DrawWithMike.net

Thank you Mike. I was creating problems for myself by trying to be too literal in my depiction of the weave. We don’t see objects that way in real life.

In keeping with the textile texture theme, I decided to work on the scarf next. The cotton scarf is a much smaller item than the bag, and seen from a distance I don’t think we would see much detail in the texture.

There would be clues though to tell us that this is a tightly woven fabric. As Mike explained in his latest video, a high contrast shine on the folds would suggest a fabric such as silk or even polyester. A woolen fabric would be at the opposite end of the spectrum ans show very little if any contrast at all on the folds of the fabric. I think that a cotton fabric falls somewhere in between,

Instead of trying to describe what I did step-by-step, I thought that it would be easier to follow if I mapped out the steps visually. If you have any questions, please let me know. The next image shows how the scarf looks in position on the bag, and then with a shadow layer (in multiply mode as usual) underneath the scarf to nestle it in place. It tends to float in front of the bag is you skip this step.
I also moved the loop of the shoulder strap on the left closer to the bag, in order to fit the scarf more easily. It was too large and I felt it was competing with the scarf.

What a super way to show the progression. Even though I don't use Procreate, I could clearly understand the steps.

And not forgetting how important those shadows are. They really do tie the two elements together.

Thank you Mike!

I tried to think of how I like to work especially from books like yours, where I can have the book open next to me and see the progression of a drawing.

I thought that if anyone wanted to try this, they can print out the image, and have it next to them as they work.

Laurene wrote: Sun Jul 27, 2025 10:52 pm I thought that if anyone wanted to try this, they can print out the image, and have it next to them as they work.

Perfect! Because, rather than being guided step-by-step, we're shown the result of each step but encouraged to find our own way to get there. That not only suits everyone's difference approaches, it also teaches by doing. I find it's often easy to read a full description that immediately flits through my head and then leaves it. While doing leaves an imprinted memory that I can recall later.

Thank you Mike. I’ll try to continue using this visual method in the next steps.

Next up are the apples.

They seem quite easy, but in reality they require a few layers in order to look realistic. If you study an apple, depending on the variety of course, the skin contains different colours, often reds and yellows and greens, as well as dots or patches of different pigmentation.

I mainly used the Soft Airbrush and the Carbon Stick under the Charcoal category to depict the apple skin.
This is how the whole composition looks so far. It will come together much better once the ground is added, so that all of the elements can appear to live in the same world!

My first thought was, "Wow! That's a complicated way to draw an apple." But then I realised that it certainly isn't, once you are used to Procreate. It seems complicated to me, because I only use a pencil.

I think the only step that surprised me was using a soft airbrush for the stems, where I was expecting something that drew hard edges. But all your steps make perfect sense on my second trip through them. And the result is very appleish - and if that's not a word, it should be!

You know, I’m sure there must be an easier way to do this. The thing with digital art is that there are many ways to achieve similar results. That’s one of the things I like about it. What I don’t like is that drawings can easily look flat with an almost plastic surface.

Apple skin actually is sleek and shiny or waxy, but the colour is not uniform (again depending on the variety). That’s what I was struggling with. At first, the apples appeared to my eyes like those wax fruit people had in their kitchens in the 60’s! But when I added too much texture, they looked like strange oranges with dappled skin!! I realized that like drawing on paper, I had to layer and add detail gradually. This is one way to do it, but I’m sure there are many others.

As for the stems, the secret there is that I hate having to constantly change brushes. When used at a very small size, maximum opacity and applying strong pressure with the stylus, the Soft Airbrush renders quite a clean line. In my opinion, it’s very possible to complete a digital drawing using just a couple of brushes, or even just one brush.. For someone who comes from traditional drawing on paper, that appeals to me.

Next is the stone walkway, in order to give the bag and apples a world to live in.

The bag is tilted away from the viewer, so I have to take perspective into account when considering the walkway. I chose a rustic irregular stone walkway, so luckily, my perspective doesn’t have to be as precise as if I wanted to depict something with straight lines, like wooden slats or bricks.

I gave myself rough guidelines (seen in red below). The perspective is not as forced, in my mind, as the lines suggest. The idea is that the size of the stones should be smaller as the walkway recedes. So far, I have been adding layers, one above the other, starting with the bag, then the bandana, and finally the apples. Now however, I have to create the walkway layers below the bag layers. I find it very useful to group layers together according to subject matter. This makes it easier to navigate once you have many layers to contend with.

I start with a pale grey base layer, set to Normal, using the Soft Airbrush. Then, on a layer above set to Multiply and using the pencil brush, I add the sand between the stones. Using the eraser tool also set to the pencil brush, at a low opacity, I lightly go over some of those sand lines, here and there. This varies the texture making the sand look more realistic. Now, to add texture to the stones, I add a layer between the base layer and the one depicting the sand between the stones, set it to normal, and use the Burnt Tree brush under the charcoal category. I set it to its maximum size and to low opacity and lightly go over the stones.

Finally, to create a vignette effect, I set the eraser tool to Soft Airbrush. I use it at its maximum size and about 50% opacity, and softly erase, especially around the edges of the layer depicting the sand between the stones. The next two steps will bring this composition together (I hope ). The chipmunks will add life, but the real finishing touch is to add shadows to have everything sit together properly. That’s the reason I keep a reminder of the light direction in the top right corner. As always, thank you for following along. This is a long one!

Excellent progress and explanation. Fun to see it all come together.

Thanks Linda! I’m finally in the home stretch I think!

The last elements that I believe will bring life to the composition are the chipmunks. These are my references from Pexels and Unsplash, which I posted at the beginning of this thread. On a new layer I outlined them. I modified them until they looked right to me, especially changing the tails and the tilt of the heads. I coloured the outlines red in order to see them a little better. They won’t be part of the final drawing anyway. On a layer below the outline layer, I filled the outlines with pure white in order to give myself a clean palette to work on. In other words, I need to mask the bag and stone walkway under the chipmunks. Now, I can take the opacity of the outline layer way down, so that it’s just visible enough for me to see it. On a new layer above the outline layer, I begin to block in areas of fur colour, using my Graphite Pencil brush, and softening or blending my strokes with the smudge tool set to the Soft Airbrush brush. This step takes time. It’s important because it forms the basis for the chipmunks. I label this layer the base layer. Now I can turn off my outline layer because I won’t need it anymore. In the next steps , I’ll be concentrating on detailing the chipmunks.