Create a Children’s Book Illustration Part III: The Finishing

Step 24

Block in the headband with color #A5008C.

Step 25

Use the dodge tool (same settings as for the hair highlighting) to highlight the top of the hair band.

Step 26

Use the burn tool set to midtones (22% exposure, 53 pixels) for the shadows on the band.

Step 27

Make a new layer below all the others titled “skin”.

Step 28

Block in the skin area with color #DAB099.

Step 29

Clean up the rough areas that are now apparent on the layer “girl” so that all the edges are smooth.

Step 30

Block in the skin’s shadows with color #B88673.

Step 31

Highlight the skin with color #E8C1AC. Leave the face un-highlighted, we will deal with that later.

Step 32

Copy the entire layer and paste a copy of it onto a new layer. Move the skin to match up with the layer below.

Step 33

Using the magic wand tool, select the area around the skin, and then right click and select the inverse (or shift +ctrl+I).

Step 34

Apply Gaussian blur 8.4 pixels. (Filter à Blur à Gaussian Blur)

Step 35

Now erase any spill that has gone over the lines. I had to clean up around the arm area.

Step 36

Merge the two layers. (While on layer 4, press Ctrl + E).

Step 37

Outline the fingers on “girl” layer with color 1D1D1D. You will first have to erase some of the blocked in area, and then draw the fingers. Think, “Little sausages” while you are drawing them to get the right shape.

Step 38

Now draw the second hand. I realized that my proportions were wrong, and fixed them for the hand at this stage.

Step 39

Make a new layer at the top of the set titled “garnets”.

Step 40

Using color #1D1D1D draw curly vines in the child’s hands.

Step 41

Then using color #003E13, draw the green right beside the outline, overlapping a tiny bit.

Step 42

Using an 8 pixel round brush and a slightly lighter green, highlight the vine.

Step 43

Make a new layer titled “flowers”.

Step 44

Using the same brush as before and color #E6B451 draw elongated ovals in sets of four or five, all around a point.

Step 45

Now, using color #FFCF71, draw smaller overlapping ovals on top of the darker petals.

Step 46

Using the darker color again, draw lines in the center of each petal with a size 6 brush.

Step 47

Using the burn tool (same settings as before) draw small circles in the center of each flower,