Zelda Step-by-step Sort OF

Excerpt frame of one of my newest Doujinshi's in production.  Here's what I go through to produce one of my frames that you read in a comic.  It's kind of a tutorial, but not really, since I lack tons of instructions to help it qualify for one.

1) Pencil Frame - (Digital) I pencil in Photoshop using my Wacom Tablet and sketch out a face.  It's very rough.  Lots of overlapping lines, but I decide what looks the best for the ink stage.  Yes!  Sometimes I DO sketch in pencil first, then scan and use that line page, but often when I want to save time, I just go digital.  I keep my main work larger on 8"x10" canvas, because scaling down is easy, but scaling up from pixels results in a poor picture. Linework is kept on it's on separate layer from the canvas.

2) Ink Stage - (Digital) I don't use total black, because it looks too hard.  Instead I opt for a very dark brown or dark grey for the ink stage.  After I ink, I usually gaussian blur my lines at .8%-1.4% depending on size.  Also kept on a separate layer, to remove the pencil later.

3) Base Stage - Basic color.  I make a new layer, and set it to multiply, as well as my linework.  Using the selection wand, I set the tolerance to 1 and the check the contingous box.  From there, I fill using the paint bucket set to All Layers.

4) Shadow Layer 1 - I create a new multiply layer.  I configure my source of light direction and add shadows in accordance.

5) Shadow Layer 2 - I create a second multiply layer, because I like my shadows to have more OOMPH!

6) Highlight Layer & Dodge Layers - there are actually two layers that I create here, and both are basically giving my character highlights throughout her face.  I may add a screen layer too if I need another form of highlight, but for this one, I stayed clear of the screen layer.

7) Final Layers - There are more than one layers here, but to save for time, I'll just explain really fast what I did.
  a) I added a background
  b) I added motion lines with a pencil over the top layer and gaussian blurred them.
  c) I added tears, sweat, and flames on separate layers of themselves, and added a glow to the flames (flames are two different layers with glow FX.
  d) I added more shadows on her face, hair, and jewelry and more highlights all around.
  e) I added a screen layer and lightened certain areas.
  f) A red and orange gradient multiply layer with 64% fill was added over everything, to mimick the effect that Zelda is facing flames and fire.  This is why she is not fair and pale, because the skies behind her are dark, and the light in front of her is fire.
  g) Logo! 

The End.  Time to completion: 5 hours, because I'm a perfectionist - and it could still be improved, I know.  There are still things that bother me, but its one frame, and I'll leave it at that.  Usually when I make an entire page of comic, I take about 15 hours to complete one or two.