Steem Chibi Lady Art - First Edition (MY ART DIARY 7-12-2024)

Art has always been my escape, my tiny solace. So let me guide you through the process of bringing to life this adorable little character!

Step 1: The Sketch
Every great masterpiece starts with a rough sketch. I took my digital pen and started to draw a rough sketch of the basic outline of the character. It's about getting the proportions and basic shape right. It's like setting the foundation of a house: everything has to be right before you start with the details. I wanted to be light and loose, keeping the lines open for maneuvering and changing things around. This first sketch may look simple, but it represents the whole backbone of the drawing.

Step 2: Defining the Character
Now that I was happy with the basic sketch, it was time to bring a little personality to our character. I worked the lines, making them stronger and clearer. It is at this stage that the character begins to come to life. I added detail to the face by giving him big, expressive eyes, a cute little mouth, and those lovely chubby cheeks. Hair styled in flowing wavy locks, ensured including a cute flower accessory for that unique touch; this was all about making a very cute character with a really big appeal.

Step 3: Inking
Around our good ol' sketch, we started inking it. This entails strengthening the finished sketch with a cleaner, more confident line in order to give it a polished look. I chose a digital inking brush, and then I started stroking over my lines as carefully as I could to maintain their smoothness and consistency. It's at this stage that a character acquires detail and the work finally becomes professional. Inking needs lots of patience and a steady hand, but watching the character come to life with beautiful bold, clean lines is totally satisfying.

Step 4: Base Colors
Now that the inking had been completed, it was time to set the color palette for our character. I started by applying flat base colors to different parts of the character. The hair was a very bright teal; the dress was painted a lovely blue with a few green accents, and the skin tone was warm and friendly. And at this stage, it's all about laying some color down in a relatively even manner and making sure they work nicely with each other. This is where the character really starts to come alive and starts to look warm and inviting.

Step 5: Shading and Highlights
I did some shading to make the character look three-dimensional. It makes the character look slightly more realistic, with slight attention toward how they could really look in terms of depth and dimension. Shadows are created using a darker shade of each base color to point up areas naturally bathed with less light, such as under hair or on the folds of clothing. Using a lighter shade, I added highlights to give that shiny and glossy effect to the hair. All these small touches matter a lot; they bring the character into real life with the look of action and vivacity.

Step 6: Final Touches and Background
Finally, I applied those little touches that bring the work to really shine. I blushed the cheeks, making it look cute and rosy. Besides, the eyes got a lot more details with that sparkle of life in them. Finally, the added simple and modest background should not annoy with the distraction of attention from the character but sit very well alongside it. There are some geometric patterns and soft colors on the background to give this modern impression to the whole artwork. And here you have it; the lovely, delightful character is brought to life through digital art!

In essence, this process is all about the right blend of creativity, patience, and loads of love toward art. I hope you enjoyed this little journey as much as I did. Keep on spreading the positive vibes! 💖