hello everyone (੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ̀ˋ i’m back with another coloring tutorial to share some tips on how i personally color mangas! you can check out my first tutorial here where i go over the basics of coloring. in here i’ll go a little more in depth about shading and lighting, and the areas that i like to focus!
so without further ado here we go !! ♡
before we start
all of my colorings are done in photoshop
i have a psd that i personally made for my colorings, so the tutorial will already have the psd on top. i personally like to color with a psd on and then make adjustments as i go along.
these are tips on how i personally like to color. the process is different for everyone, so take it with a grain of salt ^^
#1 - Base Colors
self explanatory, just fill in the base color of your character
ooo la la
#2 - Tips for Shading
my shading is broken up into two major parts
1. soft shading
2. hard shading
Soft shading
i like to do soft shading whenever i want my coloring to look slightly more realistic and for the base color to look less flat. other times i skip it altogether if i’m coloring something cute or chibi-like. If you’re like me who has difficulty sometimes imagining where the shadows/light should be, i highly suggest looking at references to get a general idea! here is just one example.
❗reminder that each step requires new layers! color everything on different layers so you can make changes in the future if you need to!! ❗
Hard shading
next, I like to add hard shadows to my colorings for more details. these are the shadows where i don’t blend into the skin. the areas where i almost always focus are
Under the hair
Neck
Ears
Under the eyebrows
but again, the hard shadows can also heavily depend on the angle that the character is in. like always, if you struggle with that, references will be your best friend!! i’ll show you a reference that i used for this coloring! :)
Tip: set your shading layer to multiply and then adjust the opacity to your liking. mine is set to 80% here
#3 - Tips for Blush
not everyone includes blushes in their colorings, but i personally like to add it because i feel like it adds a lot of life to the characters (and i find it cute 🥰)
#4 - Lighting/Color Details
another tip to make your coloring stand out is to add lighting! this is one of my favorite process as i really enjoy experimenting with different colors and seeing which one works best. you can use as much layers as you want until you get a result that you’re satisfied with.
here is my result after i add more colors to the shadows and Aki’s face. i also colored in the eyes and added some pale colors to his lips because i know aki uses his chapstick 👑💅💁♀️
#5 - Brightening the Line Art
right now, the lines that we have are black, but i would prefer to brighten it up a little more. here, i will set a new layer above my manga cap, and choose a red or orange shade to add some colors to it
if you want a more vibrant effect, use a more vibrant version of those colors, or vice versa. you can also adjust the colors using your selective coloring tool
#6 - Finishing Touches
now that i’m nearing the finished product, i will begin to add some final details to it. are there areas that should be brighter or colors that should be less saturated? are there any areas where i should add highlights to? here is where i fix minor things until i’m satisfied with the outcome. i will also adjust my psd as well if i need to!
