Workshops

BRING MANGA TO LIFE WITH COLOUR

uring the late 90s, there was a sea change in digital illustration, from artists using the types of colour more typical of comics themselves, towards the introduction of more organic hues. This technique was mainly promoted by

If theres one art form that revels in colour, its manga. Discover how to inject a sense of joie de vivre into your art with the talented Genzoman

Japanese, Chinese and Korean illustrators, who were the most experienced in using Painter and working with grisaille. Brunaille is a similar process, but uses shades of brown instead of grey scales. Those who employ it are mainly concerned with using light sources

Genzoman
COUNTRY: Chile Gonzalo (aka Genzoman) was born in Arica, the northernmost city of Chile. Hes a selftaught artist and draws Street Fighter art to his hearts content at Udon. genzoman.deviant art.com

to generate basic volumes. This is the first part of the process, and they inject colour later on, blending and integrating it. The main idea of this method is to achieve faster performance by simplifying the decision-making process needed to separate light and colour.

Usually, I do several sketches until I find the definitive one. I work with Photoshop and a digital tablet for the sketch, normally using regular brushes, with Other Dynamics and Shape Dynamics activated, to achieve a similar feel to a sketch with a pencil. I like to paint in yellow or sepia tones, although I dont know why. Pet that way it feels more like traditional work.

Sketch ideas

DVD Assets
The files you need are on your DVD in the Genzoman folder in the Workshops section.

I create a new layer and start to paint. The brush is a normal size three, with Other Dynamics and Shape Dynamics activated. The canvas size is 40cm high, 31.28cm wide and 300 DPI.

Start painting

I only need to add some basic lights to the image. When you enter a room and turn on the lights, the first things you usually see are the volumes and shapes. I add lights on the same layer, trying to keep a coherent direction, and start selecting zones for lightening up. I usually draw the light areas adding the plain colour using the Paint Bucket tool. Now the basic lights are nearly finished. I only need to lighten a couple of areas before moving on to the next step.

Adding basic light

Experiment with zoom

I usually play with the Zoom tool a lot while I work, just to see how the image looks at different distances. I put the commands or shortcuts for zooming in or out on my pen, which streamlines my work process. I also put a sheet of paper over my tablet, to simulate the feeling to working in a more traditional medium.

When Ive finished with the ink I invert the external area. I create a new layer and drop it into a dark colour base. Working with a technique called brunaille, the idea is to use sepia tones for lights and shadows, focusing only on the volumes of the figure.

Build up the figures volume

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Now I add some mid-lights, like in those great 80s and 90s animes and games, where characters have three levels of illumination (light, mid-light and shadow). I use a light colour and paint over the lit-up area, expanding it and attempting to unify the different zones in one stroke. Then I just go to Edit>Fade and set 50 per cent. This can be repeated until you complete the midlights in the whole figure.

Painting mid-lights

The colours have been edited, so its time to introduce more elements. The skirt needs some patterns and I add details over the jacket. To do this, I just make some selections and give them more light or shade over the same layer.

Introduce new elements

I use the Smudge tool (100 per cent strength) to mix all the lights and blend them in, with more soft rendering. Thats why I usually work in one layer for this part of the process. I also add more detailed elements, painting the fingernails, eyes, buttons and so on, and introduce shadows to the whole picture.

Mixing light

I select an area, such as the jacket, and go to Image> Adjustments>Hue/Saturation to colour it in (Ctrl/Cmd+U). I play with Hue, Saturation and Lightness to find the colour I need. There are a lot of tools that give you colour choices, such as Levels, Color Balance, Color Replacement and Curves. I use all of them. When Im happy, I merge all the layers and do a colour edit to unify the hues.

Adding and editing colour

I left some dark blocks in the image from the ink process. I create a new layer and start to paint over it. The cats and the belt are black, so I just add some purple. Again, this adds some light and softness to the painting while sticking to the colour theme. To paint these details I use the same basic brush, with Other and Shape selected.

Paint over blacks

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atmospherics 13 Aerial Clouds are great for adding texture and helping create a details 10 Extra As the last part of the process,
I add more elements, such as details on the costume and highlights over the eyes and different parts of the body. Now the picture is finished and Im ready to move on to the next step. difference between the sizes of each element. To paint them, I use the same basic brush for the main shapes, and the Smudge tool for blending. Gaussian blur helps me achieve a softer look. To unify the clouds, I add light sources, such as neon and the lamp, by drawing some light lines and using a radial on Screen mode to diffuse the beams.

contrast 14 Creating I colour the upper part of the background blue to further
contrast the character and her setting. I add her shadow over the building, and more neon lights at different distances, heights and perspectives. This helps create a sensation of depth.

Ctrl+B (PC) ) Cmd+B (Mac of editing A handy way adows highlights, sh , by and midtones em. separating th

e Color Balanc

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Placing the background

The scene is taking place at night, so I use a blue background to set a dusky tone. The building is created using a texture thats edited with selections for the shadows. Select the area and go to Image>Adjust>Hue/Saturation, or Levels, to play with the lightness. I paint some details, such as the light or separation of the stones. I used to customise the textures of my old PC games, so the process is similar.

work 12 Building I select a dark blue and add it to

the upper part of the picture using the Gradient tool. For the buildings, I just do the shape selection of each one and give it a yellow/brown colour with the Gradient tool. Then I put in a couple of lines that act as windows. To achieve the glow effect, you can use the Gaussian Blur filter, then fade or use Outer Glow. I merge the windows and the building in one layer and use Free Transform to give perspective. This background reminds me of the intro to the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game.
PHOTOSHOP CUSTOM BRUSH:
TRI BRUSH

effects 15 Ambient Finally, I add more ambient

elements, such as smoke and glows. I love movies like Blade Runner, when the streets are usually full of neon billboards and smoke or vapour is everywhere. These elements help me create a better atmosphere and unify all the elements in the composition. To make them, I use a selection with the shape that I need, deleting some parts to make things more irregular, and mixing in smudges before applying Gaussian blur. Now the picture is ready, and I merge all the layers to do the final edit.

I use this three-point brush with the Smudge tool to blend two different colours. Go to Brush Presets>Other Dynamics this will help you create a more organic blend.

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