Procreate
Bo Feng Lin shares the process behind his quirky Wednesday Addams painting, which features suitably abstract elements
In this tutorial I’ll show you step by step how I create a digital illustration from start to finish using Procreate. You’ll get to see how I work with shades and highlights to shape the character, and add in extra details and abstract shapes to complete the painting.
I’ll be using some of my own brushes for this tutorial, but you can use the default brushes in Procreate just as well. If you want to try out my custom brushes, you’ll find them in the assets for this workshop.
Nothing I’m showing you here is exclusive to Procreate and can also be applied to other drawing apps such as Photoshop. This lesson is great for beginners and experienced artists alike. Afterwards, you’ll have a basic understanding of my general working process.
1 First rough sketch
I start with an empty canvas, which is always set up so it’s ready for high-quality prints if needed. I like to use DIN-standard sizes for prints. The file size can get quite big, so be mindful that the bigger the size, the fewer layers you’ll able to utilise in Procreate.
2 Add clean outlines
With the initial sketch, create a new layer on top and draw a cleaner version of the sketch using a darker colour that separates the outlines from the original. I prefer to use a colour that’s the same temperature as the sketch, but darker. For example if the sketch is yellow, I’d go with orange or red for the outlines.
3 Select base colour
On top of our sketch layers I create a new layer, which is set to Multiply. On this layer I’m adding the base skin tone of our subject. I like to go a bit darker on the tone because I’ll work on the highlights later in the process.
4 Clothing details
Once I finish the face, I focus on the outfit, continuing with the same steps as I did for the face. Add a base colour for the clothing and darker shades where there are creases. It’s good to use a real reference for this step if you want to make it look more realistic.
5 Face details
Now that we’ve established our baseline for the portrait, I like to focus on the facial features. On a new laye
