How does everyone color their comics?

[scullpanda]

I do but thats just a personal preference

[Zanreo]

I draw in SAI, and just Magic Wand my outlines, increment by one or two and put the color on a layer underneath.

[scythe]

With great love and dedication... and Photoshop.

[hades]

I'm a digital artist so all my coloring is done in Sai with some touch ups in PS
As to how detailed I go depends on the panel itself and how much time I want people to stare at it.

can go from flats w/ some gradients

to more detailed shading

Color is very important to me as a person and artist, so I use it heavily in my work.

[justjezz]

Here's my coloring style o 3ob I put Flats at the bottoml layer, then I put values on top of that in Multiply and Soft Light. Technically, I know I can get away with not adding the Soft Light layer, but I feel that it gives more atmosphere and unifies the color palette.

[AnnaLandin]

You're in luck, because I haaaaave - a step-by-step GIF for a Grassblades-page! (You might have to click on it for it to actually work)

Briefly, in words - after I'm done inking (figures and backgrounds on two different layers), I lay down the flats (also on two different layers - it's easier to correct stuff that way), and then do 90% of my shading on a multiply-layer, and then I adjust the lighting with overlay/glow-dodge. This particular page contains more actual shading on the flats-layer than I usually do, as it has water on it, and water is a complex thing to colour. But that's the basic process.

Multiply, overlay and glow-dodge are my best friends in colouring.

[malwdark]

I draw traditionally with india ink and add color digitally, but it's a simple color.

(My comic is Lord of the shadows)
I just put the lineart in a 'multiply' layer, the color in the 'base' layer and apply 'if lighter' some color to the lineart. It's really fast, because the shadows are part of the lineart.

[tomlintern]

I used to draw on paper then scan it. Now I do everything in Photoshop with an Intuos.

[punkarsenic]

how best to colour your comics really depends on your style. because my style is fairly sketchy, i try to emulate that when i colour.

like here, i use a brush tool for the base colour, keep the lines in shade setting, and then use mostly a watercolour brushtool for the shading, and then do a texture over the top which is usually marble

although if your art is neater, and especially if you want a clean and dramatic effect with high contrast, id definitely recommend starting your colouring from the darkest shade and working up from there

this is the best example i have of that kind of shading, which as you can see is kinda shinier and has more depth.

[serenitysquirrel]

Manga Studio and a Yiyinova. I seriously love Manga Studio for paining. I enjoy it more than photoshop!

For the comic though, I gave up trying to do a small-buffer comic in color. Going to grey-scale was such a relief! Color page = 8-12h. Greyscale = 3-4h ish. Now I get to practice more on story, panels, angles, elbows, etc.

[pTerra9]

i swapped to digital for my art because i couldnt afford sketchbooks or supplies, i use manga studio 5, i do sketch first, then line it in, then on a seperate layer i add color, and shade

[GlanceReviver]

Here's a progress of how I typically do color.

Under Painting
Do background colors first, so that you can maintain a good color balance throughout.

Flat Colors

The reason I flat against the background color is this:

Colors appear to the eye different against different colors, it's a weird thing your brain does.

Add Reflections from Surrounding Environment

Light will bounce off objects and the colors will mingle.

Start with Cell Shading

because my comic is manga style, I cell shade the illustration using a light blue set to multiply layer. Adjust hue/darkness where needed.

More Shading

Smooth out the edges of certain shapes and textures using blending brush (watercolor is good). Gradiant overlays on the shadow layer for more depth.

Highlight

Add shinies where the light hits objects with varying softness/glare.

Over Line Art Details

On top layer, sharpen lines where needed or draw highlights over lines to enhance lighting effects. Color lines where softness is desired using overlay layer. Draw stray hairs, grass, sparkly dots, etc.

[yvettegustafsson]

@Diabolo your water coloring is super nice, love the top panel, nice sky!

[Kamikaze]

I do all of the character ink and paint in Kamikaze. It's all done digitally. First thing I do is ink everything. Because of our 'animated TV show' style I really don't get to play with line weight that often. It's kind of a bummer, but there you have it.

Then I head into doing the flats...

Followed by the fun bit - SHADING!! First I lay down the rough areas of shading in a really obnoxious color. It's ugly on purpose so I don't get distracted by fussing with color.

Then I lay down some lines for fill so all the edges are crisp and clean. This is also done in an obnoxious color so I stay focused on getting the shape down.

At this point I pull up a shade guide that I made for each of the characters. They're messy and kinda unorganized but they look a bit like this:

Then I take the colors and fill them in to what they should be.

The artwork then gets a bit of color correction and further shading with gradients and such in compositing. It's a really long process, especially with crowds...ohgodthecrowds...but that's how it's done on our end for character work

[henry_]

I am really new to making comic strips, and I'm only on strip five in my series. But so far I've been colouring with markers. I spend all day at a computer, and when I am at home puttering around on my own hobbies, I like to avoid the computer wherever possible. So I pencil with a mechanical pencil, I ink with Micron pens, and I colour with Copic markers. At that point I have to use the computer to scan it in and get it web ready.

[zoonland]

I use Photoshop, with standard brushes. For the color palette, I refer to the comic books/cartoons/illustrations that are closer to my style/project.
I keep it very simple, I do only a level in multiply mode for the flats (in this way you don't ruin the lineart) and another one, always in multiply mode, for the shading (if needed).
The lineart (pencils+inks) is done traditionally.

[GFalconDX]

For my webcomic, I use photoshop to both draw and color the pages. I usually have a layer or 2 for the base colors, then I have multiple layers set to Multiply for different layers of shading, and I also use different layers set to Overlay for tones and highlights. And then I go back in for any additional effects and adding textures.

[MysticEden]

Traditionally with copics and or colored pencils. If not with photoshop

[shawnmjones796]

I color my comics (grayscale, traditionally and digitally), but I prefer to use traditional ink, (watercolor--> markers and paints) for color.
.

[Diabolo]

thanks very much! ;___;