Coloring with PS, 78 Firechicken WIP

Welp, it's about time for my next annual attempt to color/fill a vector line drawing using PS.
I've got Jeri's tutorial and links to lemorris' how-to video's, yet it seems something goes wrong each time I make a try at this style.

Maybe this year I can actually finish one this way.
I normally add all the coloring/shading with the same vector program as I draw the line work.

Here's the starting line work, done just for fun.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z130/Darkblip/Artwork/CAR-toons/78FireChickenLines.jpg

WOW!!! thats "gd" sweet!!!

THAT's a pretty incredible start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PM me and I'll give you my # and I'll walk you through it step by step

looks great man

Thanks for the support!

lemorris--Greatly appreciate the offer. I'll send a pm, but looks like I will not be doodling again until Sunday.
(Help coach my youngest son's football team and we have practice for the next two nights and a game on Saturday.)

Here's the results of the first go at coloring/filling shapes. Took much, much longer
than I want to admit. I've forgotten so much on just the basics of using PS.
It's such a difference process than Expression 3, the vector drawing program I use.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z130/Darkblip/Artwork/CAR-toons/78FC01.jpg

nice start sofar.

Thanks, now here's the next view with most of the base colors done.

It's taking hours more than I thought to get it this far. I've used Expression 3
for so many years now, that PS almost seems like a foreign language.

Took a bit just to figure out gradients, that's way there are only a few so far.
Started placing some on the wheels/tires.
A few steps are similar, thankfully including my favorite undo, [Ctrl]+Z.:)

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z130/Darkblip/Artwork/CAR-toons/FirechickenCopy01.jpg
(Not sure why some of the body linework looks blurred after saving it as a jpg file?)

Very nice. I noticed a black Firebird parked down my street the other day. I was checking it out after seeing your drawing.

If your lines are getting blurry in jpg. I would try using higher image settings when saving out.

2HB--Thanks for the save tip, I'll look into changing the settings next time.


Had to put this project aside for a bit, as I'm crunchin' away on two new vector toons.
I'll post them when I'm finished.

Blip,
I just noticed this on the boards. I just tried to do a similar tooned drawing a couple weeks ago. It's a Smokey and the Bandit caricature toon, but I see that you're much more advanced as far as tooning and proportioning. I was wondering if you could give me some tips or some criticism on my drawing. Also, how hard would it be to transfer something like my drawing over to Photoshop? I would love to try this method out.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff72/onemodelcitizen/sketch_ban1.jpg

I use Illustrator for the vector art end, and it does quite nicely to go hand in hand with PS. This may or may not work for you because you vector art isn't Adobe.

I paste the vector lines on a layer and it gives you the option of smart object, or path and some others. If you paste it as a path, you can use those paths to mask areas allowing you to freehand with the airbrush and not worry about hitting an area you don't want. Layer everything. I have PS files with 100 layers.

The blurry end of the line art is in the resolution. Make it 300 at least from the start, once you place the line art at a lower resolution, upping the resolution will just make it worse. So if you want a 5 inch by 5 inch canvas, set it and the dpi set to at least 300. When printing brochures etc, 300 is the min dpi for images etc. There is flexibility but you get the idea. at any rate, now you have Hi res art that by the time you are done can reduce to post on websites etc. It's easier to go down than up.

I'm not a regular here so I don't know if I'm telling you things you already know or not. But I know more of the program side of illustrating.