lollitami In reply to K-taru [2010-11-15 03:41:47 +0000 UTC]

T_T I thank you very much....

I was on the verge of giving up.. But then your words made me come back to life again..

I really wish that you could help me with the coloring... Any advices or tips would really do a lot to me. That's my real weakness, see? Because I tend to worry about smudging them the wrong way that's why they end up on not getting finished...

Thank you, thank you.

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K-taru In reply to lollitami [2010-12-10 04:18:02 +0000 UTC]

oh no no, you're very welcome :3 no problem at all
(this will be a big lovely post since I'm already on year end vacations ; w; )

Well, umm, coloring, let me see:

First, draw softly, then you can ink over the drawing with a black gel ink pen and then erase the pencil base, or trace over the sketch and clean up a new version. By this way you can color it easier without feeling like you're going to spoil the drawing, and will also help prevent from smudging the graphite.
That helped me a lot when I started drawing manga, and also, the inking practice will always improve the line quality skills.

When coloring, start with a base of a midtone in the color. For example: a face: start over with a light peach, block it SOFTLY, and then block softly a shadow (with a darker tone) and then keep clean the highlights area. Then grab an even lighter color and smudge a bit (with circular motion) the midtone with an area close to the highlight. Keep whites where needed. And then with the midtone smudge softly over the limit between that and the shadows, and "over" the shadows.

That's a basic method and you can find a lot of different ones around dA. But keep in mind that it will always depend on what paper, medium, and texure you're drawing over. (and well, the object you're drawing)

As for the materials:

For inking: I'd recommend Dong-A MyGel 0.5 Black ink pens, they're the best I've used, though, not the best in the market. If not, Pilot and Artline are good brands too.

If you can't find gel ink pens, maybe rapidographs (disposable/felt tip liners or rechargeable)that come in different points such as 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and so on. They're a good option, though, in some papers the ink gets to "expand" a bit around the lines D: Good & affordable, brands: Staedtler, Faber Castell.

For coloring: of course pro/semipro material is the best stuff, nonetheless, I'll understand if you can't afford it (I had to save a lot for my first semipro pencil box T vT♥)
In that case, a nice 36/48 box of school Faber Castell coloring pencils will do perfectly in the meanwhile :3 I used them for a long time and they work lovely for hobby work.

If you can buy some semipro pencils, I'd go for Lyra Rembrandt Polycolors, they aren't as "creamy" as Prismacolors but(in my opinion) can be handled a bit easier. They leave almost no texture and are even more affordable.

[/ginormous chatter T vT] I hope it helps ; __; if not, ask me again :3

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lollitami In reply to K-taru [2010-12-15 09:42:07 +0000 UTC]

I don't think I could memorize this over with just one reading... XD (Better save this)..

I'll let you know how it'd work out.

So.. If either it helps or doesn't at all.... I'll let u know senpai.

(at least now I know what to ask for christmas. THANKS! I hope that they have these materials at the mall's bookstore.)

Goodluck to us!

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K-taru In reply to lollitami [2010-12-16 20:05:13 +0000 UTC]

aw I'm glad it worked · w·
hurhur yes, christmas and school are both really good excuses for such things xD

and yes please!! I'd love to take a look on the tryouts

You're very welcome and good luck!!!
Merry Holidays ami chan <3

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lollitami In reply to K-taru [2011-01-07 04:39:25 +0000 UTC]

Happy new year senpai~!

Awwww....
A friend gave me a 24 piece faber castell set for CHRISTMAS!!!.. (I almost cried at the moment I opened it. I didn't even have to tell him what i wanted)

Anyways, When i tried to use it, my sister always complains that I always make my drawings look like they have "chinese skin" or anemia (she means its a tad too yellowish) please give me advice on how to work on it.

What colors should I use senpai?

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K-taru In reply to lollitami [2011-01-12 05:03:26 +0000 UTC]

aw happy new year ami chaan!!!! ♥♥♥ > w<

UWAA NO WAY!!! O///wO I'm so glad to hear that!!!
Well, when talking of faber castell · w· think of the color chart that comes printed in the back of the box, it always comes handy ever since it keeps a sample (pretty close) to the color of each pencil, and a number.
Or well, in case you might have dropped the box, here is a similar list [link] you may have not all the colors shown there, but it's a good reference.

To correct a bit the yellowish skin, try to start with "light flesh" (or the most similar pencil you have) as a base *remember to press lightly at this point*, and then block the colors of the wanted hue, for example, when painting different ethnies.

You can go on layering colors according with the final hue you want, it can go for cinnamon and similar colors for a brunette for example, or light and medium flesh (or similar) to even orange-ishes for a more "beach tan" look.

Now well, I know your box is got only 24, but don't worry > w< It's quite the necessary to call it a nice start kit. I don't remember exactly if all the colors I'll suggest do come in that box, but, let's say that for a skin work like this [link] I probably used this sequence:

*numbers change between pencil types, here I'm talking about the good-ol' classic red box ; w;*

*T AT aw my bad, I pretty knew I had a light-flesh-like thingie in my pencilcase, but when I found it, it's already so small it just doesn't have the number anymore ; __;*
-but well, you start over with it ; ___;
-then shade in softly with the lightest orange you have (in my case 013, it's almost yellow, but trust me, keep it light, don't press too much or it'll end up like a carrot ; A; )
-go adding bits of a darker orange (009 can work)
-now go over it all and blend with the first pencil you used (the light flesh thingie)
-and for the darker areas, don't be afraid to use even some 089, it's the lightest brown available, and will do like a charm
-for the darkest darkest, go with tiny bits of 076 or even 075. Be careful with these ones
-and go over here and there adding some blush with 028 (sort of hot pink)this will definitely fade all hint of anemia in your girls!

But! start with getting your hand accustomed to the pressure needed for layering colors, specially with this kind of pencils that aren't as smooth as other brands. They can work perfectly once you know how to work them, but it takes time and practice! So pretty please, make sure you doodle a lot with them before painting a final picture with this method, otherwise it might end up all messy D:

Oh! and a nice coloring tutorial is available here! It worked a lot for me when I was a beginner, so give it a glance > w< [link]

nyuu I talked so much again º Aº;;;

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lollitami In reply to TheBrinkOfSomething [2010-08-26 07:50:25 +0000 UTC]

thanks! ^_^ your encouragement really gave me a boost!
@_@ and I was about to think about quitting and finding a new direction in life.

thank you. thank you so much.
i just really wish someone or something could help me learn more techniques and stuff (especially the photoshop and airbrush stuff.. XD).

thanks again.

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TheBrinkOfSomething In reply to lollitami [2010-09-10 22:10:50 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad it did!! I really do like your art. :] I think you should keep going at it.

You are very, very welcome!! I wish I could help, and I can offer what advice i have. But I'm a traditional artist [copic markers, mostly], so I know just about nothing about photoshop OTL

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