What is a layer?
A layer, in a piece of digital art, is a magical thing that can make our workflow smoother and easier, and it can also save a lot of headaches in the future when we go from pencils to inks to colors. Okay, so maybe it's not actually magic. But it's pretty darn close!
But what are layers and how do they work? Let's look at the following example image. The drawing in this screenshot is made from five layers:
Figure 5.1 – A sample drawing image
What exactly are those layers? In the following screenshot, we can see exactly what they are:
Figure 5.2 – Layer diagram
The pink background is a paper layer. On top of that, there is a layer with some gray, which the character is standing on. Then, there is a layer with most of the colors of the drawing. Above that is the actual line art (ink) for the character. Finally, on top is a layer with white dots for the shining effect.
As I mentioned...