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CalamityChemist —
FMA Cel Shading Tutorial
Published: 2010-06-14 05:33:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 47630; Favourites: 2349; Downloads: 1054
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Description
I'm pretty new to DeviantArt, and people have been very kind so far.
So I thought I'd do something for you guys! I've had a couple of people message me asking for a tutorial, and I figured I'd give it a try.So, here's my cel-shading tutorial. Really basic, it's my first one and probably not very good/a little confusing, but I really tried to make sense, I swear. If you have any questions about something in the tutorial, please put them in the comments or message me and I'll try to clarify!
If you'd like to see a bigger version of the finished image from this tutorial, here it is -->
Hopefully the tutorial is useful to somebody!
Thanks,
-Jen
Edit: Thank you so much for the DD! I'm honored. I would have never expected to get one on my old FMA artwork, haha. It's been over a year since I made this tutorial, but I hope you fine people still find it to be helpful.
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Comments: 387
What are the settings for your lineart, and what tool do you use for it?
I love this tutorial and hope to try it soon!
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I do my lineart on its own layer, with the default hard round brush at about 4px or 5px. c: I hope that helps!
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Thanks for telling me!
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OMG THIS WILL HELP ME AMAZINGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WORSHIP THE GROUND YOU WALK ON!!!!!!!!!!
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Haha, I'm so glad it's helpful to you!
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This is beautiful!
And it will come in much use. ;D
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Aw, thanks! I hope it's helpful to you. c:
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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simple and effective 
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This looks useful, thank you!
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You're welcome! <3
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Wow, this seems helpful....and so easy XD congrats on that DD! 
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Skimmed through this tutorial since I don't have time to read it all now.
It's nice, but I don't understand why you don't just use different shades grey with a multiply layer. It would make things a HELL of alot faster in the process. When you do that, the grey on the multiply automatically adapts to the underlying color and you can just change the grey to get a different tone of shading. Makes it alot easier and faster than finding the appropriate darker shade of a color.
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I think it's really just personal preference. I use overlay and multiply layers, as well as normal blending layers, when shading my more recent work--it all depends on the effect I want to achieve in the end. At the time when I made this tutorial, I was just doing things as I always had in the past. The trouble with using multiply layers is that they multiply the effect when they overlay on each other, unlike solid colors--so for this kind of art, solid colors actually for worked faster. I do know about the multiply function, though, and use it frequently nowadays.
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Is there any way I can line art something without freehanding it? I have an extremely shaky hand, so I suck, SUCK at any type of line art. I can't even trace something.
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That's a great question--I have a friend whose hands are shaky too, which make lineart really difficult for him. There are sketchier styles of lineart that can look really nice. But if you're set on doing very clean lineart, my advice is to practice making very quick sweeps with your pen. The slower you draw your lines, the shakier they tend to be, and quick swipes look cleaner. c:
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Thanks! I'll try just that!
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im soo going to follow this tutorial later!!!
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I hope it helps you out! c:
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Wonderful tutorial ^^! It's extremely helpful!
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Thanks! Glad you like it!
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CTR- G does group the layers but I could still color outside of the layer it's connected to...0o So maybe it works differently in a different version of Photoshop?
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I was wondering this too 'cause my Photoshop was doing the same thing. But I was playing around and discovered how to make it work. What you have to do is right click on the shading layer and click "create clipping mask". Hope it helps ^^
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In some versions of Photoshop, it's actually called a 'clipping mask'. So, to get the effect of grouped layers like I have in the tutorial, select the layer you want to group, then go to Layer -> Create Clipping Mask. That should work! Let me know if it doesn't--I've always been curious to figure out how it works from program to program. c:
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That seems to be it, since someone else told me the very same thing. Thank you it will be very useful...^^
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wow so useful and so detailed...no word can describe how brilliant this is made
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Thanks so much! I appreciate it. c:
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Wow, that's amazing. Really well explained and thoughtful. Pff, I do not think your lazy, for one it seems like a lot of time went into making this tutorial plus all of that looks like a lot of work for one drawing of Ed
I really like your style, but I find it hard for myself to do line art and arrange my layers so neatly. I'm not a very organized person and I'm more of a painter than a drawer 
I'm curious though, do you do your line art with the pen tool, or with a brush?
Oh and congrats on the DD!
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Thank you so much! I'm glad it was able to help you out. Being organized with my layers is kind of tough for me, too, but in the end it pays off. c:
I do all my line art with the brush tool, rather than the pen.
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great tutorial, but in this drawing particulary, i can make with corell x5, easy.. besides that, i bet you have a lot more to show us...
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Thanks! I have heard that Corel X5 is a great program. I should look into it sometime. c:
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This is fantastic! Very clear and easy to follow.
Thanks!
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Thank you! Glad you liked it!
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This may be a lame question, but I was wondering about the line art aspect. Do you use the tablet to trace over your sketch then in Photoshop and use a brush tool or something? Sorry if this is a bit confusing. I'm currently stuck doing vectors with my mouse and trying to figure out if it's worth it to make the financial commitment to a tablet and Photoshop.
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Not a lame question at all. Yes, I scan in my sketches in pencil, then I use the brush tool to draw over them and make the line art. In my opinion, a tablet and Photoshop are fantastic tools for any digital artist. Your art is impressive as it is! I expect you'd be able to make great use of a tablet, if you decided to get one. c:
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Thanks for answering my question and thank you for the compliment
I pretty much know for sure that I want a tablet, mostly it's a matter of when I'll have the money to get one! Darn real life taking away from art life!
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Oooh, the gradient-shading is a neat idea!
Thanks for making this! >w<
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WOW!! a tutorial that goes into detail for once!!! Thanks so much, i've learnt loads, could you pleease pleease pleeeeeeeeeeeeease do one on lineart too? i really struggle, and your lineart is amaaaazing....
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