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Step 4Begin coloring your image
Coloring your image depends a bit on the software you're using. For Inkscape and older Illustrator users, it's manly creating shapes with the pencil tool and some work with the path manipulation tools. For CS2+ users, you'll be slightly relieved to know that paying hundreds of dollars for proprietary software will get you a bit of a shortcut with the Live Paint feature. Though I wouldn't say it was worth it.
A. Illustrator CS2+ - Live Paint allows you to fill outlined areas of an image with a paint bucket tool, much like in an image editor. The result is an intuitive coloring-book style process that makes it more confusing to explain why it doesn't normally work like this.
1. Make sure you have everything selected (command-A) and press the Live Paint button (see image)
- enclosed areas will highlight in red as you scroll over them. You can color these areas by choosing a fill color and clicking the area with the live paint bucket tool. Objects that aren;t enclosed (an incomplete circle or a square with corners that don't meet) don't work, although there are settings you can adjust if you want to get technical. Once you've colored in everything possible, press the Expand button and do the following steps:
2. expand Live Paint
3. take the magic wand tool, select all the white areas and delete them.
4. select all the black lines and move those to a new layer above the color layer. More on this below.
The image below shows what closed objects I was able to color using Live Paint. Not much, but it helps. From here, the instructions are basically the same for all vector editors so pick up below...
B. Inkscape and older versions of Illustrator -
1. Lock your layer with the black lines. Now you'll begin coloring underneath it. As you add new layers, keep the black lines on the top.
Note: thinking about layers. Start coloring in areas keeping in mind how these layers will build up. You're going to want to manage your layers well and keep elements separated. I often have over 10 layers on a drawing like this just to keep things easy to work with. Think about the order you draw layers as well. Eyes for example would go - whites, irises, then pupils. Imagine you are laying cut pieces of paper on top of eachother. Layers above can help hide what's underneath and make your work easier.
2. Use the pencil tool and begin drawing your layers. I usually start with a base skin tone and work my way up. See images for details.
A. Illustrator CS2+ - Live Paint allows you to fill outlined areas of an image with a paint bucket tool, much like in an image editor. The result is an intuitive coloring-book style process that makes it more confusing to explain why it doesn't normally work like this.
1. Make sure you have everything selected (command-A) and press the Live Paint button (see image)
- enclosed areas will highlight in red as you scroll over them. You can color these areas by choosing a fill color and clicking the area with the live paint bucket tool. Objects that aren;t enclosed (an incomplete circle or a square with corners that don't meet) don't work, although there are settings you can adjust if you want to get technical. Once you've colored in everything possible, press the Expand button and do the following steps:
2. expand Live Paint
3. take the magic wand tool, select all the white areas and delete them.
4. select all the black lines and move those to a new layer above the color layer. More on this below.
The image below shows what closed objects I was able to color using Live Paint. Not much, but it helps. From here, the instructions are basically the same for all vector editors so pick up below...
B. Inkscape and older versions of Illustrator -
1. Lock your layer with the black lines. Now you'll begin coloring underneath it. As you add new layers, keep the black lines on the top.
Note: thinking about layers. Start coloring in areas keeping in mind how these layers will build up. You're going to want to manage your layers well and keep elements separated. I often have over 10 layers on a drawing like this just to keep things easy to work with. Think about the order you draw layers as well. Eyes for example would go - whites, irises, then pupils. Imagine you are laying cut pieces of paper on top of eachother. Layers above can help hide what's underneath and make your work easier.
2. Use the pencil tool and begin drawing your layers. I usually start with a base skin tone and work my way up. See images for details.
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