This Time

I'm going to try doing

those glossy solid blacks you often see in manga!

With Gradient Maps!

I want to fake it

I want to try it!

I've included links to some recommended botanical assets at the end.

 

Here's the asset for the glossy solid blacks!

I changed the tapering at the start and end slightly.

Things to Prepare

Nice Line Art

Some nice line art

Drawing the hair was a hassle for me, so I just filled it in with the Lasso Fill tool.

In cases like that, make sure to put the hair on a separate layer.

A Nice Gradient Map

Lately I've been hooked on "Harajuku Gradient 2+α."

Check it out for reference.

Simple Palette

Use this mysterious(?) JPEG image

as a simple color palette by using the Eyedropper tool.

If you're feeling lazy, you don't need to refer to this image;

just block in the colors roughly.

The Gradient Map will sort it out for you.

Moving On

Video

Here is the drawing.

I drew it focusing on the clumps of hair.

It might be better not to have

too many highlights...

For the base color of the hair,

I used the Eyedropper on the gradient JPEG in the top-left corner

and painted it with the Gradient tool.

I created another layer on top of that

and added the solid blacks.

↓ Layer structure

This hair gradient will look

great after applying the Gradient Map later,

so keep that in mind for reference.

Key Points

When adding the solid blacks, keep the clumps of hair in mind

and make sure to leave some space between each clump.

Also, creating triangular shapes

where the hair clumps gather in key areas

helps prevent the overall look from becoming monotonous.

Painting Skin Shadows, etc.

I painted roughly using the skin colors from the corners,

but the edges were a bit too sharp,

so I shaved them all down with a skin brush.

I also used a bit of the Blur brush.

↓

Use this "god" brush

to shave away with transparent color.

Next, the Gradient Map

Apply the Gradient Map on a new layer.

This time, I used "Prima" from the

"Harajuku Gradient 2+α" mentioned on this page.

It looks like this.

Then, place colors appropriately from the bonus color zones in the corners.

This is just a guideline,

so feel free to do it however you like.

At this point, it's good to put the clothes layer above the shadow layer

and set it to Multiply so it blends well.

You should keep the Gradient Map off while painting

and turn it back on to check once you're done.

Finished Illustration

The background looks a bit empty,

so I'll do a few things here and there.

All Done!

*I added a few more touches.

Assets...

Everyone...

Thank you for creating them...

In the end, Clip Studio Assets are the best!

A Few Color Variations Too...

P.S.

I've added some color variations.

These are all Gradient Maps included in "Harajuku 2+α"~

Assets are wonderful~

To the creators, thank you so much.

 

Thank you for reading!

I'll post the links to the assets I used at the end~

Introduction to the Assets Used

These are the Botanical Assets!

Bonus

Do you want my weird assets??

I'll leave some things here that I'm not even sure when you'd use them~

(Sorry for the trouble!)