Photoshop DRAW AND PAINT FANTASY MANGA

Yueko shares her process for painting a female knight in an anime-inspired art style, paying particular attention to the hair and face

- Yueko

This artwork was commissioned by the ImagineFX team for their cover! I was given a reference for the pose they wanted, based on a sketch I had previously drawn and some ideas for the character.

The idea of beauty and strength being non-exclusive is something I like a lot, which is why I often turn to the theme of female knights for my original character designs. In the past, I found armour quite difficult to draw, but I’ve always tried to push myself through challenges instead of avoiding them.

Crystal horns from a past artwork of mine caught the team’s eye, so I incorporated them into this design. I added similar embellishments on her sword and armour because I thought the crystal would look a little out of place if it were only on her horns, especially as this character’s hair is warm and bright. Because it’s a close-up of a character and the team wanted the focus to be on her face, I spent extra time painting the details and softening her features.

How I create…

A STYLISED MANGA HAIR LOOK

1 Create an interesting base