#anyways today i drew bernie just for this lol

[dominodamsel]

Hi! I just found you through @revolutionaryduelist and I just wanna say 1, I LOVE your art, and 2, could I ask a lil’ about your art? What program(s) do you use? What brush do you use for your AMAZING lineart and how do you choose lineart colors?? What dark magic do you use to shade??? I find your use of color phenomenal! Have an amazing day! :-D

thanks for this nice ask! i use paint tool sai, specifically the anglicized version that you can find online.

lets draw bernie fire emblem and go through my process.

first off, my brushes.

this is the brush i use for sketching, coloring, and cleaning. sometimes for highlights in the eyes or the rough first patch of shading, i also use ink pen, just the default settings.

this is my blending brush. if you give it a texture, blending stuff wont look as boring as it otherwise might. 

now, let’s draw bernadetta.

(1) first of all, the rough sketch. i start out with just shapes and then just keep going, all on one layer.

(2) then, i clean that sketch up a little - not too much, you dont need it to look perfect. i dont like drawing lineart at all, so this is what i work with - the sketch, a bit cleaned up, put on multiply. i change the color of the sketch according to what im drawing. for example, if i draw a character like inigo, whos got brown skin and hair, ill end up with yellow, orange or red lineart. if i draw a character during the night, ill use blue lineart. if its dusk, maybe a strong purple. you can change this later, as well.

next, below, i fill in the colors, usually about a layer for each color i use. i usually start out with the hair and end with skin, but it doesnt really matter. try to use colors that vary in saturation and brightness - if everything is very saturated, things end up looking blinding, but if everything is desaturated, it might be boring to look at. this isnt a hard rule, of course, but for this kind of normal illustration with neutral lighting conditions, its good to keep in mind.

now, onto shading. here i used the ink pen for a moment. take your base color, in this case bernies purple hair. the highlight is less saturated, and moves up the color wheel, more toward a reddish tone. the shadow is more saturated, and moves down, toward a blue-ish purple. you can also make the highlight more saturated than the base and the shadow less saturated than the base, but i think its best to decide on one or the other. moving along the color wheel rather than just decreasing or increasing brightness will also help making the picture more vivid.

for hair and gauntlets, i just put on the shadow and highlight and blend it out with the blend tool. for skin and fabric, i use a different method.

first, add blush. blush should be far more saturated than the skin color. i added a touch of deep red in the middle as well for depth. this should be blended.

the shadows on the skin, however, i fill in with ink pen. some parts of this need hard lines, like the outside of the ear shadow, the lower side of the nose shadow, etc. you dont just want an airbrushed look, but a defined line. for this, i use a shade that is slightly more saturated than the base color, but not as saturated as the blush.

then, i add a lowlight color to make the shadow feel more dynamic and interesting. you can go many ways with this - if you check the coat in the next few images, youll see that i used a less saturated color to counteract the very orange shadow. in the case of her skin, i used a more saturated color that is very pink to mimic her hair. i cant really explain this step well, because most of the time, i get to that shade through experimenting.

blend some of the lowlight, but make sure not to ruin the harder lines of the shadow. i did it on the same layer as the base color because im lazy, but you could easily make a clipped layer, add the shadow, and then preserve opacity to make sure everything stays clean. for my purpes it doesnt really matter though since ill be going over the whole thing during cleaning again.

in the circled areas, i took the blush color and gently airbrushed some on for depth and warmth.

heres the rest of the shading. as i said, i used a less saturated reddish tone for the lowlight in the cape. for the bow and cape, i opted out of highlight, because i imagine them as made out of a sort of thick, unreflective fabric. 

now, all thats left to do is clean! i make a new layer atop everything, zoom in a bit, and go over it all with my brush and the eyedrop tool. a lot of my WIPs look like this, with a part of it very crisp and clean and most of it still sketchy and vague lol. colordrop from everywhere, and create something nice!

in the end, this is the finished picture! i turn the blend on my brush up and down depending on what im doing and what i need. the cleaning process takes the longest by far.

anyways, i hope this was helpful. if you have other questions, feel free to ask ‘em.

[lavieboheme930]

770-Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Where all have you been in this world?: Various states I’m gonna make you brefagust. (: Whataya want?: Huh Are there any words that you just cannot pronounce correctly?: Sure What’s in your copy and paste?: >> This survey. What’d you dream about last night?: Taron I know that much LOL

Do you know anyone that’s painfully, socially awkward?: I don’t think so Red or blonde hair?: >> I have no preference. What would you do if a gorilla ate your homework?: WTF How do you usually pose in your pictures?: Just stand normally and smile Are you clumsy?: Very Do you know anyone that absolutely freaks out if you try to take a picture of them?: Nope Do you pick on them for it and attempt to take loads of pictures anyway?: N/A Have you ever caught yourself dancing?: I dance all the time How’s your posture?: Pretty good from all my years of figure skating  Do you play an instrument?: Used to Have you ever had to take care of a fake baby in family ed?: Never took family ed ^ were you a good mother/father?: N/A What’s your favorite way to wear your hair up?: just down and straight Have you ever played tennis?: >> No. What’s the last thing you drew/wrote on yourself?: I don’t write on myself.  Peace or love?: both Who do you love?: My parents and besties Who do you NEED?: Well now that’s just for me to know LOL Who do you miss?: my bestie...MY BERNIE!!! Do any of your friends put ‘lol’ in almost every single text they send you?: No, that’s me that does it LOL What do you think of Sarah Palin?: UGH horrible person Have you ever read a ‘banned’ book?: No What does your screen name mean?: Tiny Dancer is my favorite Elton song and 9/30 is my birthday Would you like you, if you met you?: Yes What’s your first impression of yourself?: How would I know Where was the last place you went shopping?: Plum How often do you take naps?: All the time Have you ever had to take a sobriety test?: >> No. Do you like movies more if they’re based on actual events?: Depends What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done with your cell phone?: Nothing I can think of What’s your opinion on gold diggers? Selfish, or smart? Both?: selfish What would you do if your bf/gf was hitting on someone else right in front of you?: I’d be hurt What’s something you’ve done that you’ve sworn you’d never do?: No idea Which ex of yours do you talk to the most?: N/A If you were given a country to rule, which one would you want?: I don’t know Why?: N/A Do you know anyone who lives on an island?: I live in Manhattan and that’s an island so me lol Can you recall the first person you ever drank/got drunk/high with?: Never got drunk or high ^ are you still friends?: N/A What time of day are you typically the busiest?: Morning to early evening when working And what are you doing that keeps you thus?: working Did the word ‘thus’ confuse you, or is your IQ over 10?: I know what thus means Have you ever taken someone else’s vehicle without permission?: >> No. What were you doing the last time you were videotaped?: Saying hi to a friend who couldn’t come to an outing we had Is that something you’d be comfortable uploading and sharing?: Sure, but I don’t have it LOL Which friend wears the same size clothes as you do?: No idea Is there anyone’s wardrobe that you’d like to steal?: No What do you do when you can’t sleep?: Play candy crush lol How often do you tell lies, including little white lies?: I really don’t Any secrets you’d like to share with the class?: >> No. How many scoops of coffee do you use to make a pot?: I don’t make coffee I get it at cafes ^ is it flavored or plain?: always flavored Have you ever been lost in the woods?: >> No. What did you last stretch the truth about?: >> I don’t know. Have you ever had withdrawals from something?: >> No. Someone?: Well I mean after seeing Rocketman 15 times in the theater...it was a hard not seeing Taron on the big screen so much LOL Is there anyone on your friend’s list you know next to nothing about?: Sure How old is 'too old’ for you to date?: No such thing What’s something that really pisses you off?: stupid questions on surveys.  Oh and TOURISTS!!! What’s something that always makes you smile?: Elton, Taron, and Richard.  And my conversations about them with friends Have you ever taken your frustration out on the wrong person?: No How many nicknames can you think of for marijuana?: I don’t know What about the police?: I don’t know How do you feel about guys in tight jeans?: Love it  What about cardigans?: Love it!! Do you know any computer languages?: >> No. Do you know how to use roman numerals properly?: Not really Longest period of time you’ve ever been awake?: No idea Favorite hour-long show?: None Favorite half-hour show?: Friends Best looking person you know of the same sex?: No idea What’s worse; flat soda, or warm soda?: Both...I don’t like soda Most people who’ve slept over at your house all at once?: Just 1 when I had sleepovers as a kid Have you ever stapled yourself?: Probably Steak or chicken?: >> Chicken. What’s one thing you’ve learned from a good relationship gone bad?: N/A If you could pick to be any person in a movie, who would it be?: No idea Who would you like to spend the night with?: my celebrity crush for sure

What stripper name would you give yourself?: None Is flirting really cheating?: I think so What’s something you own that’s /only/ of sentimental value?: No idea What’s your choice of chips?: Just plain

What song would you use to torture someone?: None What is the weirdest compliment you have ever received?: No idea If someone REALLY fat was upset, and saying how FAT they were, what would you say?: I don’t know What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard a kid say?: >> I don’t know. Has anyone licked you today?: >> No. Three things you can’t live without?: I don’t like making lists Three things you want to live without?: read above A random stranger walks up to you and says 'you’re hott’. You say: Fuck off...it’s what I do say when this happens