I got an ask about my colouring method like a billion years ago and since i finally have like a solid method for the comic i took some screenshots!! I do all my colouring in photoshop cs6.

I start with picking the colours for the overall mood or atmosphere i want for each panel. usually if the base colour combination of the panels works, then  the page will still look good when I lay down the flats.

I then start picking colours. if a colour isnt working for me, I use the colour replacement tool in photoshop (image>adjustments>replace color) this cuts down on time a lot.

the way i choose colours involves a bit of colour theory and playing around with how we perceive colours in relation to the colours around them, rather than literally picking a brown when i want a skin tone. here’s an example:

here’s the skin colour of the character in the first panel. when it’s against white, it looks just like a green grey. 

when you put it next to a more saturated blue colour. however, which is the panel colour, it starts to take on a more brown tone. I play around a lot with desaturated colours a lot. as a general rule, if you have a red next to a grey, the grey will look cool, and if you have a blue next to a grey, the grey will look warm. this is basically the number one trick i use to create harmonious colour schemes.

on a multiply layer, I lay down some values. I usually start with putting down a few gradients with a soft round brush and then some flat cel-shading. I play around with the hue and saturation of the values so that the shadow colour compliments each panel.

here’s what it looks like with the colour visible!

i then make a layer in a mode like soft light or overlay, and put in some highlights (similar to how i put in the dark value gradients)

the magic effects! i do these with more layers with similar modes like the highlight layer.

lastly i copy the merged image(while keeping the seperate layers beneath), paste it down, and use ‘variations’ (also under image adjustments) to play around with the hue. the adjustment layer here is at 40%.

remember, this colouring method isnt necessarily the best, but for me it’s the most efficient way of colouring, which is important when I want to meet deadlines. I basically only figured this out in the past month, and with every page I do im always looking for a way to streamline the process!