Step-by-step: Design a character that reads well

1 Start your thumbnailing process off by drawing silhouettes with a medium-sized brush in Photoshop. Don’t get hung up with details, and force yourself to try out lots of different shapes. I find that if I do 50 quick sketches, there are more than enough good ideas. 2 Once I’ve narrowed it down to just the silhouettes that I like the most, I enlarge them and create a new layer above. Right- click the layer, select Create Clipping Mask, and then use a brush set to medium grey to start defining the main costume shapes. 3 It’s time to pick a design. Don’t just go for whichever feels the most exciting. Look for the one that most successfully tells the story you wanted for that character. Now enlarge it, reduce the Opacity and start to sketch out the details at a larger size.