Step 1: Sketch the picture layout. Actually, semi-real is quite diverse in topics when you are skilled, but since this is a step by step for beginners, I will start from drawing a portrait because it can focus on describing the character's face in details!
Step 2: Lower the opacity of the first layer and sketch the detail in a new layer. Please note that the semi-real scale is closer to the real person than the anime, such as the eyes are smaller and the mouth is bigger.
Step 3: Use a background color to base the whole picture, here I often use skin color because it's convenient, but why it's convenient, it will be clarified in the next few steps =)))
Step 4: Make up a mite for her with blush, eyeshadow and a little red lipstick. Pay attention to painting the lips because this is a highlight of the semi-real compared to anime paintings.
Step 5: Shading part 1 (or shadow). Actually this step is quite simple, we just need to define the dark areas of the picture and then use a dark color to pour in =)))
Step 6: Shading part 2. Highlight the darkest areas where light does not reach =))) At the same time, create a volume for the face and body, or "shading" in short.

Step 7: Paint the eyes. Here I only show the final step because I've done an
eye tutorial before. By the way, don't forget to paint the eyebrows.
Step 8: Then comes the hair. In this step, I will explain why I used blue and why it's so convenient to base the picture with skin color. Firstly, the skin color base will help me to avoid the gaps of the sketch / line when painting, and help to separate the parts, too. At first, it may look a bit messy, but after painting the full color on the hair, it will be hiden completely =))) Second, because I have a habit of highlighting the hair with more than 1 color to make the picture less boring, and the main tone of my OC's hair is blue - brown, so I use blue to base first!!!
Step 9: Fill the brown color on the hair, it will be like this =))) You see, it's not messy anymore =)))))) The hair color looks so lovely and cool.
Step 10: Shade the hair for the first time, use a color which is a little bit darker than the base color to shade. This is mainly used to shade the hair, so don't pick too dark color =)))
Step 11: Shade the hair for the second time. In this step, you should pick a much darker color than the first shading. Because this is to describe the dark areas of the hair, so the darker the better, depending on each person's aesthetic. Pay attention to shade on the curls so that it looks fine, not messy =))) By the way, color the baby's shirt to look more elegant =))))))
Step 12: Hide the sketch layer, we will have something like this. Then you can line up the main details to make more highlights. Here, I mainly put lines on the face as well as the five senses, and just a tiny line in the hair (those little stalks) to make it easier to see.
That's it =))) Basically for semi-real style, except that the shading is more meticulous than the anime, and the ratio of five senses is a bit more difficult to divide, it's not too complicated =))) If you want to draw well on any style, you have to practice a lot for it. Wish you success <3
Céo