A Basic Digital Colouring Tutorial

For digital colouring the artist needs but a few basic tools; to whit- a computer, a reasonable monitor, a graphics tablet, and a graphics application that will allow one to work using layers. These are the basics; some people have some success using a mouse for input, but the lack of pressure sensitivity and non-linear ballistics are really inappropriate for artistic use and very likely to lead to wrist or hand damage. Likewise, a very basic graphic application which cannot use layers will allow simple effects to be produced, but the difference in results with a layered application is so enormous that there is no contest. If you don't have either of these things GET THEM NOW.

First of all, let's check our monitors are set up okay by visiting The Art Faq and following the instructions there, particularly regarding GAMMA. Done that? Good. Then let's begin :)

Open your graphics application. I'm making this tutorial specific to Adobe Photoshop (5.5) but the general principles apply to other apps such as Paintshop Pro. I'd give tips on that app, except I don't own it and have never used it. So I can't. Which may be a bit of a design flaw in a tutorial but hell, this is free. What do you expect?

---

Stage 1: Pencils

As I mention elsewhere on this site, I do all my "pencilling" on the PC, but whether you do or not I'm assuming you've got your pencilling ready for colouring to commence. If you're a real media penciller and/or inker, that means you've scanned it, adjusted the tone curves, rubbed out any thumbprints and so on, and it's in Photoshop waiting for you to do something.

Something you can do at this point is get a nice cup of tea and some biscuits. Digital colouring is a very powerful technique, but you may be disappointed to discover that this doesn't make it any faster than sloshing on some watercolour with a brush; in fact its power is its weakness, since you can tweak endlessly and you'll expect something that looks pretty damned good. This is going to take some time.

First, locate the Layers Palette. It should be on your screen somewhere. If not, Show Layers on the Window menu. Duplicate the background layer using the Duplicate Layer command on the Layer palette's flyout menu, and call the created layer "Pencils". Set its mode to Multiply. This is important as it will allow the colours beneath to show through the white areas, but not the through the black areas. To blot out the original background layer's pencils, create a new layer above the Background layer called "White" and fill it with white using the Fill command on the Edit menu (you can just fill the background with white instead, but I prefer to preserve my original pencils against later potential screwups). Finally, if like me you're using the pencils merely as a guide and want to replace it with proper "inks", create a new layer above the pencils layer, call it something original like "Inks", and leave it blank. If you're happy with your linework already, forget this last bit.

Now have some of your tea before it goes cold.

Anyhow, fingers crossed you've now got a Layers palette that looks something like the one on the left.

Stage 2: Do A Bit Of Colouring In

Decide which bit you're going to colour in first. I normally start with faces, and indeed in this case I've chosen to begin with Lucy's face, but you can choose what you like. Create a new layer above your White layer but beneath your pencils layer and call it something appropriate- "Lucy's Face" being a reasonable choice in this case. Now select a colour you like, and start colouring on that layer.

Use the standard paintbrush, not the airbrush. Make sure that the Size, Opacity and Color checkboxes in the Paintbrush Options are all unchecked. You want pure, flat colour here, not shading at this stage. You can use a big brush for large areas, but try and be accurate around the edges by using a small brush, with a slightly soft edge. You may optionally grin smugly to yourself as you note that the edges of your brushwork are hidden by the linework on your Pencils layer. This is why a layered application is so important; if you had only one layer you'd start rubbing out your hard pencilwork, and ruin things.

The other joy of this process is that in areas which are to be covered by another layer, such as Lucy's hair in the example, you can freely bleed over them without going around the edges; in fact you should do this to prevent unseemly white gaps opening up later. Only follow the lines when the layer you're working on is above the layer of the area at the other side of the line.

When you've coloured this section of your drawing in, check Preserve Transparency on the Layers Palette and prepare for-

Stage 3: Doing A Bit More Colouring In

Select another area to colour. I've chosen to do Lucy's Hair next. Create a new layer called, perhaps "Lucy's Hair". In this case we want Lucy's hair to be above Lucy's face, because it's nearer to us in the image so we want it to cover the layer below. The hair colouring will neatly hide the bleed from the colouring on her face layer.

As you work, you'll come to areas which should be on layers beneath the ones you've already created, and it should be fairly clear when this is the case. Sometimes you may get a problem with a layer that is entwined with another; in this case you'll have to choose carefully which layers bleed and which follow the edges.

Here's me colouring in Lucy's hair. Or, rather, Lucy's hair partially coloured in, since you can't actually see me. Well, I sure hope not anyway. Unless it's you making those strange noises in my attic.

Anyhow, as you can see, I'm about finished colouring it in, except that little bit behind her face which I'll put on another layer for simplicity. Now I'm done I again check Preserve Transparency on that layer before moving to the next one. This is to ensure that when we come to airbrushing or shading these areas, the shading stays nicely within their borders. Which is pretty neat.

Now is a good time to have some more tea. It'd be a shame to waste it.

Stage 4: Some More Colouring In

I've now moved onto Lucy's breast, a temptation difficult to resist at the best of times. Notice that her breasts will be going onto seperate layers again. Here there won't be a line to hide the join; so use a soft edged brush and the edge of the layer will blend into the one below, which in this case will be the Body layer, once we get around to colouring it.

Stage 5: Finish Colouring It In

Well that's it for the flat colour stage. Everything is now coloured, and on seperate layers, with their transparencies modestly preserved. Time then, for some shading. Here's how the Layers Palette for this image has ended up (the layer names are all prefixed with "P3" because this was actually panel 3 on a page of Lucy Lastique).

Stage 6: Shading

Now you can work on each area seperately, shading it using the Airbrush tool. This is a whole subject in itself, and deserves its own Tutorial, which I'll probably get around to writing some time. The basic method though is to pick out the highlights using lighter shades, fading to darker shades at the edges of the forms, to create an illusion of depth, as I'm doing here with Lucy's boob.

You'll also notice that since this is a mock-up using an image I actually created a while ago, I've messed up a bit and already got the inking showing. I normally do this last, which may seem a bit odd, but it helps me see what really needs inking and what doesn't. Anyway; here are the inks already on top of the image. Whoo.

Stage 7: Finishing The Damned Thing

Eventually, a great sense of relief washes over you as you realise that you've finished, and you can go out and do something more interesting than staring at Photoshop. All the areas are shaded, so sit back and admire (or otherwise) your handiwork.

Have another nice cup of tea, and a cake. You deserve it.

Back to Top