My Sketching Process: A Guided Tutorial from Draft to Completion
As a digital artist, one of the best parts of my work is turning a rough idea into a finished sketch. It's more than just drawing—it's about shaping a vision step by step. In this blog, I’ll share my process, tools, and tips to help you with your own creative journey.
As a digital artist, one of the best parts of my work is turning a rough idea into a finished sketch. It’s not just about drawing, shaping it step by step, turning a rough, messy sketch into a polished final piece is both satisfying and enjoyable. And, in this blog, I’ll share my process, tools, and tips to help you with your own creative journey.
1. Setting the Stage: Tools and Workspace
The first step in my process is making sure my tools and workspace are ready to go. For sketching, I use an iPad paired with Procreate, an Apple Pencil and my custom Procreate Brushes. I prefer using Procreate because of its easy-to-use interface and, most importantly, its portability. Since I travel frequently, having a device I can take anywhere is a significant advantage.
For sketching, I usually rely on my Sketch set (primarily the Charcoal brush) or the Details brush from my Painting set. These brushes are pressure-sensitive and many of them mimic the feel of pencil on paper, providing the control and flexibility I need for creating both rough and polished lines.
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2. The Concept Phase: Generating Ideas
Before I start sketching, usually I brainstorm ideas for my piece. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a photograph, a character I love from a show, or my travels. Once I’ve decided what I want to draw, the next step is to quickly create one or sometimes a few rough sketches to establish a base to work from. I don’t worry too much about the details at this stage.
During this phase, I focus on what I want the piece to convey. What mood am I aiming for? Answering these questions helps me find the right reference, refine my ideas and settle on one strong concept. For this tutorial I am drawing Mel Medara from Arcane and I am using a reference image with a fierce expression as I really feel it’s suits her quite well
In Procreate, I work with multiple layers. I use one layer for the initial sketch and another for reference images or sometimes, I use the reference window feature in Canvas. This keeps everything organized and allows me to make changes easily.
3. The Drafting Stage: Laying the Foundation
This is where the piece truly begins to take shape. I start by creating a rough sketch but more defined than the first one on top of the first layer—loose and freeform lines that block out the basic structure.
4. Refining the Draft: Adding Details
Once I’m satisfied with the rough draft, I merge down the layers and start refining it on a new layer.
This stage is all about cleaning up the lines and adding finer details. I lower the opacity of my rough sketch layer and create a new layer for the refined lines.
Here, I focus on clarity. I define key elements and adjust anything that feels off.
5. Polishing the Final Sketch
With the refined sketch in place, I move to the final phase. Line weight is crucial at this stage—thicker lines add depth and emphasis, while thinner lines help with subtle details.
While it’s not a finished illustration, a polished sketch should have enough dimension to stand on its own. I don’t always prefer refining my sketches too much; I like leaving some messy lines for character. However, there are times when I do go for a more polished look. Final touches include erasing stray marks, adjusting the composition if needed, and ensuring the overall piece feels cohesive.
At this stage, if I want a messy finish, I’ll keep the draft sketch layer at a low opacity, around 20-25%. However, if I prefer a clean and polished look, I’ll remove the draft sketch entirely. That said, I’m not a fan of overly clean line art, so to strike a balance between the two, I like to add volume to my sketches when I choose to delete the draft layer. I achieve this by incorporating some shading before adding color. To do this, I create a new layer, reduce its opacity to about 10-15%, and begin painting with black, as shown in the video below.
The final sketch
6. Challenges and Solutions
Every artist encounters challenges while sketching, such as messy lines or unclear proportions. When that happens, I step back, assess the issue, and don't hesitate to redo parts of the sketch. I also don’t stress too much about getting the proportions perfect; I actually find it more interesting since most people’s features aren’t perfectly proportional anyway. Creative blocks can happen too, and I've found that taking a break or getting feedback can really help move things forward.
Conclusion
Transforming a draft into a final sketch is a process filled with experimentation, learning, and growth. From brainstorming ideas to adding the final touches, each step contributes to bringing your vision to life. I hope this breakdown of my process helps you to refine your own workflow and enjoy the journey of sketching.
What does your sketching process look like? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear from you!
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