Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

In this section we will begin coloring the line art that we drew in Part 1.

First, create a folder below the Line Art and name it ‘Color’. Then, create a new layer inside the folder and name it ‘Skin’.

Now select your brush tool, pick a color for the skin tone, and begin coloring on the ‘Skin’ layer.

Naturally, you’ll want to use a larger brush.

Since the ‘Line Art’ layer remains on top, it doesn’t matter if you’re a sloppy colorer. Also, notice how I went all sloppy and colored into the hair area. This is okay, since I plan on making the ‘Hair’ layer above the ‘Skin’ layer.

So once you’re finished coloring the skin, create another layer above it named ‘Shirt’, and color that in too. Then, make the ‘Hair’ layer above the ‘Shirt’.

And begin coloring!

Notice I half-assed drawing the hair when doing the line art. Well, I make up for it by filling in blank spots as I color.

And don’t forget to zoom in and out as needed. Also, use a smaller brush when coloring details.

Once you’re finished coloring in the hair, create a new layer and name it ‘Eyes’. Then zoom in around the eyes to color. I usually get lazy and put both the colors for the whites of the eyes and the irises on a single layer.

I find it helpful to turn off the visibility of the background color fill to make sure I’ve colored in the whites of the eyes. It may not seem necessary to color in the whites, since the background’s white, but you may choose to make a different background, and then the whites of the eyes wouldn’t be white anymore. Heh.

The great thing about having everything on different layers is that you can adjust the colors or brightness of one thing without affecting the others.

For example, if I decided I wanted to change Nick’s brown eyes to green, all I need to do is select the ‘Eyes’ layer, then go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation (or use the shortcut Ctrl+U) and adjust the sliders to my liking. The same goes for any of the other layers you want to change.

But we’ll keep Nick’s eyes brown anyway.

And now we’ve completed the flat colors!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4