Cel Style Coloring

I now create a new layer on top of the color layer, but under the drawing layer and call it "shadows". On this layer, all of our solid shadows will be placed.

Take a sample of the color you are going to be shading with the eyedropper tool (it looks like an eyedropper!) Then click on the color in your tool menu. You should get a chart that looks something like this. Choose a color for your shadows that is a little bit darker and a little bit richer (more to the right) of your original color. This will be what you use to shade your drawing.

Pick a direction where you light is coming from; you will place your shadows on the opposite side. Zoom in and use the paintbrush tool to place your shadows. If your lightsource is from your upper right, shadows will fall on the lower areas and to the left. The paintbrush tool allows you to paint in solid blocks.

I continue to place shadows all over her skin, which is the area I chose to work with. Don't worry if you get out of the lines! We'll clean that up in the next step.

Once you have finished putting in all of the shadows for a certain color, go to your layer labeled "color" (the first layer were you put your basic colors down) Use the magic wand to select all areas of that color. To select more then one area at a time, hold down shift on your keypad while you click.

Go back to your shadow layer. The magic wand tool should still have the areas selected. Now move up to the top menu bar in Photoshop. Choose "select - inverse" and then hit delete. You have now deleted all of the shadows that fell outside of your choosen color!

You are now ready to do the next color's shadows. Create a second shadow layer on top of your first and repeat the process until your entire image is shaded in the "cel" style.

I am now ready to work on my background. Since my character was an angel, I am going to have her float among the clouds. I create a layer at the bottom of the layer menu and call it "clouds" and paint in my background. On top of everything, I create a layer called "border" and draw in my border there. A background and a border make your piece look finished.

The finished piece; give yourself a pat on the back!