21-Draw-Illustrators-Guidebook-vol-2-ebook-(2021)

I tweak the ghost a bit so his tonal structure contrasts
better from the background. I want to make him
stand out so a viewer’s eye goes first to the flashlight,
then jumps to the ghost before exploring the rest of
the image.
I adjust other little elements as I work, adding dust
particles reflecting in the flashlight, reducing the
contrast of the floor tiles in the hallway. Working to
improve my illustration, the concept becomes clearer
for the viewer. I also fix up the background paintings!
Something I try to keep in mind during the painting
process is to avoid getting carried away in the details
and overpainting. Especially details in the shadows
that are not in the focal point of my piece. My focus is
on the characters, so I make sure to paint them in as
much detail as necessary to convey personalities and
performances. Everything else should support the
characters but not distract from them.
As I near completion of my image, I create a layer (in
this case, a bluish-grey color) at the top of my layer
stack, I set it to overlay or whichever blending mode
LAYER SET TO
OVERLAY 29%
OPACITY
LIGHTS
LAYER SET TO
OVERLAY
65% OPACITY
CHARACTER DRIVEN ILLUSTRATIONS
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