How my mushroom forest piece came together in August 2020
Most important Clip Studio Paint Brushes for this piece
Soothing Watercolor blend and Thin Gouache Brush
Shape, Contrast and Basic Colour
- Idea was vague: Mushroom character in forest
- Shapes should draw eye
- Colours should be interesting
- Started with white mushrooms, moss covered trees, and bright white-yellow light
- The main focus - Mushroom on legs - was lost in the background
- Switched to black and white to get a better idea of how a white character will stand out
- dark browns and greens, purple shadow, and orange light
Large Detail, Lighting and Shadows
- Moss and Wood texture outline with shadow colour
- Adjusted background shape
- Lighting detail on midground
- Foreground is temporarily removed
- Sky is added
- Direction of log is reversed from right to left
- Shadow colour was used to outline background elements. Became useful for final shadowing
- Cast Shadows are added on mushroom characters
Background Detail and Colour Adjustments
- Toned down lighting a lot, was losing focus on mushroom character
- The water was actually going to be covered in duck weed, but -like in real life- it resembled grass.
- Added water reflection
Final Touches
- Blended background outlines
- Added more foliage
- Added light shafts
- Blurred foreground elements
- Added a bit of rim lighting to midground
