How to Color in a Drawing Paint Tool Sai
This tutorial was created for projecteducate . It covers my general digital art process from start to finish. This artwork was created in SAI, but should be applicable to any digital art software. Some basic steps are omitted assuming the reader is familiar with the basic functions of digital art software.
Otherwise, my inbox is always open if you have any specific questions!
Paint Tool SAI tips for beginners
Some basic tips and tricks for Paint Tool SAI. This may be helpful if you are new to the software.
Youtube video
I made a seven-minute video narrating my actions for certain parts of the process.
Owl Planter Psd (4mb)
The lines in PSD format, all filled in and ready to color.
SAI file with layers (20 MB)
In case you're curious about the finished SAI file itself. I had to downsize the resolution due to the size. It's still a bit hefty, so I'm hosting it through Dropbox.
First, collect your references. It helps to draw from life. For this picture, I am using a small owl planter with some artificial flowers and succulents.
Arrange the objects until you are happy with how it looks. Then, take photos from various angles. I combined various photos into one, which I am using as my reference for this drawing. Don't trace it!
Note: Drawing on paper is optional. You can start the drawing digitally, if you wish.
Here is my general tool set for any typical drawing: a 3H, a regular HB, a mechanical pencil, and a 6B. H pencils are hard and leave a light mark- the higher the number, the lighter. B pencils are softer and darker. 6B is very soft, and it leaves a dark, distinct mark.
The sketch
Start with a 3H pencil* to create the general shapes. Remember to draw lightly!
(I enhanced the sketch in Photoshop so it is easier to see.)
*Or whichever H pencil you prefer
Next, add a little more detail, but continue to keep the lines light and faint. We are going in with a darker pencil after this, and we don't want the rough sketch to show up too much.
Now, go back and draw crisp clear lines with your mechanical pencil. Then, use your B pencil to create thicker lines around the focal point (or the star actor, as I like to say) of the drawing. In my case, it's the large flower.
Try to create a circular, path-like motion when deciding which lines to fatten up. If done correctly, it will guide the eye around the image.
It's fun to add line weight, but don't go overboard. For example, the succulent behind the main flower doesn't need too much line weight. The main flower is the star of the show and should get the most detail. The succulent in the back is a supporting character and does not need to be as fleshed out.
This is how my sketch looks when it's all done. You can go back and erase the stray sketch lines if you want, but it's not necessary. What matters is that you do your best so you don't need to give the drawing a complete overhaul in your digital art software of choice.
The lineart
My brush settings. Click to view hi-res.
The canvas dimensions I will be using for this artwork. I recommend always staying above 1500x1500 if possible.
After scanning the drawing, I start the digital lineart using the Pencil (5px) and Brush (10px). I do it freehand, but using the vector pen tool is also an option.
It may seem redundant to draw over the picture digitally. However, since this drawing is a much larger resolution than its paper counterpart, it deserves to be clean and crisp without any smudges or blemishes. I don't recommend skipping this step; if you do, the lineart quality will take a hit.
Concerning SAI's pen stabilizer settings, it really depends on the way your computer hardware is set up. For reference, my stabilizer is set to 4. I have a 9x12 Wacom Tablet and my screen resolution is 1920x1200. Your mileage may vary depending on what art software you're using.
The finer details (shown in red) should be kept on separate layers for the sake of convenience.
Fill in the nooks and crannies with solid color. Pretend you have no intention of coloring and shading your drawing. It has to look as good as possible, just as an inked lineart drawing.
All done with the lineart. The heavier lines should create a path of motion for the eye to follow. Also note that background objects are less important, so they'll have a lighter weight to their lines.
The coloring
Use the magic wand tool to make your life easier.
I recommend temporarily lowering the lineart's opacity for the sake of thoroughly coloring in the drawing. The brown is temporary so I can see what I'm doing.
Once the drawing has been filled in, add in the your colors of choice. I also recommend keeping each major color in its own folder so they are easier to keep track of.
The basic shading. Make sure to lighten it to create variation in value.
1. Shading the darker spots.
2. Adjust the values here as well
3. Make it slightly lighter, wherever your light source is. My light source is coming from the upper right. This goes underneath all the shading layers.
Adding a subtle gradient helps with the overall unity of the coloring. The first is a simple gradient with no special blending mode. The second gradient is set to Multiply to give it a richer color.
This is optional, but I like to add crystal-like facets to my coloring. I generally do it in three rounds. The first round consists of the largest, faintest shapes. With each round, the shapes get smaller, brighter, and fewer.
Next comes coloring the lineart! This will help the lineart become one with the coloring. I recommend doing the lines one at a time, but that's just because I'm a perfectionist.
Fine tuning
Skipping ahead. I use the same coloring method for everything, so it would be redundant to demonstrate it for the other objects in this picture.
The lineart is almost invisible because it's the same color as the 'body' of coloring. To make the lineart pop, create a new layer above the lineart.
1. Select the lineart, increase the selection by 1 to 3 pixels and fill it with a medium neutral color.
2. Set it to multiply and you will have something like in #2.
3. You can take this a step further by adjusting the colors.
1. My favorite part! Adding highlights to the edges using Lumi & Shade. Here, I used a light salmon pink. Make sure to use this sparingly, and in accordance with the light source.
2. You can also use a secondary light source for the other side (I used blue)
Add some soft shading around the highlights, as well as a general soft glow around the lighter parts of the image. Now we are done!
My inbox is always open if you have any questions or if anything needs clarification. Thank you for looking!
How to Color in a Drawing Paint Tool Sai
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/projecteducate/journal/Soft-coloring-tutorial-for-Paint-Tool-SAI-746127698
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