Hello, I'm Alcea.
↓I drew this illustration using paper texture and analog watercolor style brushes.
I used two patterns for coloring: one with a base color and one without. In this article, I will introduce "How to draw in an analog watercolor style, making the most of paper texture," including these methods.
Line Art
Prepare the line art. I used the default "Real Pencil." It pairs well with paper texture and watercolor brushes.
(It's very hard to see, but there are three faint circles drawn on the right side.)
Painting the Base
Use the fill tool to paint the base colors for the character's skin and hair, and the infinity symbol ♾️. All layers are separated. The base color depends on the illustration, but light colors are generally good, considering that you'll be layering colors later.
The halo on the right side will be painted without a base color, so leave it as is.
Choosing Paper Texture
I chose the "Medium Grain" paper texture from the default image materials. In the layer properties, I applied "Paper Texture Composite" and reduced the density. This time I completed it as a normal layer, but please convert it to your preferred layer mode at some point during the process. Adjusting it at this stage won't make much difference.
Since I frequently use analog textured brushes, adding paper texture after painting can sometimes make the illustration feel too heavy, or conversely, have little effect. By setting the paper texture beforehand, I can proceed with the work while checking the texture, which also saves time.
Painting the Halo on the Right (No Base Color)
The process is a bit complex, so I'll give a rough explanation. I worked almost entirely on normal layers.
① Use "Watercolor with Unevenness 'Flower Crown'" to paint the inner navy circle and outer light blue, then use the default "Rough Watercolor" for the outer grayish-blue and navy edges. Do not paint anything in the center of the circle.
② Blur ①. The default blur tool is too strong, so I used "Paint Blur Brush" and "Texture-Retaining Blend." Do not blur uniformly; leave some unevenness. For areas that extend beyond the line art circle, erase them with the eraser tool or by setting the watercolor brush color to "Transparent."
At this point, use the "Watercolor Brush (Water)" to draw radial, crack-like lines inside. The "Watercolor Brush (Water)" is a watercolor brush that removes color like an eraser.
③ Draw a rainbow in an annular shape. Select "Ellipse" from "Figure," then use copy & paste to layer seven colors, gradually increasing the size for each color, and blur with "Gaussian Blur." Once the small inner circle is drawn, copy and paste it to the outside as well.
④ Draw radial lines on the outer halo using the "Watercolor Brush (Water)." Also, to make the inner halo appear to emit light, remove the color around the inner halo with the "Watercolor Brush (Water)."
Painting the Figure on the Left (With Base Color)
Create a new layer above the base color layer and clip it, then paint. Since it won't go outside the lines, you can easily paint detailed areas.
① Set the layer to Multiply and paint with several shades of blue using "〇Hole-punch Marker / Normal." The expression of missing color unique to watercolor, layered on top of the paper texture, further enhances the analog feel.
② Use a pen to draw the base of the highlights and the flow of hair. I often use the default round pen or "Milky Pen-like Brush."
③ Set the layer to Multiply and paint the shadows on the skin (I forgot the brush type). The eyes were painted without a base due to their small area. Also paint the cheeks and inside the mouth.
④ Create a normal layer and paint the clothes and plants. The clothes are pure white and have a small area, so no base color was used.
*I wanted to provide links to the materials that include "〇Hole-punch Marker / Normal" and "Milky Pen-like Brush" as a set, but I couldn't find them, perhaps because the creator deleted them. I apologize.
Adding Other Elements → Finishing Touches
Draw the ♾️ pattern, clouds and their surrounding shadows, and highlights. I color-traced the line art, layered a Hard Light layer over the halo to add a vibrant light blue, enhancing the fantastical atmosphere. To make the sun in the center of the halo appear to emit light, I painted yellow at the border with dark colors on a Hard Light layer.
This completes the illustration.
Comparison: With/Without Paper Texture
Left: With paper texture, Right: Without paper texture
The version with paper texture has an overall grainy feel, while the one without paper texture has a clear impression. The difference is particularly clear in the hair.
Furthermore, the addition of paper texture to solid color bases and margins eliminates the flat feeling. The spiral pattern has a more aged texture, and the plants gain a rustic quality.
Since I use brushes with an analog watercolor texture, if you want to retain some of the smooth, digital-specific areas, it's best to either use no paper texture or choose a paper texture with gentle irregularities like "Fine Grain" and adjust the opacity. This largely depends on the artist's preference.
Left: With paper texture, Right: Without paper texture
The significant difference here is in the darker areas of the outer halo. Looking at the version without paper texture, you can see that it's not as detailed. In my case, if I were to work without paper texture at this point, I would tend to over-detail, and then when I add the paper texture later, either the overall impression wouldn't change much, or the fine lines would disappear, making the detailing pointless.
Conversely, the version with paper texture just "looks good." ← The difficulty of putting it into words...
Thanks to the paper's irregularities, the dark areas appear even darker, creating more contrast, and even a rainbow simply blurred with Gaussian blur doesn't look cheap.
This isn't to say it's okay to draw carelessly, but rather, does it convey the technique of "drawing by utilizing the paper's irregularities and graininess to reduce unnecessary steps"?
It's also a good idea to sometimes hide the paper texture, proceed with detailing, and then display the paper texture again after a while.
Finally
What did you think?
I am still experimenting with methods for drawing in an analog watercolor style digitally.
I hope this article can be of some reference to those who are in a similar situation or those who want to try drawing this way in the future. If this article was helpful, please consider pressing "like" or adding it to your favorites; it would be very encouraging.
Thank you for reading this far!
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