NOTE: This is a "technical" tutorial that shows you one way to make avatar edits. This is not a "creative" tutorial that shows you how to make avatar edits aesthetically pleasing. For that, you need to improve your regular drawing skills. A trip to the library or a search on the internet should provide you with more resources for improving your drawing skills than you can shake a stylus at.
http://merikitten.net/gaia/mksamples/tut_workspace.jpg
My PhotoShop Workspace - 800 pixels wide
http://merikitten.net/gaia/mksamples/tut_workspace2.jpg
My PhotoShop Workspace - 600 pixels wide
I work in Adobe PhotoShop 7.0, using a mouse and a tablet. Here are the steps I took to create an Ariel cosplay edit, using the reference picture shown in the Workspace screencap.
[edit] You do not need to spend a single dime in order to create avatar edits. GIMP is a free graphics program that has everything you need, and a mouse works just as well as a tablet since the graphics are so small. Buying PhotoShop just so you can create avatar edits is like buying a $200,000 sports car so that you can go grocery shopping. Unnecessary. Overrated. Horrible misuse of money. XD
Step #1: Get/create a stripped-down avatar to use as a "base." You can use an actual Gaian user's avatar or create one by using an avatar simulator such as the GavSim.
Step #2: I usually start off with the part of the costume that is closest to the top and not covered up by anything else. In this case, the blouse and skirt are partially covered by the bodice and the shoes are partially covered by the skirt, so I started with the bodice. I do this just to save some effort. If I draw a full blouse, I will have wasted some time, because most of the blouse will end up covered by the bodice.
For drawing the basic shapes of the clothing, wigs, and accessories, I use tools set in Pencil mode instead of Paintbrush or Airbrush mode because I want the avatar edits to match the Gaian avatars in style. The Gaian avatars have soft, blended shading inside the shapes, but the outlines are hard pixels without any transparencies.
I use the Pencil tool set to 1 pixel in size, and usually work at 400% or 500% magnification. I create a new layer, separate from the avatar base, and choose a flat black. The bodice is form-fitting, so I basically just color over the outline of the torso, and then draw in the shape of the heart-shaped top and v-shaped bottom. I use the Eraser tool set to Pencil mode and 1 pixel in size if I need to erase any extra pixels.
Step #3: I create a new layer that is above the avatar but below the bodice (because the blouse is worn in between the bodice and the skin) and draw the blouse shape onto that new layer. Since the blouse is held down by the bodice, I make sure not to draw any pixels that will "poke out" from the sides of the bodice.
Step #4: I create a new layer that is above the avatar but below the bodice (it doesn't matter whether it's below or above the blouse) and draw the skirt shape onto that new layer.
Step #5: I create a new layer right above the avatar and draw the shoes shapes onto that new layer.
Step #6: For plain black clothing, I draw the shape in black and then highlight it in medium-to-dark greys. No shading. (For white clothing I do the opposite. I start with white and then shade in blue-greys. No highlighting.) I use the Airbrush tool set to 15% pressure and 1 or 2 pixels in size depending on the size of the item I am shading/highlighting. Here, I am setting down a general, medium-value highlight. I do not push the highlights all the way to the outer edge, because I like to leave a noticeable outline on most pieces in order to match the style of the Gaian avatars.
Step #7: After I place the basic highlights, I touch the bodice up with an even lighter grey for more contrast and a better 3D feel.
Step #8: For clothing that is not white or black, I start with the basic color and then do both shading and highlighting. I usually place the shadows first, since I like to put down more shadows than highlights.
Step #9: After the shadows are brushed on, I put on the highlights. The original base color seems almost entirely covered up.
Step #10: After I place the basic highlights and shadows on the different pieces of clothing, I smooth out the airbrush lines. I use the Smudge tool set to 20% and 2 to 3 pixels in size, depending on the size of the item I am working on. I do not hold down the mouse button and just drag back-and-forth. Instead, I work like I am stroking someone's head...uni-directional smooth, then lift, re-position, and smooth again.
Step #11: The final step is to touch up the entire edit. I usually end up obliterating some of the outlines when I smooth out the shadows, so I touch up the outlines as well as the shadows with a color much darker than the shading colors I used in step #8. I also touch up the highlights with very pale pastels. The touch-up highlighting and shading should be done sparingly. Also, I use a slightly lighter shading color when I am putting on the outlines of a part that is highlighted instead of shaded inside. If you look closely at a stripped-down Gaian avatar, you will see that the brownish outline is not the same value all the way around the body.
And that's about it. :3
