Laying Down Lines

Once I got my lines down, on a separate layer I put a layer of a different color underneath the sketch layer to give myself something to start with. I formed a basic plan of color range in my mind and I chose a color for the background that would go with that plan. I laid down the basic values and colors, but after a while I decided I didn't like the position she was in, so I painted her to face straight on. I like to keep parts of a sketch in low opacity and on separate layers as I like to keep track of where everything is placed. Also I can then toggle it on and off when I need it.

Once I was happy with her positioning, I laid down the basics of the hair. I used red/orange to make it pop from the rest of the image (Fig.02).

First Details

When painting hair I lay down a dark layer to establish my basic hair shape. Once I have that layer I choose a slightly lighter color, a smaller brush and lay out chunks of hair. I use a soft brush and set it at a low opacity, to help fade and blend the ends out if they come across too harsh. Once that is done I pick a shade that's a bit lighter and use a slightly smaller brush. I keep this whole process up throughout the painting until I think I have it as detailed as I want it. If I lose some of the darker areas I go back in with the dark color and add some more shades back into the image (Fig.03).