Process/tutorial

Because I enjoy submitting the same thing three times:

My (dumb) way of digital painting. Made in Firealpaca
layer count includes the merged ones. Basically every layer that I opened by the time I reached that step.

1.) Initial sketch - Pen tool.
I like to keep it all within one layer. If things get cluttered, I either ignore it, or erase and redraw. There are times where I use a color for the sketch, but most of the time, I'm lazy and its black.
layer count: 1

2.) Lineart - Pencil tool.
Because I'm a backwards person, I like softer lineart. The thing is super messy, not even closed in some parts, other people would probably consider this their sketch. The cards were lined on a separate layer and then blurred
layer count: 3

3.) Color palleting - Pen tool
scribble down every color you think you'll need...in the approximate place...all in one layer. Keep 'em bright. I normally go crazy with this. I have a tendency to make a red pallet with green highlights and blue shadows. I continue to follow the sloppy trend that I started with. I cringe when people join my livestream while I'm doing this =v=...
layer count: 4

4.) Blending-sorta - Pen tool - Opacity 45%
I happen to be an idiot who lines with a soft brush and colors with a hard brush. I don't pick any more new colors except for the whites of the eyes because I'm good at forgetting :V. Everything comes from what's exactly on the canvas...sometimes other parts of the canvas. I like to leave it a bit chunky and not entirely blended...except for the skin. I smooth out the skin with the watercolor tool. Airbrushed the cards to keep their blur
layer count: 4

5.) Overlay - watercolor brush (low opacity, large size) ; Lineart color - pen tool
On an overlay layer, I add dark indigo onto the shadows, and orange on the highlights. This is also where I take care of skin undertones and makeup. Tint anything that may need some hue adjustments.
I click "protect alpha" on the lineart layer and "gradient" it a dark rust color.
layer count: 5

6.) Multiply - pen tool, eraser ; Lineart adjustments ; smudge
hide all color and overlay, apply lavender to the shadows and erase the edges to make it softer. Usually I turn down the layer opacity a bit too much...most of you probably don't see the difference. 
duplicate the lineart, change one to overlay, one to multiply, adjust opacity until satisfied
smudge the cards to make them look less lazy
layer count: 7

7.) Luminosity - pen tool ; more overlay
in a luminosity layer, lazily splat on highlights and backlight...because everything looks better after this step.
I'm never happy with the hues, so more overlay because I can.
layer cont: 9
--

and that, my friends, is my lazy process, where I try to keep it under 10 layers
finished thing: fav.me/d7pd6hm