Drawing the buildings in the back

Add details and shadows for the buildings in the back the same way we did last time.

 

Pay attention to the direction where the sun hits.

Buildings in the back are further away so lower the shadow layer’s opacity to 90%.

 

Add the details in the same order as before, then the shadows, and make sure you paint everything in a lighter color.

There are many buildings so this may take some time.

 

[1] Silhouette linework

I added light-colored shadows.

In this composition, the sun is low and the shadows stretch from the buildings. The contrast of light and shadow emphasizes a sense of distance.

 

Display the back street layers only.

 

I have added silhouettes and linework as above. I will make this lighter so there is no need to add anymore lines.

Now it’s time to add in some darker shadows.

 

[2] Adding shadows

(1) Create a new layer under the “Line art” layer.

Like before, I adjust the brush size back and forth from 60 to 300px as I add the shadows.

 

(2) Adding color. I create a new layer over the layer we used in (1) and paint on it.

This part is the furthest distance-wise so I add more details than the buildings in the front.

 

(3) When I’m done, I lower the line art layer’s opacity to 20%.

It is enough if you can distinguish the shapes by the details and the lights/shadows. However, we will keep the linework as it is and lower the opacity, so that the character linework looks more natural.