TUTORIAL: manga colouring: the "don't"s (part 2) »
WARNING: Disgusting result and large images.
Don't you still have requests to finish?
... Aaanywho!
You know, if these techniques were toned down a little, they wouldn't look half bad.
Huh. Now there's a thought.
I'm offended by this.
You're a wiener. Anyway. Welcome to the second installment of Manga Colouring: The "Don't"s. Today I'm going to show you how not to shade.
Step 1.
The most basic of steps! The base. (I kill me.) If you want to ensure below-average scan quality, you should do what all great iconists do. Take your scan from onemanga.com. Do it.
I have here a reasonably okay quality image of Yayoi from Air Gear. Now it seems like I'm picking on girls deliberately. I'm sorry.
Step 2.
So, using the awesome skills you learned from last time, colour in the hair. This time, I've used a darker colour for the Screen layer and a lower opacity. You're probably confused right now you little baby. It ... doesn't look that horrible? Don't worry.
Step 3.
Now create a new Multiply layer, and using a slightly off-putting but still not that awful skin tone-like colour, colour in the skin.
Step 4.
This is just out of order because I forgot to do it. Make a Screen layer above the Multiply layer and go over the lines with a dark red blah blah blah we've been through this. 100% opacity!
Bitchin'! But still not that bad. What's going on?
Step 5.
HOLD YOUR HORSES, GOD!! Okay. Now create a new Multiply layer above the Multiply layer you have already (LOL!), and look at your layer palette. While you're still on this new layer, press down Ctrl and click on the old layer. This will select the area of skin you coloured in yay!!
Take a darker colour than the slightly off-putting skin tone you used and set your brush to about, say, 65-100. Are you catching on now? That's right, we're going to SHADE.
Just, you know, sort of brush around the edges of the face. This makes sense, because that's what real shadows do.
Like so!
Or you could even brush along all the lines. Because that's what real faces look like.
Step 6.
Well that looks pretty awesome. Now, let's make a new Multiply layer above all the rest, and fill it in with a beige colour. If that's not enough for you, make a Soft Light layer, filling it with a hideously bright orange and set that to about 30% opacity.
You should get something like this.
Step 7.
Now we're all set to crop down and resize. Since we've been too lazy to colour in the clothes once again, we'll just crop ... creatively.
Step 8.
Among all the other things wrong with it, it's a little blurry and orange!! Duplicate the layer (Ctrl+J) and Sharpen it. Desaturate it (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+U) and set the layer to Soft Light.
If you think this is beautiful enough as it is, you can stop here. But if you want to be a real iconist, you must carry on.
Step 9.
I'm getting goosebumps just writing this part! Oh boy! This is the moment we've all been waiting for.
The red/brown exclusion layer. What sorcery is this, you ask? It is instant popularity, that's what it is.
So ... we make a new layer. We fill it with (wait for it) red or brown and we set it to Exclusion. Oh god!!
Congratulations, you are now popular.
... Here are some links to shading tutorials that don't suck:
http://community.livejournal.com/lulzy/1219.html
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm
http://community.livejournal.com/bigfoot_icons/6733.html