Project 5 | Iterations/Process

Step 1. The Base  

    Of the two sketches, I picked the lily one. I started by adding the picture of the subway to my 20"x 24" canvas and making sure it fills up my canvas. Then on top of that I added the picture of the sketch.  I tried out different layer effects, curves, and brightness. And I ended up with these three iterations.

     I really like how the pencil sketches turned white in this one. The texture is really unique, and on top of that, the vibrant high-saturated colors in the bottom right corner is also gorgeous. But after some thinking, I decided to go with the first one.

Step 2. Adjusting the Background

     I used the blending brushes and filled some of the petals. Then using the auto selection tool, I made some parts of the sketch brighter because it seemed a bit too dim. I also selected a few small square areas and brought up the brightness level to add more details.

Step 3. The Subject

     For the subject of this collage/painting, I drew my original character on a different canvas so I can use this one as reference/inspiration. Later, I added it as a picture, and changes the layer affect to make it blend in better. 

drawing of original character

     After that, I took out a guava from a picture I found on Rednote and a pair of arms (from two different pictures). Funny story, I added the the arms first, then closed the the layer. Later, I added the guava, and figured I should try turning on the arms' layer. And they matched perfectly!

     Here are the two different versions after adding the subject.  I adjusted the opacity, curve, and layer affects of both elements. Even though the darker guava looks really good too, but that's something I would usually go with. So to make some changes, I went with the lighter one.

Final step. Touch-ups 

     I added some buildings at the bottom. On the right side is from the cover of an album called 破壊的価値創造. It's from a Japanese band called 文藝天国.  The buildings on the left are from a picture I took. And the stars are from a picture I found on Rednote.  

picture I took

the album

source image of stars

     I'm a very indecisive person when it comes to my artwork, so I spent a lot of time debating on whether to keep the bottom left building the way it is or to make it blue-ish and half transparent. In the end I decided to go with the original version. It is more visible and I want it to pop out more for it is representing home in a way.

final version