[High-Res Art | Reward | WIP] Marcel StepProcess

Final product version

These were all the steps taken to create the lastest reward for TibsCove!

• 1- Sketch: The 1st thing I do is draft the overall sketch featuring all necessary elements for the character to "look" like the references given, fortunately the pose and overall look were approved on the 1st revision so that's great!
• 1b- Extra doodle: During my conversation with Tibs I mentioned I wanted to do a YCH project with a fighting game theme, and I mentioned Marcel would look wonderful in a fighting game rooster ;)
• 2- Lineart 1: After everything with the sketch is set and done, I start doing all the proper clean lines, but since I wasn't sure about the tail I decided to divide the lineart in several layers so it wouldn't be too complex to edit later on (this picture being only 1 layer for the base body)
• 3- Lineart 2: I add 3 extra layers here, one for the tail feathers in the back, one for the tail feathers in the foreground, and one for the details on the lute!, this part was kind of complicated because I didn't know exactly how to proceed with the tail design, but thankfully it was okay to take some liberties with it!
• 4- Basic flats: Then I add the very basic colors (the most predominant ones) in a layer, dividided by sections (body/hair/tail)
• 5- Complementary flats: Then I start adding in another layer a set of colors on top of ones already made for the character.
• 6- Full flats: Finally I repeat the process adding another layer with all the remaining colors! I also take the time to add several like blending effects using only the sharp pen tool to simulate the feather textures.
• 7- Gradients and line color: Then I color all the lines depending on the colors they're next to, and then I add several gradients for shadows and lights to spice up the colors a bit more!, this part has 3 layers in total.
• 8- Shading: Then I add another 3 more layers (2 for shadows on multiply, 1 for  highlights on clear settings) each of these layers get colored with shades of red, purple and yellow (never black!) to fit the color scheme
• 9- Final touches: Last but not least, I add extra layers with some glow effects on the parts that would reflect more light, and also one or two extra shadows here and there. This character is kind of flamboyant so I didn't hesitate on making him very flashy! And voila! Reward done!