Layer Organization for Character Art vs. Portrait Art
Organizing layers is such a personal thing as a digital artist.
Here's what I'd recommend:
Once you find a system that works for YOU, stick with it!
Because it'll make your digital art process smoother and can even make your style more consistent.
With layers, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You have to consider both the process and the end result when deciding how to organize your layers.
So today, I want to show you two approaches I use. My approach to layer organization for character art and my approach to layers for portrait art (they're different!) And if you think one might suit your process and needs, give it a try!
How I Organize My Layers for Character Art:
If the idea of layers in Procreate is confusing, think of layers like clear sheets of glass stacked on top of each other.
Then imagine painting a blue sky on one sheet, green grass on another, and a bright yellow sun on a third. Stack them together, and suddenly, you’ve created a little scene! With each element separate but working together.
This is exactly how I approach my character art in Procreate.
I like to keep each feature on its own layer!
Here’s how I typically separate them:
✔ Sketch (the drawing/my lines)
✔ Eye Color
✔ Lip Color
✔ Hair Color
✔ Skin Color
✔ Accessories
etc.
Each thing gets its own layer. But why--
Well, I find character art to be an imaginative process. Unlike drawing from a strict reference, you’re deciding on things as you go! And I find keeping features on separate layers allows for experimentation and play. Especially with color.
Want to change eye color last minute? Easy.
Thinking pink hair should actually be blue? No problem. :)
⭐ My layer organization for character art prioritizes flexibility with color and imaginative choices.
And when you're ready to experiment with colors, go to:
Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness > & push around the sliders
This makes color experimentation on each individual layer flexible and fun.
And it's the main reason I keep my layers organized in this way for character art.
Want to learn more about character art? Read this blog next: 4 Must-Know Procreate Tools for Character Artists
How I Organize My Layers for Portrait Art:
For my portrait art, I like to use a more painterly approach. Because of that, I like to approach my layers as if I'm working on a real canvas with a real paint medium, like oil paint.
Instead of separating everything by color or by individual parts of the face, I don't usually need that much flexibility here. That's because when I'm painting a painterly portrait, I'm typically working from a photo reference.
So in this case, I set up my canvas in a pretty simple way.
I place my reference photo on the left side of the canvas. (You can learn how to do that here if you need help.)
Then on the right side, I create my painting in the exact same shape and proportion as the reference. As I work, I keep saved versions of the painting along the way. Portrait paintings can often take me 5-7 hours, so I like having a record of the different stages of the piece as it develops.
So if you look inside one of my Procreate portrait files (as shown below) you'll usually see a big stack of layers. But these layers are not separated by skin, hair, eyes, clothing, and so on. Instead, they're mostly different versions of the entire painting. In other words, they're like work-in-progress snapshots of the piece as I worked on it. The layers at the bottom are the earliest stages, and the layer at the top is the most current version I'm actively working on.
I like working this way for a couple of reasons...
First, it feels more natural to me. I'm a traditional artist at my roots (and you might be too!), so painting everything together on one surface feels more intuitive than splitting the portrait into lots of separate parts. It feels closer to how I would approach a traditional painting.
Second, working on the portrait all at once helps me create more cohesion in the piece. It helps me think about the portrait as a whole instead of as a collection of separate features. I can focus more on how everything connects - the colors, the edges, the rhythms, and the overall feel of the painting.
This is a little different from how I might approach character art. In my character process, I often break things up more because it's a more imaginative process. I'm making more decisions on the fly as I go - color, design, mood, composition- and I'm often experimenting a lot more. But with portrait art, I'm usually working from a clear photo reference, so there's less guessing and less need to separate everything out. The path is a little clearer from the start.
And here's one more reason I really like working this way...
I usually paint portraits over multiple sessions, often across different days. And I don't know about you, but some days everything clicks, and other days are just “off” days 😅. So having earlier versions of my piece saved is super helpful.
For example, if I push a painting too far and overrender it, I can always go back to an earlier version. That's a huge help.
But there's also another little trick you can try. Let's say you overrender the piece and it starts to feel too detailed or heavy. Instead of deleting that progress, you can lower the opacity of the current layer to around 50% so the earlier version underneath starts to show through. Sometimes seeing those two versions together helps me find a better middle ground.
And if I like what I'm seeing, I'll duplicate that earlier version underneath so I still have it saved, then I'll merge the duplicate with the 50% layer above it. That gives me a new blended version to continue painting on, while still keeping the original earlier version untouched.
I've found this especially helpful in portraits, because they can take quite a bit of time, and not every painting session feels equally strong. Sometimes you're really on, and sometimes you're not. This helps me keep moving forward either way, and still make progress on the piece.
⭐ My layer organization for portrait art prioritizes a natural painting process with flexibility in version history.
This is the way I'll organize my layers the majority of the time. Do I change it up sometimes... sure! But having these systems I can come back to helps me speed up my workflow and stay organized.
The key-- find what works for you and what feels natural.
There’s no single right way, just the way that helps you create more easily and makes the process fun and not frustrating. Keep experimenting, adjusting, and fine-tuning your process until it feels easy and natural for YOU.
And btw, did you know...
It's not just layers that are different between character art and portrait art approaches. It's a lot of things, actually, but you'll notice that brush choices are also one of the key differences.
I'd love to offer you both of my unique brush sets, one for character art and one for portrait art.
