The BEST coloring method for beginners - In ANY software | YTartschool

Six-Step Character Coloring Workflow

This workflow turns a character line drawing into a polished digital illustration using basic tools such as layers, selections, blend modes, and brushes. It works in most painting software.

1. Add Flat Colors

Create a silhouette on its own layer, then divide it into regions for each material or color. Choose bright, clear base colors before adding lighting. For palette inspiration, try complementary or split-complementary colors.

2. Paint Local Shadows

Select each flat-color region, create a shading layer, and lock its transparency so the paint stays within that region. Use a hard brush to add shadows where light is blocked.

To keep shadows from looking muddy, darken the base color, increase its saturation, and shift its hue toward blue. Keep the shadows hard-edged for a cel-shaded look, or soften them for a more painterly effect.

3. Add Overall Gradient Shading

Create a layer set to Multiply, fill it with white, and clip it to the character’s flat colors. Use a large soft brush to add subtle, broad color gradients and details such as cheek blush and lip color.

4. Add Lighting

Create a new layer set to Hard Light or Overlay, fill it with 50% gray, and keep the paint confined to the flat-color regions. Choose a clear light direction—such as dramatic sunset backlighting or simpler overhead light—and paint the lit areas.

5. Add Reflections

On a layer below the line art, use Hard Light to paint highlights that distinguish shiny materials from less reflective ones. This can be applied to areas such as the suit, eyes, lips, and hair.

6. Color the Line Art

Lock the line-art layer. For each area, choose a dark shadow color, darken it slightly, and use it to tint the lines so they harmonize with the surrounding colors.

Finish with any needed touch-ups. This workflow focuses on coloring characters; backgrounds require a different approach.

Creator featured: Marc Brunet (YTartschool)