How to draw a pink-haired maid angel illustration! Making-of process including dappled sunlight and light effects revealed.

The character I drew this time is an angel girl who lives as a maid in order to learn about the human world.

I illustrated her peaceful moment as she quietly sleeps in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.

This piece is full of my favorite details, such as the soft lighting, the flow of the hair, and the intricate details of the frills.

This article will slowly introduce the process from rough sketch to finished product. I hope you enjoy it as if you were peeking behind the scenes of the creation process.

Angel x Maid character design and illustration theme

"Humans are so warm-hearted..."

The angelic girl began living as a maid to learn about the human world. While helping with household chores, she learns about interpersonal relationships, kindness, and the vastness of the world.

This illustration captures a fleeting moment of peace and tranquility in her journey of growth.

From rough sketch to finished product! Making of a pink-haired maid girl

Rough draft stage: Determine the composition, pose, and direction of light.

In the initial rough sketch, only the design of the maid outfit was decided, not the sunlight filtering through the trees. A plan to represent angel wings with flower petals. I was thinking about it.

The atmosphere was quite different from the final version, and the maid outfit itself was completely different.

This stage was a time for exploring "what kind of world we wanted to create."

Line art ①: Draw in the flow of the hair and the frills of the maid outfit.

Once I started the line art, first Hair flow I carefully drew it in detail.

I layered thin lines to create a softer look.

And the frills on the maid outfit!

Once I started drawing, I got really into it, and before I knew it, I had drawn as much as I wanted (lol).

Line drawing ②: The process of refining the lines to improve the overall quality.

Don't finish the line art in one go.To draw in two parts.I try to do that.

The idea is to roughly shape it the first time, and then adjust the line thickness and density in the second step to achieve a more polished result.

Adding this step significantly changes the overall impression of the finished product.

Coloring preparation: Create a base for color with undercoating and layering.

In the base coat stage, we separate the layers while checking the balance of colors.

At this point A proposal to use osmanthus flowers as feathers. I tried using it, but the color was too similar to the grass and it blended in, so I reluctantly gave up.

Representing Light: How to Depict Sunlight Filtering Through Trees and the Glow of Angel's Wings

The key element of this illustration is the depiction of light, Use hard light to layer dark colors → then use bright colors to depict sunlight filtering through trees. This is the procedure we are following.

To create a soft, angelic glow, we meticulously adjusted the position of the light particles and reflections.

Finishing touches: Adjust the color and overall feel using adjustment layers.

lastly,I've used multiple adjustment layers, such as linear light and hard light, to brighten and even out the overall color tone.

The fun part is how applying editing can completely change the atmosphere of the same illustration.

Tools used (iPad Air, Procreate, Apple Pencil)

This time too, my usual partner iPad Air × Procreate × Apple Pencil It was created using a combination of these elements.

I find the Apple Pencil to be a great match for my drawing style, as it makes it easy to draw fine details like the flow of hair and the reflections on metal.

We have released a making-of short video on YouTube.

Looking back on creating the illustration of the pink-haired maid.

I think the overall quality improved significantly by drawing the line art in two separate steps.

Although it's an older piece, it's still one of my favorites.

I've also compiled the production process for my other illustrations, so if you're interested, I'd be happy if you'd read my other articles as well.

Recommended related articles

How to draw a pink-haired maid angel illustration! Making-of process including dappled sunlight and light effects revealed.

Recommended related articles

How to draw a pink-haired maid angel illustration! Making-of process including dappled sunlight and light effects revealed.

If you enjoyed this article or illustration and thought, "That was pretty good," or "I'd like to see more," your support would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading to the end.

Pochi

Illustrator

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Illustrator.
This blog is my growth diary as an illustrator.
Opened since June 2023.
Starting YouTube in January 2025.