[Skiff]

Page 10 sketched. One more to go before I go back and finalize the rest and color.

Speaking of color, thanks for the effort on the line art. Unfortunately I found that method long and less effective then my own. I said it twice but I’ll say it again. I use Paint Shop Pro 5. It’s old, but damned if it works. And the process I use isn’t exclusive to PSP either. It can be applied to any program that has similar actions. Let me explain. “REF01” is the sketch layer. (If you’re not familiar with layers. Certain programs support layers. Multiple pages in one image allowing for drawings on top of drawings so they “blend” together but are entirely separate so you can work on one without effecting the other.)
So REF01 is the sketch. After I finish drawing (which is the longest of the process) I scan the drawing using my $60 HP ScanJet 2300c Scanner. I scan the drawing at 200% its standard size in the software. Which as a bonus works well with PSP5. After adjusting light I get REF01. I like to leave some page paper grain. (you’ll see). Next, Duplicate the sketch into another layer. Original sketch on top of the copy. Now I use the Brightness / Contrast tool to make the copy pure Black and white “REF02”. There will be white pixels in the black space. They can be cleaned out later. Now the nifty part. I set the original sketch layer to “Multiply” which makes everything that isn’t black transparent. (the level of black = amount of transparency.) then you have “REF03” showing the B&W layer showing through the sketch layer. Cool. Now I turn off the Sketch layer so I only see the B&W layer. Create a new layer “color” then go crazy with flood fill tool. (Set it to paint between the lines.) “REF04”. Another Bi-Product of layers is that there is Nothing unless something is added. So when I flood fill on the color layer just the sections that are colored exist. (Here’s where I fix the B&W layer to look like it does in “REF02”) Set a bounding “dancing ant” box to “select all” then “float” (selecting around just he colored sections. Beats doing it manually) Same tool “invert” so all the negative space is now selected. Now switch layers to B&W. Use the selection tool to deselect the white space around the drawing. The results, just the areas that are supposed to be black are selected. All the little white dots that appear in the drawn area when converting anything to B&W are also selected. (Hours of work in 5 min.) Then I grab the flood fill paint tool. Select an appropriate shade of gray and set it to fill all. Now I have a SOLID gray “B&W” sketch with no inner defects. The end result basically ends up as “REF04”

Half done. Now the shading. Using a boundary tool that acts like the flood fill paint tool is invaluable. Create a new “shading layer”. Boundary an area you wish to shade. Eye’s Arms, Bewbs. Select the “spray can” tool. I use a 10% pressure with standard soft tool marks to shade. More control. Primary color is the color I used on the color layer as the base “light color”. Pull up the color palate for the secondary darker color. Same color area except darker. (This depends on the effect you want, play with it) DING! “REF05”. Just think of how light acts on a ball, that’s how I shade. (layers are also good because if you screw up only one of these processes you don’t screw up the whole image. Just start again from the beginning of what ever process is messed.) Lets see what we got so far with all layers turned on. “REF06” Does that not look wicked awesome. Let’s continue…

For Light bloom effect. Copy your shade layer to another layer “bloom” and use a Blur tool. (PSP5 I use Gaussian Blur. Basically a blur of the image with very soft edges.) then we have “REF07” the blurred layer on it’s own is “REF08”

Now you’re thinking that it still has hard edged lines. (Save your work) Then Pancake the sucker. Merge all Layers so it now “IS” one image. Then resize the image to about 40%-50% of the original size. Depending on the size of the sketch, too small looks pixilated.
Then the final image looks something like “REF09”

Soft Lines, Shading, and light bloom.
I got it down to about 25 min at most, for the full image of this example.

The comic pages might take an hour or two. I still didn’t do any CG Backgrounds yet. The “set” won’t take long. Maybe 3 hours or so. (Not to boast or anything. It’s not that hard when you know what you’re doing.

So think I can rap up some loose ends in the last page? What will happen? How will Joanna and Kat escape? Will I come up with a name for this comic? Will it continue? (yes) What will be the big Cliff Hanger be? Is it a Cliff Hanger? Tune in soon, same Bat time, same Bat channel…

(Attachment comic moved to new thread)