Sketching (Fig. 1)
The first thing I do for any picture is create a basic sketch. In this case it is fan art based on another picture so I had something to sketch from. Do not rush though sketching - you really need to be sure you have placed everything where it should be and know what overlaps where so you will not get lost coloring or inking.

Inking (Fig 2.)
For this picture I want it to be inked first. I inked this all in black and then made sure all my pencil sketch was erased (this can take some time for large or detailed pictures).

If you do not want any ink in your picture you can skip this step, but make sure your pencil sketch is really clean and LIGHT otherwise the pencil will smudge when you put color over it. Another option is to sketch on another piece of paper and then trace it with a very light colored pencil - this will preview it from smudging.

COLORING: Eyes

1. I start with Vermilion Col-Erase. I use this on the upper highlight starting at the edges and blending it out. I fill the entire lower highlight with a light coating of this.
2. Next I blend in Canary Yellow Col-Erase repeating the same basic method as above.
3. I "edge" the upper highlight with Yellowed Orange Thick Lead Art Pencil and a #24 Staedtler Karat Watercolor Pencil.
4. I finish the lower highlight with Yellowed Orange, Poppy Red, and Tuscan Red Thick Lead Art Pencils.
5. I add highlights over my pencil and pen with a White Pentel Milky Gel Roller.
6. I add shading to the whites with a Light Gray Col-Erase Pencil.

COLORING: Mouth

1. I start with a soft layer of Pink Col-Erase around the edges.
2. I use a Deco Pink Veri-Thin Pencil to darken the left side and bottom of the mouth.
3. I burnish (add a solid/hard coating) the mouth with a White Thick Lead Art Pencil.
4. I add highlights with a White Pentel Milky Gel Roller.

COLORING: Gold Sections

1. For the gold sections of her armor I start with a layer of Yellow and Orange Col-Erase.
2. I then darken some areas with Yellowed Orange and Canary Yellow Thick Lead Art Pencils. The areas to darken depend on the lighting in the picture, since I wanted it to look like metal armor I was careful to leave white highlights in many places.
3. I darken some areas even more with 24 Staedtler Karat Watercolor Pencils #11 and #16.
4. I use a Metallic Gold Veri-Thin Pencil to add borders around some sections of armor. There is not much more I can say about how I did this - where to leave the highlights in tricky so it is good to use another picture for reference.

The rest of the picture was completed using the same coloring processes as above - Click here for finished picture!