HOME | DD
heylorlass — Simple Pencil Lineart Tutorial
Published: 2010-12-15 17:57:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 11768; Favourites: 327; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
This is the lineart tutorial I've been promising for a while now.This tutorial uses Photoshop
I'm not farmiliar with other software so I don't know if this is compatible with other programs, neither can I answer questions on software other than photoshop.
I hope this all makes sense to read and apply to your own work if you so wish
This is the finished example from this tutorial
Related content
Comments: 107
Eeehm, perhaps you've got your image settings set on 'greyscale mode'
To change this I think you go onto 'image adjustments' then mode? then change it to a colour setting, I'm not sure which is the norm for photoshop
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wonderful, simple to follow tutorial. I will definitely be giving this a try! Thank you for taking the time to make this piece in hopes to help others
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No problem
I hope it works for you and that its as simple in practice to follow
Thankyou
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I've actually used this technique before, although I've never thought to make the lineart that light before. I've always gone for a light charcoal, at the lightest. I do want to ask, though, why make the copy of "background"? Why not keep the first copy and simply add the other layers below it? It seems a waste, especially since that layer is completely invisible behind the "White" layer.
And, yes, this does work exactly the same way in GIMP, which is what I use. The only thing different is that the tools and menus are in different places. They're even worded the same way.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well for several reasons:
Firstly when you start off opening a new jpeg into a photoshop document, usually the background layer is locked and I can find no way to get it to move other than to duplicate it, and delete the original background layer.
But thats just me and probably something wonky on my photoshop version.
Secondly I always keep the background layer spare incase something goes terribly wrong with the copy, and I need to make a new lineart from it again. I always keep spares on most of my layers, it saves a lot of heartache when I realise that something has gone wrong and I can't 'undo' far enough to get rid of it again.
My 'white' layer eventually turns into my scenery for my character. I start off with it white so it doesn't distract me.
And I like my lineart that light because when colour is placed behind it it does show through, just lightly. I like stuff to look painterly
I hope that answers the question.
And thats excellent about using it in GIMP
I've never used it before and someone below was asking if this technique would work for it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Okay, those reasons make sense. I've never tried keeping a backup copy before, but it might be good. And it's not just your copy of Photoshop; my copy of GIMP does the same thing, with locking the background layer. Although I've found that if you copy the .jpg onto your clipboard, then open the program and choose "Paste as New" from the Edit menu, it's not locked.
And I've never thought about having lineart so light, but I actually like it a lot. It's a lot more subtle. To tell you the truth, that's one of the main reasons I moved from hand-inking my lineart to digital "inking" -- I can control the results a lot better. That, and they tend to be smoother. I'll have to try your method, though. You're right; dark black lines do make it look like a coloring book. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, have you ever noticed Disney's lineart is all coloured? Its to make it less noticeable
But look closely its all flat cell shading with coloured lineart
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Im probably gonna use this as a reference later, this is neato ^-^ Good jobbbb
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'mma try this with GIMP. It'll probably work.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Great! I have no idea how GIMP works, never tried it, so I wouldn't have a clue!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
oh thank you so much!
this is going to help me out a lot since i'm working on a commission.
the problem i was having with it was tracing the sketch! this is so helpful, thank you.
do you have any hints on taking a picture of the line art?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Its better to stand back and zoom in with your camera on a tripod if possible, if not a tripod, on a stable surface
If you stand too close the image warps because lenses are curved, so your lineart will be curved
Its better to do it with natural light shining on the sketch too when you take a picture of it
Natural light is always far better than artificial light
Hope this helps
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
that helps. ^^
but when i tried to do this, and went to the colour sayer to "magicaly" colout the lineart it just coloured the whole page. D:
well, next i'll try to make the picture less blurry and the paper less wrinkled. lol x]
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeaaaaah, the picture has to be very smooth and very unwrinkley
What you could try is tracing it onto a new sheet of clean white paper
That could save it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love this! I don't draw on paper but.... I use sketchbook to sketch And it works! (Damn, Sketchbook doesn't make transparent backgrounds)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ah yeah
you can use this technique on any lineart you find on the internet too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
omg this is so helpful to know!! : O Thank you~!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No problem
I wish someone had told me this YEARS ago
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you! :]
I tend to draw more digitally now than traditionally, but I can see this coming in handy for sure.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, me too
But after watching 's art for so long and wondering how she did hers, I think this is it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Ahh, so you wouldn't know how to do this in GIMP?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No sorry
But I do know that on certain tutorial groups- you can request tutorials on journals and see if anyone knows of anything they've seen like it
Or even go on the deviantart 'art scene' forum. Ask if anyone would know how to do such a thing there?
Worth a shot
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No problem
I wish someone out there had told me the same sort of thing years ago!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Awesome tutorial!
I gotta try this!
I did the same thing with photographing my lineart but i always traced in on a transparent Bf
Then im creating a new layer. Set it umder the line layer and then coour it or im colouring on the layer with lines then im creating a new layer just for shading and stuff
XD
Thanx fir the tutirial
I really need to try it XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeeaaah
I've done that too in the past, but usually by the time I've done all the lineart I loose the motivation and vision for the actual piece I was wanting to do in the first place
But this way- I can work fast, and get everything down the way I see it in my head
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
So the style in ur tutorial is faster than retracing the outlines and stuff?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yep, a lot faster for me anyway
I find that when I redraw out lines in photoshop, it loses the life the sketch had in it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
No problemo
I hope it helps
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Why do you copy the background? Why not just using the normal background after having transferred it to a normal layer? xD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, either will work really
I always keep a spare copy of the background around just so incase the VERY WORST happens and everything goes to pot, I can duplicate another background layer from it again and make a new lineart
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ohyes, seeems very logical hehe
Your tutorials and art is great, btw!!! Keep the work up!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thankyou very much
I just adore your animations
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
OH WHAT??? You,YOU like my stuff?? OHYAY
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Woah! This is coool! When you colour do u still have to erase the colour outside of the Line art??
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
yeah, the way I do it is I have different layers for each thing I want to work on
I have usually a main body colour, then a markings layer and then a shading layer, a special layer for eyes and other bits I like to make special
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
It didnt work for mine 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Nice! I usually do the colour on one layer then add the eyes, whiskers and nose on another!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Cool! Amazing! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah I know
But your lineart technique is AWESOME
Its like stained glass... sorta chunky but elegant
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
| Next =>