How to Make Fantasy Effect Webtoon
Hi everyone! In today's post, I'm back with another webtoon tutorial. This time, we’re going to focus on the finishing stage, creating fantasy effects to show that your character has supernatural powers.
Video Tutorial
If you're more of a visual learner, you can check out these videos I've linked below.
This post will cover how to create fantasy effects for webtoons. This part is usually added during the finishing process, so we’ll briefly go over some of the earlier steps first. From the storyboard until the shading stage.
1. Prepare the Sketch
The first step is to prepare your sketch. Make sure your character is in a ready stance, as if they are about to unleash their power. For this tutorial, I’ll be using a 3D model to keep things simple and save time.
Beyond the pose, you also need to plan the "flow" of the power, so the final result doesn't look messy. Sketch the flow swirling around the character but be careful not to obstruct important areas that should remain clear, such as the character's face.
Key Takeaways for the Sketching Phase:
1. Dynamic Stance: Ensure your character’s pose looks ready and powerful (in a "ready stance") before adding any effects.
2. Plan the Flow: Map out the direction and movement of the supernatural power early on to keep the composition organized.
3. Protect Focal Points: Avoid overlapping the "power flow" with essential details, especially the character’s face, so their expression remains clear.
4. Balance the Composition: Make sure the effects surround the character naturally without making the overall artwork look cluttered or messy.
2. Line Art
Next is the line art stage. Trace over your previous sketch to create clean and clear line art. At this stage, focus only on the character. you don’t need to draw line art for the power flow sketches we made earlier.
A quick tip for dynamic line art “draw the hair and clothing as if they are being blown by the wind”. Since we are illustrating a supernatural power, the area surrounding that energy should appear affected by it, causing movement. Avoid drawing the hair and clothes as static or "still," as this can make your artwork look stiff and lifeless.
Key Takeaways for the Line Art Phase:
1. Focus on Character: Only create clean lines for the character; keep the power flow as a rough sketch for now.
2. Add Movement: Draw hair and clothing with a "wind-blown" effect to simulate the energy's impact.
3. Consistency is Key: Make sure the direction of the wind on the hair and clothes matches the overall flow of the energy.
3. Coloring
The next step is coloring. For this tutorial, we will consider the coloring complete once the shading is done, as everything after that is part of the finishing process. Start by applying base colors to the skin, clothing, and hair, then proceed to the shading. Everyone has their own workflow for base coloring and shading; I’ve previously posted a detailed guide on my personal coloring method, which you can check out if you need a refresher.
When shading, make sure the direction of the shadows aligns with your light source. In this case, the light source comes from the point where the power originates. For example, in this panel, the core of the power is in the character's palm, so treat that spot as the strongest light source that dictates your shading direction.
Key Takeaways for the Coloring Phase:
1. Completion Point: Focus on finishing your base colors and shading before moving on to the final effects.
2. Light Source Placement: Identify the center of the supernatural power as your primary light source.
4. Finishing: Making Fantasy Effect
Next is the finishing stage, where we add the superpower effects. I’m going to provide three different examples. Essentially, the steps are the same for each one. However, they yield different outcomes based on the different brushes and colors I use.
A. Liquid or Watery Magic
I. Draw the Power Core
The first example is creating a liquid-based magic effect. For this, I’m using a brush specifically designed for liquid or water textures. You can use my recommended brush or any other brush that provides a similar effect.
The first step in adding this effect is to draw the core of the power. Create a spiral-like mass starting from the source of the power; in my illustration, for instance, it is located right on the character's palm.
II. Draw the Surrounding power
Once the core is finished, move on to drawing the surrounding effects. Vary your pen pressure to create lines that go from "thin-thick-thin" this makes the energy look much more dynamic. Draw the power so it appears to be flowing out from the core and swirling around the character.
III. Change the color
To change the color of the brush effect, you can create a new Clipping grup layer above it. Set the layer mode to Overlay or Color Dodge, then choose your desired color. By using this method, my brush effect which was originally black and white instantly transforms into a vibrant blue.
IV. Finish the Background and Character
The next stage is applying the finishing touches to the background and the character. Start by adding a gradient to your background, make it darker at the bottom and gradually lighter towards the top.
After that, apply a Multiply layer over the character to darken their silhouette, ensuring the color matches both the background and the power effects you've chosen. Since the character is being hit by the light from their own power, the areas closest to the energy should appear brighter. You can achieve this by using a low-opacity eraser to gently thin out the Multiply effect on those specific spots.
V. Give Speedlines
Next, you can add speed lines to create a sense of fast-paced action. You can find the speed line tool by using the shortcut (U) or by looking under the Figure tab. Place the speed lines following the direction of your character. For example, in my drawing, the character is leaning to the left, so the speed lines follow that same angle.
Additionally, you can tilt your panel frames to make them slanted. Changing the panel shape from a standard rectangle to a slanted one helps emphasize the action and makes the overall composition feel much more dynamic.
VI. Filter
The next step is to apply a Motion Blur filter to give the panel a sense of high-speed movement. You can do this by first duplicating your layer so that you have two identical layers. On the top duplicated layer, apply the effect by going to Effect > Blur > Motion Blur.
After applying the blur, use a soft eraser to gently wipe away the effect from the focal points. This ensures that essential areas, such as the character’s face and the core of the power, remain sharp and clear while the rest of the image stays blurred.
VII. Sound Effect
The final finishing stage is adding sound effects. Choose a bold, thick font that complements the action-packed feel of your scene. Add onomatopoeia that matches the nature of the power being unleashed, you could use sounds like "Shoosh," "Whoosh," or "ZAP!" depending on the situation.
To style your text, you can use the Liquify tool to warp and bend the letters, making them feel more flexible and integrated into the scene. Lastly, apply a Border Effect to give your text a clean outline. I recommend using a combination of black and white outlines to make sure the text remains perfectly legible against any background.
B. Dark Magic
I. Draw the Magic Circle
I’ll show you another example using different brushes and colors, even though the core principles remain the same. This time, we’ll use a magic circle. To save yourself the trouble of drawing one from scratch, you can simply download a magic circle from the Asset Library.
To give the magic circle a "glowing" effect, first duplicate the layer. Change the color of the bottom layer to your desired glow color, then apply a Blur effect to it. This will create a soft radiance behind the main design.
II. Draw the Magic
Next, let's discuss a crucial point in drawing these effects. For this example, I want the magic to radiate from the character's hand and move forward toward the viewer. To achieve this, we need to apply perspective concepts, with the vanishing point centered right on the character’s palm.
The parts of the effect closest to the palm should be sharp, slender, and small. As the energy moves further away and outward, the shapes should become wider and larger. Applying this sense of scale will make your magic effects look much more dynamic and give them a true sense of depth.
III. Add Speedlines
After that, add effects to heighten the sense of action within the panel, such as background textures, speed lines, and motion blur. While the background texture often provides the most significant visual change, don't overlook the speed lines and motion blur. Even though their impact might seem subtle, they play a crucial role in shifting the "emotional energy" of the panel, making the scene feel much more intense.
IV. Add SFX
Lastly, don’t forget to add sound effects as your final finishing touch. Use a font that is strong, bold, and sharp to match the action-packed atmosphere. You can use the Liquify tool to add a curved or warped effect to the text, making it feel more integrated into the scene. Finally, apply the Borderline effect to create a clean outline, ensuring your text stands out and remains perfectly clear.
C. Fire Magic
For our final example, let's create fire magic. For the brush, you can simply use the various fire brushes available in the Asset Library. Once again, the core principle remains the same:
1. Always start drawing your magic effect from the primary source, making it larger and more spread out as it moves away.
2. Next, color the background using gradients and textures.
3. Apply a Multiply layer to the character to harmonize their colors with the environment.
4. After that, add speed lines and motion blur to enhance the movement.
5. Finally, wrap everything up by adding your sound effects as the final touch.
And those are the few things I wanted to share in this post, featuring three examples that you can try out and replicate. For a more detailed look at the process, you can also watch the video I’ve included below. That’s all for today’s post, I hope you find it helpful.
Users who liked this post
Comment