How to Color in PHOTOSHOP

Jacey Hulsey
Media Design Technology

Step 0: Choose a Lineart

A lineart is basically what you find in a coloring book. You can use an actual coloring book page and scan it into your computer, or you can find one on the Internet. I chose Giselle from Disney's enchanted. Load it into photoshop along with any color references you might want.

Step 1: Skin

• Choose a base color. This is the color that covers most of the area of the skin, and for Giselle, should be a sort of pinkish color.
• Now duplicate the background layer and add another one in between the two.
• Set the top layer on multiply On your "Layer 1",
• Color in all of the skin.
• Now duplicate layer 1 and lock the transparent pixels. Take a large hard brush and go over the entire thing with white.
• Now add shading with a soft smallish brush.
• Set layer on multiply and adjust the opacity to your liking. Once you get it to your liking hit Ctrl+E. This will combine the two layers into one.
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• Duplicate the layer again and lock the pixels once more. White everything out again and take a nice royal purple to add deeper shading in certain areas using a very small soft brush.
• Select multiply and adjust the opacity so its not freaky-looking, and hit Ctrl+E.
• Duplicate the layer again, lock pixels and select a slightly larger brush.
• Using white, add highlights. Use the blur tool to soften the edges up even more, then lower the opacity on your layer. Combine this layer with Layer 1, and your skin is complete!

Step 2: Hair

Label your skin layer "Skin" (DUH!!) and create another layer, naming it "hair". Once more, choose a base color and add highlights and shading- following the pattern that you used before -until you get a nice comparison to your color reference or until you like it.

Step 3: Clothing

Follow the same pattern as before to color the clothing to your liking. It's useful when doing all of the this to make sure that you're using the same light source. Otherwise, it'll just look funky.

Step 4: Face

Zoom in to the face until you have a nice clear picture of it. Add a new layer, labeling it "Face". Take a small, hard brush and color in the eyes and teeth. Grab the color of your choice for the eyes (I chose blue) and color in the irises. If needed, add a pupil and white highlights. Use a light-ish pink for the lips and add a glossy paler pink highlight on each lip where the light hits it. Color the eyebrows a slighter darker shade than the hair, lock the pixels and blur the lips just slightly. Zoom back out and view your marvelous completed work!

To see the original tutorial visit My Deviantart.

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