Set the duplicate layer at 40% color burn, and then add all other layers in between these two, so that the pencil lines always stay on top of the color and don’t get lost. Take the original pencil sketch (layer 1) and duplicate it (layer 11). It is important to build the color in separate layers, so that you can always work backwards or make adjustments to individual layers without affecting the overall image. The original pencil sketch is scanned in to Photoshop and then I start to build the color. Take the tips and advice you can from this tutorial and apply your own ideas and ways of doing things.

As this is a creative process, there are certainly other ways to do this, this is just my way. This article is not so much a technical guide as a behind-the-scenes look at the way I create my art. In this tutorial, however, I’ll take you through the process and show you how I use the comic faces to create 3D characters for finished artwork stills. Your custom characters can then be exported to iClone 6 for lighting, posing and rendering and are also ready for animation.

The limitless possibilities for these faces really becomes apparent when you apply them to the base models in Character Creator, where you can use the morph sliders to create an infinite number of characters from each face. Reallusion content developer Garry Pye has more than 30 years’ experience as a cartoonist, illustrator and animator.

Iclone toon shader