yous how you desire to proportion things.

Finally, with the contour line, the skull and the thickness of the hair is taken into account. If you're unsure about the haircut at all, it is amend to create another layer in order and then you lot don't end upwards spoiling the face when all y'all want to do is adjust the hair.

Once I've zoomed out, I realize that the whole sketch is non long enough, and then I decide to select with the "lasso" tool (L central) and then Ctrl + T to choose the "Free transformation" selection, which will allow me to lengthen, move and distort the sketch.

Once I am satisfied with the sketch, I create a new layer that is placed simply below the sketch layer so I can color it. To speed upwards the process, I press the [K] central (the keyboard shortcut for the "fill" tool) and with ane click I fill in the unabridged surface area inside the sketch.

I often merge all my layers instead of leaving several as I prefer to depict that way, simply it is best to keep all your layers split up. Keeping them separate will make you more methodical and, more importantly, allow yous to go back if you experience that you fabricated mistakes during the process. People often prefer to have a specific part of the drawing in each layer. For example, a layer with the finished lines simply below the layer with the base of operations colors, a layer for the shadow, a layer for the light, etc. Cull the method you feel almost comfortable with.

Hither I notice that I still don't actually like the shape of the hair. To adjust information technology, I go back to the "lasso" tool, copy and paste the area I want to change and with the "Mesh Transformation" tool I play with the shape of the selected area to get it to a point that I experience is correct. And then I erase the unnecessary parts before merging the hair layer with the layer of the chief part of the drawing containing the face.

The "mesh transformation" can be establish in, [Edit] > [Transform] > [Mesh Transformation…].

ii.2 Shadows and Highlights

Once you lot're happy with the overall shape, information technology's fourth dimension to add some highlights and shadows.

I similar to start with the shadows. First, I create a new layer that I switch to the "Multiply" blending mode from the drib-downward list, and paint in the area I want the shadows to appear. This is the all-time fashion to darken a drawing because when painting, because it doesn't hide the drawing below it as it would with a normal layer. This is because "Multiply" style overlays the colors while darkening them.

With the "Auto select" tool, I select the area I want to paint and so that information technology doesn't become outside the lines. I also erase the front strands considering they will exist exposed to the low-cal.

Quick tip – I want to draw shadows on the character's brow, formed past the bangs. How do I practice it? I create a layer only above information technology and select a darker color. With the "fill" tool I make full in the pilus. Then, I become rid of the colored part at the lesser and move the shape down. So, I brand the "Multiply" layer invisible so that I can select all the hair without beingness hampered with the selection tool, which will select the surface area automatically. I make the "Multiply" layer visible and I erase everything inside the pick.

And at that point, I realize I don't really like the color of the shadow. No problem! I lock the layer then it doesn't move exterior the frame and I go over it with another colour.

At present, unlike the Multiply layer, this fourth dimension nosotros will utilize the "Overlay" layer which volition serve to lighten the piece. I'thousand using the light yellowish color and brightening up the top area because I've decided that the main source of light will come up from above.

Before you lot start painting, It is always of import to know where the primary source of low-cal volition come from because if we know that, we will be able to identify the shadow and the light in a manner that makes logical sense and not have whatever point that makes the cartoon appear weird.

I accentuate the highlighting with the footling white squares that you oftentimes encounter in manga and I erase a few areas at the bottom to brand the hair less heavy-looking.

At this point, I feel like the hairstyle is too simple and retrieve adding more strands will make the hair more interesting to await at. I only depict ane, but so to relieve fourth dimension I copy and paste the chip I just drew, and utilise "Flip horizontal" to place information technology to the correct of the drawing. I practice a mesh transformation to break up the symmetry and make information technology expect more than dynamic.

The divergence with realistic or semi-realistic styles is in the contrasts. When drawing in a manga fashion, we often avoid using shades that are too close to black.

Considering the higher the contrast, the more than the drawing volition give an impression of photorealism. On the other hand, manga-mode fine art is more tolerant of very saturated colors – brilliant, "flashy" colors. Those colors tend to be ones yous want to avoid when drawing in a semi-realistic or realistic style.

2.iii Correction Layers

If you lot feel similar your colors are dull, and so go to [Layer] > [New Correction Layer] and choose the "Level Correction" option. Then, with slide in the new window, y'all can saturate the colors every bit much equally you desire.

And so if y'all change the layer's blending mode to "Color", you lower the opacity and so that the drawing is less saturated, thus obtaining more than vibrant colors.

The second trick is with "Color balance", which is in [Layer]> [New Correction Layer]> [Color residual…] and which allows you to accommodate the cyan, magenta and xanthous tones with sliders. I spend time playing around with the settings until I observe a balance that works for the illustration.

Fifty-fifty if you lot experience like already satisfied with the drawing, it is always interesting to mess around with the correction layers. Ofttimes, this gives quite surprising results. Be careful with information technology, though, considering it can rapidly distort your analogy beyond recognition, so make sure you employ information technology in moderation.

iii. Semi-realistic

three.one Sketching Hair

Let's move onto the semi-realistic style. Just like with the manga style, I start by creating a new layer on top of the main drawing and draw the outline of the hair.

This fourth dimension around, I'm going to spend less time refining the sketch lines, since they'll disappear when I start painting the pilus. Dissimilar manga style, I don't always want the lines to exist visible. When I'grand finished, I change the color of the sketch to dark orange. This will permit the outline to blend more than easily with yellow tones of the hair, every bit opposed to the original black lines.

I color in a pale yellow and gradually start to paint the shades of lite and shadow using the multiply and overlay layers.

iii.ii Painting the Overall Shape

The mistake that beginners oft make is to paint the details of the hair in the first stages, zooming in very close to the design and expanding the work area equally you get, simply similar with traditional design. This is, in my opinion, the main reason why things don't always turn out well. This may seem counterintuitive considering when nosotros think of hair, we recollect of small-scale strands. But, yous have to paint the overall shape first. In fact, when I do, I plow off the pen force per unit area sensitivity completely so I tin can paint every bit evenly equally possible.

Since I am drawing on some other layer, and do not want to spill over onto the drawing below, I utilise the "Clip to Layer Below" function by clicking the icon and I make sure the little crimson light comes on indicating if the layer is in fact clipped.

So initially, I paint the overall shape and then gradually I reduce the size of the brush to make more precise changes. Think like a sculptor! Chisel out the general structure of your sculpture with a large hammer, then gradually start to refine the details with smaller and smaller tools. It'southward exactly the same here!

Hair creates waves and therefore areas of light and shade. And it is thank you to this moving ridge that the strands of hair appear. It is with the variations of lite and shadow that we perceive different objects, considering they stand up out from their background.

Whereas in manga style information technology is the lines, the strokes, which distinguish objects from one another, there is no need to emphasize things with color as much. The main reason that I fabricated the original sketch outline disappear is simply because I do not demand it. Merely in fact, I like to add lines because it gives the impression of being betwixt manga and realism – that sweet spot of semi-realism.

At this point, sometimes I make adjustments to the confront. Now nosotros have the pilus to complete the drawing, I accept a clearer view of the whole portrait and observe that some parts that don't quite fit and need adjusting. For the purpose of the tutorial, I have already drawn the faces, so we can focus only on the hair, just the nigh logical way is to draw the whole portrait together from the showtime.

3.3 Adding Details

Here's a quick detour to show you how I draw the details. I always create a layer, sometimes fifty-fifty i for each strand of hair, which allows me to erase information technology to get in more fluid, or blur it to give a small photo realistic effect or distort it. I accept perfect control over each strand since I am not bothered by the other strands of hair. I also add calorie-free points in sure places to make them stand out and highlight specific strands.

Near people think that cartoon the details is the hardest function, but I don't think that's really the case. It does have time, but it's not that difficult itself. If, despite the fourth dimension spent on it, you lot feel that the details don't await every bit good every bit you hoped, it is probably considering of some problem with the foundation yous drew in the previous steps, rather than the details themselves. That is to say, unremarkably it's because you haven't spent time to make up one's mind the lite source, the shadows aren't drawn well, or the shape of the hair is not light enough, etc…

You lot must be able to have intendance of those parts before yous get to drawing the details. You can even stop earlier the details and nonetheless have a very interesting drawing! The details can make a good analogy even more beautiful just cannot hide the defects that are already there.

3.4 Background and Finishing Touches

Before, I created a background for the portrait. Information technology allowed me, for instance, to draw pocket-sized, light, white strands around the hair, which wouldn't show upwards on a white background. But in the end, I decided to remove the background because I think the portrait works better without it. In fact, information technology was because the face was lighter than the background they didn't go well together. Instead of darkening the whole portrait, I simply decided to keep the groundwork white. Because of the white background, though, all the little hairs are gone, so I take a slightly dark color and redraw them over again to bring them back.

Later on talking to some other people, I decided to straighten the pilus and redesign the compatible to complement it. Information technology just goes to show that you should always enquire those around you for advice!

4 Conclusion

Here we are at the stop with the two drawings next to each other. Here we can empathise conspicuously the similarities and differences betwixt the two, such as shape, proportions, contrast, details and then on.

Do we have to follow these rules no affair what? Of class non, it all depends on what you lot desire – I am the first i to interruption the rules past mixing the two styles. Only you accept to go on in mind that in order to break the rules, you must starting time learn and master them.

I hope I have taught you something useful most Clip Studio Pigment. Information technology really is full of features and helps you progress very quickly one time you have learned all the tools.

Above all, I hope I fabricated you desire to depict! Don't worry if you don't put my advice into do right away, think to give yourself fourth dimension to larn!

Practiced luck!

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