[ tutorial: apollo ]

[alexander.livejournal.com]

While this is a tutorial for my Apollo icons, it should be noted that almost all of my icons are done this way, regardless.


FIRST OFF is workspace! This is what my photoshop looks like when I open it up!



Next up is getting your image ready to make an icon.



Leveling! Leveling is fantastic for almost any manga image (or BW one). It sometimes work for comic books or anime as well, but color balance or selective color layers or curves are probably better for those.



AS A SIDENOTE: if your image needs more specific leveling you can use the lasso, the quickmask or some other selection method and level parts of your image. You can also do a layer over the lineart, color the parts you want darker with black and set the level to "overlay" and then adjust the opacity to suit your needs.

More image prep:



Almost ready to start coloring /o/



Okay! Now we're ready to start coloring!



CLIPPING MASKS WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.









Hey, dudes, we're doing pretty well!






Annnndd, ta da

Comments

[sleepfighter.livejournal.com]

...twenty layers per icon...

[alexander.livejournal.com]

. . . . .


well, to be fair it's normally 13-27 layers.

[sleepfighter.livejournal.com]

You're crazy, dear. ♥

[alexander.livejournal.com]

D-don't judge me!

[sleepfighter.livejournal.com]

but! buuuuut. :(

[nightangelca.livejournal.com]

............

[alexander.livejournal.com]

WHAT

[nooneexpectsthe.livejournal.com]

I'm here to look at the pretty... because I know I have had icons with more layers than this

[alexander.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU FOR NOT JUDGING.

[inquisitorial.livejournal.com]

so I just counted the layers on one icon, and there were 47 and that's just coloring the lineart.

[caffeinic.livejournal.com]

Uhoooo new things to play with >D

[alexander.livejournal.com]

clipping masks are magical :3

[sigrunic.livejournal.com]

...I usually only use up to 5 layers an icon... you are insane.

[wifebeast.livejournal.com]

...SOB

I STILL CAN'T GET THE HANG OF COLOURING SOFT

[shirato]

Ahhh this is amazing!! ♥

[counttosheep.livejournal.com]

STILL JEALOUS.

[rui]

you are insane. but this tutorial was in teaching me how to color like a big girl.

[tsunderes.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this tutorial! I'm a big fan of your coloring, so I always wondered how you did particular things, haha.

If only Photoshop didn't want to rape my computer, I could do fancier things. But a PSP7 is fine too.

[inarticulate.livejournal.com]

Okay, I just need to come in here and tell you THANK YOU ♥ for introducing me to the concept of clipping mask (though it's called something else in my program) because OH MY GOD THAT MAKES IT SO MUCH EASIER TO COLOR IN THE LINES ;o; ♥ ♥ ♥

(Before, I had been doing, like... copy layer, lock layer, which works well enough but doesn't have a really good keyboard shortcut and looks a lot clumsier in the layers section. orz)

[therikkster.livejournal.com]

SUPER HELPFUL thank you!