Here is a hucast drawing I tried to color with photoshop...

[Manticore]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/gondolion/hucastinprogress.jpg

I have the same one sketched on an earlier post. but man I cant seem to shade.
well, I at lest had some fun trying the diffrent coloring methods.


any critiques? or suggestions?
hell, you can completely re-color if you want to-
I have the line-art up for grabs. xD


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manticore on 2008-05-08 13:35 ]</font>

[qoxolg]

Suggestion: Keep your hands off those Photodhop filters!! escpecially "lens flare" since it makes even the best drawing look cheap and generic http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

Most artists only use standard brushes and only some simple stuff like layer blending and Adjustment layers(Birghtness /contrast, Hue/Saturation, etc..). If you really want to use filters, use them smart (Gaussian blur can be usefull sometimes).

as for coloring.. I still got to much commissions to finish.. sorry.. otherwise I would've done it http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: qoxolg on 2008-05-08 13:54 ]</font>

[Manticore]

THERE YOU ARE I have been trying to message you but I keep getting this wierd error on pso world, so whenever I log in, I cant view the forums. -_- yeah, I will keeep that in mind though-
teach me how how shade properly!!!

[haruna]

Are you using Photoshop 6, 7, or CS? Which version? If so, take a sample of the base color you used then run the Dodge and Burn brushes over it a few times(in different places of the sample) and you can build a decent pallet that way. After that, how you want to shade is up to you. Some people reduce the opacity and flow of the brush, others put down a bunch of dark color and use the smudge tool to blend it all in. Or use a mix of the two methods.

There are lots of great tutorials out on the internet that can help you.

Good luck!

This looks pretty darn sweet:
http://ionen.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Painting-Tutorial-76857572

This tut shows how to use basics of Photoshop very effectively. :3

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: haruna on 2008-05-08 20:07 ]</font>

[qoxolg]

umm ooh shading properly huh? hmm it's not like I am really THAT good (although I am aiming for something like the top users on DA).

anyway.. I think I've posted alot of coloring tips everywhere spread around these boards.. so I'll try to link them all to this place http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

Here is something I posted in Aki's thread:
[spoiler-box]Ah! tablets! hehe.. I can't live without that thing http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif.

First I wanna say that the smoothness and cleanness of the drawing depends on how much time you spend on it.. the time I spend can vary from less than 2 hours (the coffee one) tot almost 20 hours (the Alex one I did for the contest).
So it's basicly the amount of time you wanna spent.. and of course you can speed the coloring process up if you repeat the same proces over and over. I usually like to improve my coloring with each draw, making me spend lotsa hours..

What do I use? I use Photoshop CS3 (hooray for cheap student licences http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif) in combination with a Wacom Intuos A4 on a Macbook Pro. When I draw I always make use of a 24" Dell display.. just love the space http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

When did I start using my tablet? a bit more then one year ago http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif
What did my first drawing with my tablet look like??
[spoiler-box]http://jojo.sappusx.com/random_1.jpg[/spoiler-box]

So how do I work?

I first start with a canvas of 7000x8000, pick a brush of 15px, put the zoom on 25% and start just with sketching, by making lots of very quick and short strokes, that will eventually look like shapes.. I most of the time start with the face.. cause for me the face is the most important part of the picture. Most of the time sketching takes 2 hours.. but I am a slow drawer http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif
But remember.. your sketching digitally.. so make sure you take advantage of the fact that you can deform, resize and move parts of the sketch if stuff is a bit misplaced.. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
the result of the sketch looks like the one you can see in my thread right now (the one of Kelvie).

After I am done with sketching I merge all the sketch layer, and put the layer on 25% so that it is just visible enough to do the lining.
When I go line I pick a brush between 5px and 15px, I zoom in on 200% and just start to trace over the sketch in a new layer for very clean linework http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Before I start to color, I make sure the resolution is no higher than 8000px in either the height or the width.. or else my laptop is gonna cry (I got a C2D 2.33Ghz and 3GB ram in it).

Next I start with selecting the parts I wanna color with the selection wand (make sure you expand the selection 3px to prevent ugly white traces around your linework). I put these colors in a layer I call "flats".. I do no shading in this layer.

After that I create a new layer that has it's blending mode set to "linear burn". Now I first paint the whole layer white.. Linear Burn works with greytones, and if you paint black over something transparant, it will never be a grey tone.
for the first shading layer I mostly use a big black soft brush (around 300~500px) and 5% opacity. I select that part I want to shade in the flats layer, and just start to make strokes at the places where I want it to be shaded. From this point on it just a matter of following your own feelings and creativity.

I most of the time create several Linear burn layers for different detail levels.

Just note that when you only use Linear burn layers, the picture will have very flats colors. Most of the time after I have added 3 linear burn layers, I create a new normal layer underneath the shading layers and above the flats. In this layer I pick a big red brush thats on 5% opacity and I start giving the skin a nice reddish color.. I also do this for other parts of the character..

as you can see it's, most of the time a matter of just trying out and LOTS OF EXPERIENCE! I think you got enough talent. the best thing to get the hang of your tablet, is by sketching a lot with it..

If you got more questions just ask.. feel free to ask for .PSD files of any of my drawings, to get a good idea of how I layer up my stuff to get to the result!

HAVE FUN! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

edit:
fixed the horrible spelling errors
[/spoiler-box]

Little F*cking Mermaid Layering

[spoiler-box]
Little fucking mermaid ripped apart:

First the sketch:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t0.jpg

Next I did some flats and erased the sketch:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t1.jpg

Next I did some shading in a "Linear Burn" layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t2.jpg

and more detailed shading in a "Linear Burn" layer on top of it:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t3.jpg

Next I did some soft dark shading in a normal layer that is underneat the Linear Burn layers:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t4.jpg

Next I gave the skin some color by using a red brush in a normal layer that is underneat the dark shading layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t5.jpg

Next I added some specular lighting in a "Color Dodge" layer (Dodge does the opposite of Burn):
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t6.jpg

Next I added some gloss in a normal layer (I hope the PNG file works):
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t7.png

Next I added blood. The blood layer is underneat the shading layers and above the skin color layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t8.jpg

Next I added some dark and heavy shading by using a grey/blue/purple brush in a normal layer that is on top of the other layers:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t9.jpg

Next I did some flats for the background:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t10.jpg

Next some shading in a Linear Burn layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t11.jpg

and some more softshading on top of it, in a normal layer using dark brushes:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t12.jpg

I added some blood to the BG, this layer is underneat the shading layers:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t13.jpg

I did some specular lighting using a "Color Dodge" layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t14.jpg

I did even more dark shading in a normal layer on top of the others:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t15.jpg

I added some glow in just a normal layer:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t16.jpg

and finaly I always do some color corrections using a Brightness/Contrast layer, there are two versions: One with high brightness and contrast and one with low brightness. note: The Birghtness/Contrast I use is new in Photoshop CS3, so if you have an older Photoshop version you have to use different tools:
http://jojo.sappusx.com/ok9t17.jpg

...just http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif
[/spoiler-box]

and here is a link to a thread with an older drawing of mine, if you scroll a bit down you'll find a crappy tutorial http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif
http://www.pso-world.com/viewtopic.php?topic=166557&forum=12

cheers! if you got any questions, feel free to ask!

[Sayara]

you missed a spot on your black overlay ;o

[Rust]

I can't really give any advices on shadings as i'm a noob too, but i can assure the only way to make good shadings (artistically and not technically-wise) is by the feeling.
As for the drawing in itself, i prefer the sketch. This one is too... yeah, clean, i have preferences for messy sketchy things usually. And damn, why did you put that lens flare ? D°

[qoxolg]

but i can assure the only way to make good shadings (artistically and not technically-wise) is by the feeling.

Exactly.. actually shading is no much different from drawing.. you need:
a) A good feeling for shading
b) You need lot's of knowledge about how light works, how certain matrials reflect light.
c) You need even more knowledge about where every bone and muscle in the human body is, and also how the cast their own shadows.
d) You need a good taste about what looks good.
e) You need to be able to understand what your doing, you need to understand that you can't do shading in one go. even speedpainting goes in different fases of detail.
f) You need to develope your own drawing/coloring/shading style.. if you don't your artwork will look boring and generic and you will hardly get better at drawing.


And damn, why did you put that lens flare ? D°
To be more precize: The second lens flare in the list of Filters>Render>lensflare http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif
The other thing is the render>lighting effects
The blacklines is an Artisic filter.. don't know them exactly. but it could be.. umm Fresco??

Yup.. thats how I started in photoshop aswell.. 6 years ago.. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[xerogouki]

My tip is copy, and duplicate already made art. Watch a lot of anime. I watched animes like the original ghost in the shell movie, Akira. I say anime but it doesn tneed to be just most of the time anime is far more detailed and visually appealing then not. (Check out "Karas", epic) From tutorials you can pick up nifty tips and develop a way of shading and coloring of your own.

Be creative, and theres no right and wrong when it comes to art. I personally thought the sketchy appearance of the outline looked killer. I could imagine that as a tagging on a wall. XD

Just keep at it and mess around with your tools avaiable to you in photoshop/painter. Find out what each one does, and find out how you can best take avantage of that tool.

One thing you can do is just visit a borders, or barns and nobles (Whatever its called that book store..) and check out the photoshop handbooks and referance books, they are great to read through and I'm constantly picking up new tricks and shortcuts.

[qoxolg]

Just two words: EFFORT & EXPERIENCE!

Most of the stuff I do is simply learned by just doing it and putting alot of effort in every single drawing I made. Aim for something that is far above your skills, just try it! it's not bad to phail, cause you'll eventually learn from it.

I actually hardly used tutorials.
Alot of people think you need to use all kinds of advanced tools to make a nice drawing, but in the end most of the best artists only use basic brushes and only a few layers.

Just be carefull with anime/manga style. It's a very good style to start learning to draw since it's simple and the cellshading is a great way to quickly learn where to apply stuff like shadows. But make sure you don't stick with it forever.
I got alot of reasons why I don't like the "default" anime style, but I think it's a personal preference that most people won't agree with, so I won't share it here http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif