Although he always had a special talent for fighting, little Akai had never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, a powerful, unbeaten ninja feared throughout the region, the great Kuroi. But things changed when the most beautiful girl in the village joined a group of new warriors to protect the countryside. Unfortunately, the teacher giving lessons to these future ninjas has evil intentions toward Kuroi’s sole descendant.
1. SKETCHES
The main character’s posture and retro-futuristic style were clear, but we tried out different compositions before settling on the most balanced illustration.
2. STRUCTURE
We distributed the characters around the illustration, fitting them together congruously. When we design complicated postures, it’s best to create a basic skeleton and add the details later on.
3. VOLUME
In this exercise we have three clear examples of how to construct bodies: a middle shot from behind, a front area in movement, and a foreground shot of a head. In all of them we started with simple ovals that allowed us to sketch in the postures of the bodies more easily.
4. ANATOMY
Although the boy is young, his musculature must be evident so his warrior status can be clearly understood. Keep in mind that from this viewpoint one leg will be larger than other. The girl, of course, will have more pronounced curves.
5. DETAILS
The characters’ clothes are a mix of classic Japanese and retro-futuristic. This is why we added aviator glasses and metal bits, which can be used as armor.
6.1. COLOR
We painted the base color, giving each character a different color range. We could do the simpler fills with the Paint Bucket or Gradient Tool, but we chose to also use brushstrokes to mark out the different color areas.
6.2. COLOR
We applied the shadows on a new layer in the Multiply Blend Mode. This time we used several shades of blue and violet for greater chromatic variety.
6.3. COLOR
With the brush we painted on the highlights in a new layer in the Screen Blend Mode. To provide a sense of volume, we applied a technique of having the light come from two main sources, thus creating a cylindrical effect.
6.4. COLOR
We added final shadows and decorative motifs on the characters’ outfits with precise brushstrokes that follow the shapes of the patterns and folds in the fabric.
7.1. BACKGROUND
We filled in the background using a gradient beneath the characters, and also drawing in waves and the tree.
7.2. BACKGROUND
As if it were a watercolor, we softened the brushstrokes to create an amalgam of expressionist shapes and colors.
FINISHING TOUCHES
- We painted a new layer using purple and dark green brushstrokes to further define the background.
- Over the line drawing we applied a Color Overlay Effect in the Blending Options to color it deep purple.
Tips & tricks
- For those not particularly handy with manual coloring, programs like SAI let you draw the line efficiently and simply, as long as we have a handle on the graphics tablet.
- Although we drew the background separately, we must always take into account what elements will cast shadows onto the characters.
