Colouring Androids Who Dream: Part 2 (Patreon)

Zzt. Clank. Whirr.

Insight Function: [ACTIVE]

Here's the second (and final) part of this little colouring insights! :3

- Miguel

On to Part 2:

Lastly, to do highlights...

...I'm keeping it really simple and only highlighting the latex to make it really stand out.

I change that layer to a Colour Dodge layer mode...

...and it brings out all the colours underneath. This isn't a rule, it's just variable depending on how each panel looks!

Layers and atmospheric scattering: This is how my layers look like...

...at the end of colouring a panel. At the bottom is the base colour which I painted into, and then everything else is clipped to that layer using Clipping Masks, which you can do by right clicking on Layer > Create clipping mask!

The textures are pasted roughly over the areas that I want them...

...and then I use basic layer masks, painted in by hand or with selection tool. To copy a layer mask over to another layer, so that the mask applies perfectly to both, just Shift+Click on the mask in the layer panel, select the other layer you want to add it to, and then click the mask tool again. If you want to apply something to everywhere BUT your mask, you can just do that, but go Image > Adjustments > Invert, to invert the mask (with the mask selected)!

Foreground and background separation: On top of using VALUE (light/dark)...

...to separate areas, it helps to use a gradient of cool to warm/warm to cool to enhance the atmosphere and further separate the areas from one another. I make sure that whatever the actual colours of the things in the scene are (their 'LOCAL' colours), that I keep the areas generally within a certain tone (warm or cool) to unify them.

In this case, because her laboratory is dark and eerie...

...but the sun is shining in through the door, so I'm keeping my foreground cool and the background warm. The things closer to the door are warmer.

Here is how the final panel turned out!

Most of the colour and detail is centred on Stytch, in the foreground. That draws the eye to the most important part of the panel.

Let me know if you have any questions!

- Duski

End of Part 2

It was so fun to set this insight up with Duski. I hope you all enjoyed reading this two-parter, regardless of being fellow artists, fans of Duski, art process aficionados or just super fans. <3

- Miguel