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I start by drawing the outlines in pencil. I want to make this picture as clean and dark as possible before I take it to the computer. You can skip cleaning up the image if you wish to use the sketchier look. This is all based on personal preference. Anyway, this is what I got when I scanned my drawing. |
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I took the scan into Photoshop (actually, I scanned in Photoshop) and went into IMAGE>ADJUST>LEVELS to darken up the lines. You have to play with the sliders a bit to get the lines to look good. Now, there is some darkness in the bottom left that should be cleaned out, but I skipped that in this piece.
Now, I created a new layer "Outline." I did a SELECTION>COLOR RANGE to grab the black outlines. (Note: An easier way to do select the black than clicking on it is by clicking on the white instead and then inversing your selection.) I made sure that I had the Outline layer selected and then did a fill. Now the outline is on the outline layer without all of that white. Hit the PRESERVE TRANSPARENCY check box on the layer palette to make sure you don't mess up the lines anytime in the future. At this point, I went back to the background layer and filled a green color. I find it easier to work with a non-white background. Be sure to deselect the lines first. |
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The first step I take in coloring is making layers for every major object. I like to make separate layers for things based on color and on their distance from the top of the pic. In this case (from bottom to top) I have Roses skin, hair, eye, Juki, Cherry's skin, eyes, clothes, and finally hair. It's good to color the objects solid with the paintbrush tool at 100% before shading. This will allow you to use the PRESERVE TRANSPARENCY so that you don't have to worry about coloring outside of the lines. While coloring, keep an eye on what layer you are on so that you don't accidentally color on the wrong layer! ^_^ |
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Here is what the pic looks like with the characters all shaded. I don't know how to explain this step very clearly... I suppose I cg like you might paint. This step can be difficult with a mouse. If you are serious about CGing, invest in a tablet. The tools I find most useful in this step within Photoshop are the paintbrush, airbrush, eyedropper, and smudge finger. I don't use the smudge finger much because of my incredibly slow computer, though... ^_^;; This will change. I'm going to get a new one. |
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Whoa, where did that background come from?! Ok, I'm not all that great at backgrounds, but they are still very important. I just took the airbrush and went wild here. I also went back and created a layer on top of everything that was on color mode. I used this to adjust the tints of various parts of the pic to make the characters blend in more.
You can make backgrounds how ever you want. Now, as cool as Photoshop filters are, I personally don't like to see overuse of lens flayers, clouds, etc. Be creative! Put some effort into it! Leave it plain or give it a gradient, but PLEASE! Sorry if I made anyone angry, that's just my personal feeling. I admit, I've used my share of them. Just make sure they don't look canned is all I'm saying. |
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I could have been done, but I wasn't ^_^ I wanted scan lines. I created another image that is 1x2 pixels and made the top pixel black. With this, I created a pattern by selecting it and then going to EDIT>DEFINE PATTERN. Now, when I do a fill, it will fill it with a repeating version of this (scan lines). Back on my picture, I create another layer over everything on the Overlay mode. I did the fill (with the bucket on Pattern) and the lines were much too vibrant. I played with the opacity until I was happy at 25% Add some text, a gradient, and lines and TADA!
Note: You can't see the scan lines in this smaller version.
See the larger image under Galleries. |