I will start to paint the castle. First I paint a single turret using my “Custom Watercolor Brush”.

I add new layers above the layer with the cut-out castle parts and paint on these.

 

By the way, the reason I start drawing from the background first is because if you raise the quality of the background to a certain level beforehand, there's less possibility of drawing so much detail that overpowers the main elements in the foreground, such as the characters. You can bring life to the piece during the character work in the next stages.

 

After I’ve painted the turret, I flatten the painting layers.

I duplicate the turret and place it over the other turrets, then roughly adjust the position to get a good balance.

 

I try to add an effect of a lot of detail with minimal effort.

I don’t simply copy and place the turrets, but also slightly adjust the size and add a sense of perspective by adding some white over the more distant turrets.

 

After I finish arranging each turret, I merge the layers so that I’m still working on one layer.

 

Next, I’ll paint details for the roof and the walls.

 

I add some extra features including a mid-sized turret and windows on the walls.

I was careful not to draw too many details as the castle is in the far distance.

For the shadows of the windows, I paint only the decorative parts that cast dark shadows. (I look at photos of real castles as I paint.)

 

② I duplicate the mid-sized turret and place it on the far side, then make some slight adjustments.

 

③ Then I paint the lower walls. I’m careful not to draw too many details again. I paint while considering the balance of the overall piece.

 

I’ve finished painting the castle for now.

 

I flatten all the castle layers into one layer.

 

I also paint the blimps in the sky. I add small details like a “Q” for the Queen of Hearts.

 

Now I’ll move on to the next stage.