That Damn Tutorial
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Invented dogs Join Date: 2003-05-02 Member: 16008Members
Invented dogs Join Date: 2003-05-02 Member: 16008Members
<div class="IPBDescription">how I colour in photoshop</div> Ok, after being nagged for this quite a few times I've finally worked up a tutorial on how I colour in Photoshop... don't say that I never help you
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Sketch</b>
Ok, this is the obvious part of the tutorial. Start with a basic sketch. I'm usually very loose with my sketch, but make sure you get the basic character proportions right, as well as the expression and camera angle. The rough lines will be fixed in the inking stage, but things like camera angle and such are harder to fix..
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Inks</b>
This stage also pretty much explains itself, but this is how I do it.. First I create a new layer set, calling it Lineart, then I draw out each line using the pen tool. This takes some getting used to, but with practice you will be able to do it fluidly. Once this is done, make sure you put all your pen layers into the layer set, just so that they don't clutter up your photoshop layers window.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Flat Colour</b>
This stage is also pretty simple (and you wonder why it takes me ages to make a comic <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->). Make another new layer set, calling it Colour. Make sure it is placed below the lineart layer set. Then make a new layer inside your colour layer set and block out the basic tones of your character. Make them a little darker than what you want them to turn out, about the tone of the shadows that you'll want on your character. Make sure you create a new layer for each colour, just for ease if you want to change them later on. Then, same as before, put all the colour layers into your colour layerset, again so that they don't clutter up your PS layers window.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Highlights</b>
Ok, this is where it gets slightly more complicated. Make a new layer inside your colour layer set, above the colour you're dealing with, then using the brush tool and a lighter version of the colour you're painting over, paint the highlights of your character. Take note of where the lighting is coming from, and what material it is (ie: Sams skin is sweaty in this picture, so more defined highlights are needed, but his gloves are very matte, so softer, less visible highlights are used.) After you've done that for each colour, I put Sams goggle lights above all the other layers. You'll see why in the next step.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/5.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Shadows</b>
This is basicly done the same way as the highlights layer, but with only one layer that goes over all your colours, also, make sure you set this layer to multiply and depending on what color you used for the shadows, you might want to play around with the opacity too. The one important thing to remember was that in this picture, the shadows layer was BELOW the green goggles layer, so that the goggles weren't affected by the shadows.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/6.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Finishing Touches</b>
Ok, all I did here was do a little gradient-y background, and add some smoke to Sam's goggles. The smoke was on a new layer, set to screen above the lineart set and colour set. The gradient was below all the layers. What i would normally do then would be to flatten the image completely, and do some Variations adjustment (slightly bluer shadows, slightly yellower highlights), but I couldn't be bothered on this occasion <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Sketch</b>
Ok, this is the obvious part of the tutorial. Start with a basic sketch. I'm usually very loose with my sketch, but make sure you get the basic character proportions right, as well as the expression and camera angle. The rough lines will be fixed in the inking stage, but things like camera angle and such are harder to fix..
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Inks</b>
This stage also pretty much explains itself, but this is how I do it.. First I create a new layer set, calling it Lineart, then I draw out each line using the pen tool. This takes some getting used to, but with practice you will be able to do it fluidly. Once this is done, make sure you put all your pen layers into the layer set, just so that they don't clutter up your photoshop layers window.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Flat Colour</b>
This stage is also pretty simple (and you wonder why it takes me ages to make a comic <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->). Make another new layer set, calling it Colour. Make sure it is placed below the lineart layer set. Then make a new layer inside your colour layer set and block out the basic tones of your character. Make them a little darker than what you want them to turn out, about the tone of the shadows that you'll want on your character. Make sure you create a new layer for each colour, just for ease if you want to change them later on. Then, same as before, put all the colour layers into your colour layerset, again so that they don't clutter up your PS layers window.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Highlights</b>
Ok, this is where it gets slightly more complicated. Make a new layer inside your colour layer set, above the colour you're dealing with, then using the brush tool and a lighter version of the colour you're painting over, paint the highlights of your character. Take note of where the lighting is coming from, and what material it is (ie: Sams skin is sweaty in this picture, so more defined highlights are needed, but his gloves are very matte, so softer, less visible highlights are used.) After you've done that for each colour, I put Sams goggle lights above all the other layers. You'll see why in the next step.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/5.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Shadows</b>
This is basicly done the same way as the highlights layer, but with only one layer that goes over all your colours, also, make sure you set this layer to multiply and depending on what color you used for the shadows, you might want to play around with the opacity too. The one important thing to remember was that in this picture, the shadows layer was BELOW the green goggles layer, so that the goggles weren't affected by the shadows.
<img src='http://data.pointclark.net/brits/content/misc/comiccolour/6.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<b>Finishing Touches</b>
Ok, all I did here was do a little gradient-y background, and add some smoke to Sam's goggles. The smoke was on a new layer, set to screen above the lineart set and colour set. The gradient was below all the layers. What i would normally do then would be to flatten the image completely, and do some Variations adjustment (slightly bluer shadows, slightly yellower highlights), but I couldn't be bothered on this occasion <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
As for the tutorial itself, great work! And great picture. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->