Working With the Wacom Tablet, Illustration, and Coloring in Adobe Photoshop

I have received several requests on how I illustrate and color some of my tablet work; enough requests in fact to warrant this tutorial. Before I get started, I am using Photoshop 7 and a Wacom Intuos2. I have not tested this tutorial against other versions of Photoshop or other tablets, however it should be similar across all platforms. Also, this is primarily an example of how my work is done, and by all means not the last word in design. So read this as an informative article on how I work. I am quite sure there are easier ways to do this type of work so please do not email me and tell me that I am doing it the hard way. ;-)

First, I like to work so that my files can be printed, so the original image size is much larger than this of course (1650x2100). For the purpose of this tutorial, I am working in a sized down web version, using one of my "Revival" images as the example image. Please note that because it is sized down, some detail is lost and parts of the image may appear a little choppy.

I begin by starting with a rough sketch of what I would like to see in the final image. I create a new folder and name it "Lines". Inside that folder, create a new layer and name it "sketch". On that layer, I start illustrating the image. In terms of what brushes I use, I am using a set that came with the Wacom (with the Master Diameter sized down to 3 pixels).

Next, I lower the opacity of the sketch layer to about 33%, create a new layer above it named "Lines" and go over the rough sketch to define the image. This is the foundation for the image, so be sure that your lines are nice and defined.

After I have the lines added, I like to zoom in to about 400% and go around the lines, making sure they are what I want them to be. Next I create a new layer below the "lines" layer named "shading". I then shade the image and turn off the "sketch" layer.

So now the image is ready to be colored. Most of the other life I plan to give it will be done with the colors themselves. Of course, it all depends on how complicated you want your illustration to be as to how detailed you get with the line work. Since I like to keep the main figure and the background totally separated, I lay down what I call a screen layer of a vivid color so that I can paint the figure white. Just above the background layer, I create a new layer named "screen" and fill it with a bright blue (I use #0060FF). Now, I create a new folder named "Back". In that folder, I create a new layer named "white". In this layer, I paint inside the figure with white.

So why did I just do that? Well, like I said, I like the body to be apart from the background and I hate coloring outside the lines. Since I am not a color expert, I have to find ways to keep me in line. So now when I want to only color the body, I can Ctrl + Select the "white" layer and that will restrict my coloring to just the main figure. Again, I zoom in to 400% and go around the lines making sure everything is in its place. Once you have the "white" layer, its OK to delete the blue screen layer. Now you are ready to color!

So where did I learn to color? Well, Steel Dolphin Creative has a great tutorial on digital coloring that I used as a foundation for my coloring. However, I like to do things the hard way, but in a way that I feel gives me a better control on the colors. I am an organization freak, and prefer everything to be in its place. The same is with my layer organization. I prefer to have each colored element in its own folder (granted this is more difficult with complex images, but for this example it will suffice). So I create a new folder under the "lines" folder and name this one "body" and lay down the base colors of the image. Since this image is rather simple (only one character, it is OK for me to create a folder for each component that will need its own color, such as the poles, the body, "intestines", staples, etc). In the "body" folder, I create a new layer named "base" for the base color (for the skin I used #FFBB92). With the base body layer selected, I Crtl + click on the white layer which selects that layer, yet leaves me in my active layer. This allows me to paint the skin on the figure without "coloring outside the lines".

Next, it is time to add shadows and highlights. I like to start creating layers above the base layer for various dark & light tones I plan to add to the figure to give it some depth. Using the color picker, I select a color that is a shade darker than the base color (I used #E4A680) and start adding some shadows. I keep adding shadows where I think they should be, according to whatever lighting I have tried to incorporate, until I am satisfied.

I then repeat this process for all of the elements in the image.

Now for the background. This is another question I am continually asked. "How do you create those textured backgrounds?" Well, there is no rhyme or reason to the madness. It is a combination of some good textured stock photographs and blending modes. If you are looking for stock photographs, I would recommend grabbing a camera and taking pictures of concrete, dirt, bricks, etc. If you do not have access to a camera, try Abnormis for some some great textured photos.

So I begin adding the background elements to the image in the "back" folder.

This is still not what I want it to be, so perhaps some mood lighting and accents on the figure would be appropriate. First, I create a new layer i the "back" folder named "lighting" add some green (#E4A680) lighting to the background using the Radial Gradient tool. Then I changed the blending mode on the gradient layer to "Soft Light" so that the texture in the background would come through. I also add some of the same green as highlights on various parts of the body, etc.

It is still needing something additional so I figure I will add some texture and accents to the entire image. Dipping back into my stock photograph collection, I find a suitable texture image to place on the body, poles, etc. Once I have the textures where I want, I then add a new layer on top of the body and fill it with a muted green (I used #779A76). I set the layer for that green to "Overlay" as the blending mode, and lower the opacity to 34%.

Now I have all of the accents, textures, and background in place. Last step is to add the credits (my logo) to the image and publish it.