My Work :: Part 2: Dark Color Tests

Here is a second installment of my pen tests, only this time I moved on to color. The image is a poster I found on Google; it has Dark from D.N.Angel but that's about all I can tell you in terms of credits. Again, all pen and coloring done on the computer with my trusty Wacom and Photoshop CS.

As always, I did the pen first, using the same techniques and brush sizes I did in the Riku test. Can I tell you how much I love Photoshp for pen work? I've done pen both ways, digital and manual, and I love how if you mess up in Photoshop it's simply a matter of undoing and starting over again. I'll admit that my hand is not as steady as with a real pen, but that will hopefully change as I train myself to use the Wacom. I did several layers for the lines as I usually do, the face separate from the hair and wings, etc. Then I just picked colors I liked, at least three shades for each section such as the hair, face, clothing. I painted it just as you would for watercolor, with the lighter base colors done first and then adding a layer on top of that for the shades, gradualy getting darker each time. Some parts, especially around the face, I had to redo mulitple times to get the shading right but I'm pretty satisfied how it all turned out. Except my Dark has this vampire vibe going because the skin tones I used are far too pale; to the tanning beds with him! Other than that I like it; I think the hair and especialy the eyes have the right textures to them.

I did some tests with filters to see if I could mimic the washed outness of the original where it implies a light source, but frankly I like it as it is, plain and pretty, so I left those tests out. Maybe one day I'll post them, but I again I do like this original a lot so we'll see.

I did some fanart for Christmas presents this year (cheap and personal, the perfect gift!), and I actually really liked doing those, so I was thinking of creating more fanart and then using that to practice my color tests. Heaven knows our own charcters are not ready for color tests, so I have to get practice in somehow. I'll post any I do, whether or not they turn out. I'm thinking I'll just scan in my drafts from the drawings I did last Christmas and start on those, then move on to doing new ones.