Intro to Graphic Novel Coloring

Get ready to have some fun with your line art!  In this one hour and twenty minute tutorial, I introduce digital artists to some basic tools and production techniques for colorizing black and white line art in the style of popular graphic novels. You can follow along using your own line art or by colorizing the provided high resolution line art that I’ll be using in the demonstration. At the end of the course, you will have produced a print-ready, colorized piece of art that’s ready for various production uses.

I'll be using Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop to demonstrate the process, but the concepts can be applied in almost any digital painting software that features layer based workflows. I'm also providing downloadable action presets (for both Clip Studio and Photoshop) that are featured in the class that will help you get up and running quickly.

If you are primarily a Photoshop user, definitely join me, as I also hop into Photoshop to show equivalent methods. Even though some basic knowledge of digital painting software is expected, I’ll be clearly explaining where the specific tools and techniques can be found in both programs.

You'll need:

• Access to digital painting software that supports layers and adjustment layers (Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Affinity Photo, other...)
• Graphics tablet recommended

If you are unfamiliar with Clip Studio Paint, check out my free Clip Studio Paint Basics tutorial on YouTube

I'm excited to share this technique with you!

FAQ

How is this tutorial different than my other tutorial, Graphic Novel Coloring: Dino Head?

This is an updated, more thoroughly explained lesson featuring the basic methods demonstrated in Dino Head. It features a new section on "flatting", with some professional level tips and best practices that will save you time and frustration in the long run. The technique demonstrated here is more organized, and I also provide some very helpful action panel presets for you to import (for both Clip Studio and Photoshop), making the process much clearer and easier to implement. Since I show equivalent workflows for Photoshop, this lesson has a broader scope. Lastly, for Photoshop users, I provide an action that turns flat line art in transparent line art, similar to Clip Studio's powerful "Convert brightness to opacity" feature. This is the first in a series more dedicated to graphic novel production.