I decided to include a Manga Studio tutorial in this book because the program is straightforward, easy to use and important to learn if you’re going to create a manga. Just follow the steps I use to digitally color this artwork. I’m using Manga Studio EX 4 and a Wacom Intuos 5 tablet. It can be hard to work with a tablet at first, but with practice it becomes easier. Using a tablet will help you achieve cleaner results and saves you the cost of art supplies. Remember to save your work at least every fifteen minutes to avoid having to repeat the drawing in case the software crashes.
In this drawing, we have something called “layers.” The first layer is named “sketch,” which is your primary sketch, and then in a folder you have layers for the line art (or outlining). I like to draw every part in a different layer to keep it clean and organized.
The color folder must be below the line art layers folder so that you can see your line art while coloring.
Hide the sketch layer by clicking the eye icon to the left. Create a new folder and name it “color.”
Add a new layer, making sure that the color model is Color (32 bits) to enable the use of colors. The default setting is black and white because it assumes you are drawing a standard manga page.
Rename the new layer “skin.” Appropriate labeling is very important! Select the pen tool from the tool menu. Select the skin color from the available colors in the color table on the right.
Start coloring the skin with the pen tool. You can also use the fill tool to color faster, but make sure the shapes are enclosed or else the fill tool will fill your entire page (which becomes annoying when you are working on large files). If you select all layers, the tool will take all lines into account. But if you select this layer (skin), it will only consider the layer you are working on.
Now, after you have finished coloring the face, you can go to Filter > Image Adjustments > Hue/Saturation/Value to alter the color. For example, if you want to make the face lighter, increase the value, which will increase the brightness.
Create a new layer and name it “skin 2.” This will be the shading layer.
Select a darker pink to shade the face. Select the pen tool. Under the pen tool options you can select “Stroke-in” and “Stroke-out.” That will yield a finer ink pen line, which is what I generally use to ink my manga pages.
Continue to use the pen tool to add shading to the face. Once you’re done adding color, you can adjust the color/brightness as you did in step 6.
Create a new layer and start coloring the hair. Then create another layer for the shading of the hair. Select a darker color than the one you used to color the hair.
Create a new layer for the eyes. Use a light gray color to shade the eyes. Then create a new layer and color the irises as shown.
Create a new layer for the darker eye shades (including the pupil). Use the pen tool to draw the shape of the shadow and pupil and then use the fill tool to color that shape entirely. You may also add a few lines in the same layer to give the eyes more depth.
Create a new layer to draw the eye highlights. Outline the shape of the highlight first with the pen tool and then color it with the fill tool. Again you can add some lines on the edges of the highlights for more depth.
You can also use the lasso tool to select the eye circle (containing the iris and pupil), then click on the gradation tool to create a slight gradation that makes the eyes look more realistic and three-dimensional. With the gradation tool, the longer the line you draw, the higher the intensity of color.
Make a new layer for the pink tie and collar trim. Follow the same coloring steps every time. Use the pen and fill tools.
Now create a new layer for the shading. If you click the color tool, you can see the color settings and pick the color you want for the shading. This is an easy way to get a slightly darker shade of a color you’re already using.
Repeat the same techniques you’ve been using for color and add shading to the hat and dress. You can either use gray or a light pink to shade the white clothing. I personally prefer pink, but it depends on the character and the type of light directed on them. Then color the mouth.
Create a new layer and call it “eye lights.” Make sure to place it above your line art files. Then use the pen tool to adjust the eye highlight and give it more depth. Drag the eye lights layer to the top. Having this layer above your line art will help you color over them for final touches. Use the pen tool to draw a thicker line around the character to give it more depth.
