# How I Draw (will be picture heavy)



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

OMG THAT IS SO FREAKING COOL!!!! I love how spread out the horse is, really gathering streamline speed! And the girl looks B-A with her wrapped up chest and all the little detailing..

SO amazing!

Feel free to sketch Sky anytime!


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## AmberNichole (Jun 23, 2012)

That is so fricken awesome! Could totally be an animated show!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Thank you for taking the time to show that. Very interesting process. you have talent.


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## Breella (May 26, 2012)

I miss my more artistic days and my tablet and my photoshop.

Amazing work.


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## GorronRoy (Jun 19, 2012)

Those are unique, something ive never seen before; nice!


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

Sky -- Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it. And when I get the guts and the skill to try drawing horses from strict reference, your boy will be the first on the list. (I want to be able to do someone's horse justice, you know? Haha.)

AmberNichole -- Dang, thank you! Animation's actually been one of my biggest interests for as long as I can remember. c:

Tiny -- Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! I'm trying to improve myself with every drawing.

Breella -- Thank you! But dang, I'm sorry about that. D:

GorronRoy -- Thank you kindly!  I'm flattered.


Seriously, thank ya'll -- your words really encourage me. I'm going to work on this some more tonight, so there might come a flood of pictures and text by morning, LOL.


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

Alright, let's get some of this done.

I've filled in the background with a more contrasting color since Dae (the female character) has a green and gold color scheme. As you can see, it helps that green really pop out at me, which helps me not only focus but, again, helps keep me inside the lines.










So in this first picture, you see I've filled it in with color, but I've not shaded it. I call it putting flat colors on the picture. It's not going to stay that way, however -- I just wanted to show you that I start out first by selecting and filling in the area I'm about to color. If you can see the dashed line surrounding the green, that's actually showing the area I've selected, and when I've selected an area to color, I can only color inside said area. It makes things quite a bit easier, especially considering I'll use multiple layers for this single area of color. It'd be a headache otherwise.

Alright, next. . .










Now you see that I've put some very light and simple shading on it. This will direct me as to where I should be putting harder shadows in accordance with where the wrinkles and folds are placed in the clothing. This is something I'm still getting the hang of, as coloring isn't my strong point, but hey, it works for me.

Next, we put more details. . .










Now I've put harder, more dramatic shadows on the places facing opposite of the light source, which, in the case of this picture, will be at the upper left-hand corner. Doing light sources from that direction, or opposite at the upper right-hand corner, makes things very simple when it comes to shading, and since I've not really mastered coloring, a simple shading job will keep me from having an emotional breakdown halfway through the coloring process. (Oh, I'm just kidding. sort of. :lol

Also, notice the highlights. I added them in just a little. If this were a silky fabric, I would've had a field day making it shiny and fun. I'm thinking about doing that to the sash around her waist because dang, that'd be fun.

Alright, moving on. You notice that her shirt looks a little... _bland._ It's all too _green._ This is an easy fix. Look closely at this next picture and you'll see what I've done.










It's simple, but I honestly think adding a little gold in there made it work for me.


Alright, I've made a foolish mistake that I'm just now catching. 










Arrow's on the wrong side. Whoops! I'm a left-handed archer, and my arrows are always on the side I've drawn this on... This is where being able to accurately use references helps tremendously. Luckily, I caught it early on.

It's an easy fix -- just a quick alteration to the lines using a new layer right above the line art layer.










There we go; much better. Also, please forgive my awful handwriting. LOL


Now, I'm going to go ahead and color in a few more little accessories and details since I've shown you the process. Here are some detail shots.

The warmer around her neck. . .











The bangle around her leg and the wraps on her foot. . .











And the cuff around her wrist. . .












Okay, now for the last part I'm going to do tonight, since it's four in the morning and I actually have to go to work today. LOL

Feathers are one of my favorite things to color. I don't know why; they're just fun. So I start out with flat colors like earlier. Simple enough, but you have to be careful how you use the selection tool, as you'll notice the lines on these feathers are a bit thin. Here's what the first step looks like. . .











Alright, fair enough. Next, I put in little shading details that (hopefully) make them look more like feathers. What I do is put a center line where the "stem" of the feather would go that holds together all the little individual "hairs." (I have no absolutely no knowledge of the vocabulary used for the anatomical parts of the plumage of birds. LOL) Then, I put on some shadows opposite of the light source and some highlights on the appropriate parts.












Okay, now for the little splash of color for decoration.










Using the airbrush tool, I take a deeper red and add a little color to the ends of the feathers; as if they've been dipped in paint. I've always liked to do this to the feathers I put in pictures because it seems to make them "jump" a little more. It's only a minor detail, I know, but I think it's the small things that bring a picture together as a whole.

Okay, let's take a look at how far I've gotten.











I'll stop here before I start dragging things out any further. I'll probably just color the rest of her clothes sometime and then pick this up later when I get to a more interesting part, like the horse's coat or something. Anyway, that's all for tonight.


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

Oh my gosh this is amazing! 
All the attention to little details astounds me! Is have to say I am loving it so far and you are putting so much effort into this!


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## RunSlideStop (Apr 21, 2012)

Superb! Is anyone else reminded of "Horseland purple" with that colour? #bb88bb I believe was the hex code. Oh, my younger days. Ha!


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## SeaBreezy (Jun 29, 2012)

Awesome work! I love the little details you add to your drawings like the feathers, bracelets, etc. It makes the art much more interesting to look at. Keep up the good work


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

PintoTess -- Thank you very much! I'm glad you're liking it so far. I'm taking it slow, but I feel like it's coming along! 

RunSlideStop -- I looked up the color and it really does seem eerily similar... LOL! I wouldn't have known! And thank you!

SeaBreezy -- Wow, thank you! It's nice to hear that the details do work for others. I just have such a good time doing them, haha! Thanks again!

I'll try to update this sometime soon; I just recently opened up commissions, and I'm having to get a few things out of the way before I can come back and work on this more. Thanks for the encouraging words, ya'll!


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## redfox122194 (Jul 5, 2012)

I was wondering what software you use for the coloring?


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## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Wow! You definitaly have talent, so cool!


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

Sorry it took me so long to get back with replies!

Redfox -- I use a program called Paint Tool SAI. I used to use the GIMP, but that's more of a photomanipulation program, while SAI is made for drawing and some painting. Here's the website where you can read up on it as well as try a free trial if you're interested. SYSTEMAX Software Development - PaintTool SAI

Reeltje -- Thank you! That means a lot.


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## breyerhorse95 (Aug 5, 2012)

Wow...that is really good!


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

Thank you guys!

Also. . . It's been a while. I've been sick, and a lot's happened in my life recently. I kind of gave up drawing on and off for a time because I would have to sit up at my computer to draw, and for a while, I just didn't have the strength for it. I have a laptop for school now, and I can draw again since I don't have to sit up, I can lay in bed and draw/color, and I can simply click "save" and close the lid when I get dizzy or tired and I need to lay down. I'm back now, and I thought I'd do a short update on this badboy tonight.

Strange, but all of these "updates" were done in psychology class except for shading her skin. I've been drawing in class because it gives me something to distract myself with so I don't get dizzy with the motion of people around me or my teacher moving as she talks. I'm still listening; I have a 93 in the class. As you can see in some of the screenshots, I've got a "notes" tab open in SAI as well, where I was jotting down information that I'd need to read up on in the module.

First, let's look at what I did with her bow and the sash around her waist. The bow's colors was an easy choice; green is the color of her clan, and red is the color of the "family protege," as she is the prodigy of her generation. So, the shaft and limbs are primarily green and the siyahs are a deep red, as are the feathers in her hair. The bow is primarily modeled after the Hungarian style horse bow with some slight Turkish influence, (from personal preference,); the character in this picture is from a fantasy world, but I wanted the style of archery and some of the other equestrian martial arts to be based on the ancient Hungarian, Turkish, and the Steppe people, (as these three cultures have always been incredibly interesting to me.)












Dae's tribe's color is also based around golds and earth tones, although it varies from clan to clan. Here's a closeup of her sash and her pants. . .











Here's the picture so far. Since it's been sitting untouched for so long, I see anatomical errors, but I'm trying to convince myself that she's okay; she's supposed to only be around 4'10" to 5'0" in height, and that gelding is supposed to be only around 14.1 to 14.3hh.












This next part was so simple that I didn't care to take but one screenshot. I put flats on her skin.











Now here's where I had a little fun. I shaded her skin, trying something new, and I'm fairly happy with the results. My laptop is very strange with colors. You know how their colors/screen displays are compared to a good desktop. Once I have my desktop restored to factory settings, (long story short, my sister downloads too much music,) I'll try to take a look at it on there to make sure her skin isn't too bright and to see that the shading is actually visible. If you think the coloration is strange, don't be shy; you could really help me out! 











Closeup of her leg; I tried to put some shading on the musculature of her leg and the bones/tendons of her toes and ankle. Simple, but it's proven effective in the overall result, in my opinion.











Closeup of her waist-up. Also, if you look closely -- I painted her nails. I couldn't help myself; I love coloring nails and lipstick, (but this character doesn't wear lipstick, unfortunately. LOL)











Since the picture has "aged" for a few months, I'm going to go back and add more appropriate shading to her hair and her clothing; I'll do that toward the end of the picture, so I can make sure it's all done evenly. Looking at the colors, to the line art, and right down to the basic anatomy, there are a few things I would have done differently; but I want to finish this picture as it is so I can move on with other things I've been wanting to do, (such as updating my fanfictions, as nerdy as that probably sounds. :lol

I'll try to update soon; possibly next Monday, if my psychology project and report don't kill me by then.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

Hope the horse will be an appaloosa


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

Op, that is one of the coolest things I have ever seen!!! Look forward to seeing you continue! I think her skin looks fine, love the shading on it! Your incredible!!!


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

WHOAH! I have to sub to this.. that is amazing.. no doubt..

and the horse is gonna be a paint huh.. haha


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

GhostwindAppaloosa said:


> Hope the horse will be an appaloosa





barrelbeginner said:


> WHOAH! I have to sub to this.. that is amazing.. no doubt..
> 
> and the horse is gonna be a paint huh.. haha


Thanks guys, and I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by his coat color, although I can make no promises. Haha! 




csimkunas6 said:


> Op, that is one of the coolest things I have ever seen!!! Look forward to seeing you continue! I think her skin looks fine, love the shading on it! Your incredible!!!


Thank you very much! That's really nice of you to say. I'm glad her skin looks good also; I've not been able to look at it on a desktop yet, so I have no idea if my laptop is making my colors look wonky! :lol:


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## Dreamcatcher5 (May 15, 2012)

Omg that is amazing!!!m
I wonder what colour the horse is gonna be...maybe a roan!?? Hmmm
Anyway, it's such a cool style of art!!!!! I eanna see the finished product!


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## Requiem (Jun 13, 2010)

I was really asleep or something while finishing this -- I didn't get any screenshots of coloring his coat or the background! Sorry about that. It was pretty basic stuff anyway, so at least you didn't miss much. Anyway, this took about a year to do, as I originally sketched it sometime in February or early March. However, the actual time spent on it was only about twelve hours. I've gotten faster since then, so the next picture of this size and style I expect to have finished within seven or eight hours of starting the sketch.

I see many, many anatomy errors, but I swear I would do a hundred things differently if I did this again. I may redo this picture in a couple of years when I've gotten more practice and more skill, but until then, this is the final version.

Also, he's a grullo! Haha. Allegro is his name, and he's been a grullo quarter horse-type gelding ever since I "designed" him and Dae (his rider) back in 2009. Next time I'll spend more time on the coat and make it look like it wasn't rushed -- because the coat was actually mostly done during psychology class last semester.

I'm just going to blame college, work, and my health for making this picture take so long to finish. Anyway, hope ya'll end up liking it!


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## Dreamcatcher5 (May 15, 2012)

BEAUTIFUL!!! So cool that they have names too, I do the same with my drawings too!


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