FINE DINING process 2/2

OKAY. Here's where things get sort of messy.  After the rough lineart is done (keeping the lineart for the characters and background separate) I started plopping down color in big patches using the color thumbnail as a guide. 

Like picking a color palette, I feel this is a stage that mostly falls down to personal preference - I kept the brushwork loose and splotchy in places like the walls and floor, but got a bit more fussy with the characters. My major concern at this stage was keeping the characters and objects readable while also keeping the brushwork pretty vibrant and natural feeling.

A little further in I had enough of the background painted that I could start fussing around with details. Unlike the previous smaller paintings I've done this month, I found myself doing little to no color adjustments with levels and filters as I was painting.  COLOR THUMBNAILS: PRETTY USEFUL.

The alcove was one of my favorite parts to paint.  GRATUITOUS PLANTS and bottle labels!

After finishing most of the color on the characters and background, I spent a great deal of time cleaning up the character lineart and shading to make them stand out a bit more.