When we finish a drawing, sometimes we want to give it a touch that provides that “something extra,” that “spark.” Well, here are 4 tips to give your drawings those final touches they need for that special boost, all by using layer blending modes.Here's the video tutorial:

Introduction to Blending Modes

First of all, I want to give a brief introduction to blending modes. We can find them in the dropdown panel (a) in the layer window. Blending modes are properties that layers and folders possess.What they do is alter the pixels of the layer so that they act in a specific “x” way, depending on which mode we set it to (b).

There are several types of blending modes:The one that comes by default in layers is the “normal” mode, in which pixels act, as the name suggests, normally.

✿ Darkening Modes ✿They affect the light of the layer's pixels, darkening them. The darker the color, the more it will darken. We can say that white becomes transparent because we don't see it reflected in these types of modes.They are ideal for creating shadows; I frequently use Multiply and Color Burn modes.

✿ Lightening Modes ✿In this case, instead of darkening the pixels, they become lighter, and unlike the previous ones, the lighter the colors, the more noticeable they will be, while black becomes invisible (c). These modes are great for creating lights and glows; the ones I most frequently use are Glow Dodge and Add (Glow) modes.

✿ Contrast Modes ✿These work by affecting the pixels in such a way that a more pronounced contrast is created between the pixel's light; light areas become lighter and dark areas darker. Many of these also affect saturation.

✿ Comparison Modes ✿These work to find the differences or similarities of pixels between layers.

✿ Composition Modes ✿These modes alter how the pixels of the lower layers look depending on the value being chosen; that is, saturation affects saturation, color affects color, etc.

For example, if we choose the Saturation mode (c), the pixels below where we are painting will adopt the saturation of the color we are painting, without affecting luminosity or hues. In the case of Color (d), the underlying color adapts to the color of the layer we are working on.

NOTE: If we scroll through the blending modes, we will cycle through all of them.

TIP 1 - Dramatic Lighting ✨

To create dramatic lighting, we will follow these steps:1. Add a light source in the background.2. For the backlit object or character, we will add shadow.3. We will also add light within the character.4. And finally, glow details.

I love the backlit effect; it's my old reliable, but this modus operandi that I'm about to explain can be applied to other types of lighting.Starting by adding a layer where we will paint the background light, I'm using this blending mode, and we will use a light color.I don't use pure white directly; sometimes it can look great, but personally, depending on the color palette, we can use a light blue, a pink, or a yellow, etc... I might use colors very close to white, but almost never, if not never, do I use it directly.

Now, we create a layer for the character's shadow. We will place the shadow inside the character, creating it according to its volume, as if it were a silhouette. Once ready, we lock the layer's pixels and play with the colors within the shadow; likewise, if it seems too strong, you can lower the opacity.

We are going to add a layer for the character's light. I will be using this blending mode, and I will be adding light to the character's edges, again guided by its volumes. It's quite easy, in fact, because I make it like a sort of glow with the airbrush.Finally, a detail I love is making the character's light have a kind of glow. To do this, we create a new layer above all the previous ones, and set a contrast or light blending mode. With the airbrush, we will make strokes to create a glow effect where the light is.

Here the light source is lateral (2), but I followed the same procedure explained earlier.

Here's a small reference you can use when you want to create dramatic lighting:(further down there's a free download link for this reference and another one)

TIP 2 - Add Shadow ✨

And you might say, “But my character already has a shadow, what are you telling me, Stefani?” Well, I'm not talking about the character's shadow; I'm talking about the shadow produced by the environment, for example, the shadows of tree leaves, a building, etc.It's very simple to add these types of shadows. The steps we will follow are:1. On a layer in a darkening mode, we will draw the shadow over the character.2. We will vary the color of that shadow, creating a kind of gradient, and on the edge, we will put a color that stands out.

Simple, right? We can extrapolate this to other, slightly more interesting shadows, like leaf shadows. We create a new layer and set it to a darkening mode (g); in this case, I'm using Multiply. Don't forget to create the light that filters through the tree leaves with the eraser or with the brush configured for transparent pixels (h).

Once done, we lock the pixels and play with the colors within the shadow; in this case, I'm using these greens and blues. Don't forget the detail of putting a color significantly lighter than the others on the edges; this color is usually warm, among oranges, yellows, and pinks.

And done! Again, this process works for any type of shadow:

TIP 3 - Bring Your Lights to Life ✨

What if you already have a drawing with lighting you like, but it still feels a bit dull? Well, what we'll do is bring more life to the light sources.The process is very simple:1. We're going to create a glow around the light.2. Then we're going to create a second, smaller glow that is stronger in opacity than the previous one.

The closer to the light source, the brighter; we will adjust this depending on the color palette.We create a new layer above all the drawing layers, and with the airbrush, we will create a glow starting from the light source, using a contrast blending mode (in this case, Overlay). The size of the glow will depend on how large the light source is (i).

We will create the second glow on another layer and use a LIGHT blending mode. The color we use will be lighter than the previous one (j).

As you can see, the detail is relatively subtle, but wow, it gives that missing spark. In this particular case, I added an extra layer of light to the character (blending mode used: Add (Color)) so that it would integrate better into the drawing. This is an optional step, as it's usually not necessary to add this.

TIP 4 - Change the Character's Weather or Location ✨

To make a drawing more interesting, we can change the weather or location of our character, having the character in a sunset or even underwater, but how do we achieve this?First, we will decide where to place our character, because this will determine the color palette. Let's take this dusk as an example (k); I will identify the two most predominant tones, in this case, these two (L).

Now, with the most extended color, we will create a new layer clipped to the character's layer, and set it to “Linear Burn” mode, then adjust the opacity.

Now we will add to a new layer with a “Color” blending mode, using the airbrush, we will apply soft strokes until we are satisfied (m).

Now we are going to adjust the saturation as it is oversaturated in certain parts. To fix this, we create a new layer and set it to Saturation mode, look for a color close to gray, and experiment with the airbrush until we are satisfied with how it looks (n). In some cases, it might need more saturation, so we do the same, but the color we choose must be far from grays.

That would be the trick to make your characters adapt to any environment or weather, even underwater! (ñ). In this case, I added two extra layers, one in a light mode (Screen) and another in a darkening mode (Multiply) (o).

In general, this process may vary from case to case, but this is what generally works for me. However, do not hesitate to explore the blending modes to see if you find one that works better for your particular case. Also, don't be afraid to change the layer order; experiment as much as you need to achieve the desired result. In the case of environments that are a bit brighter, you might need to add a light or contrast layer instead of a layer in burn mode.Here are a couple of references that can help you and a free download link:

End

That's all! Thank you for reaching the end. I hope you liked it and found it useful. An extra tip to “yassify” our drawings never hurts.