www.RayDillon.com http raydillon.blogspot.com This is a page from “Pono Loa” created by Stephen Smirl, drawn by my fiancé, Renae De Liz, and inked, colored, and lettered by me. I’ve done a quick time lapse video, because flatting can be pretty tedious, but I wanted to talk about some of my methods. First of all, I am inking and coloring in Photoshop CS with an Axiotron ModBook (that’s an Apple Tablet PC). Most of the time, I’m using the pen and paint bucket tools, but occasionally, you might see me selecting areas in the inks and they appear to fill instantly. I’m actually hitting F1, which is coded to play an pre-recorded action. This is a great time saver. It takes the selection I make, expands it, and fills it. The other important thing to note is that I am saving my steps in the channels. Once I have the panels filled, I copy all and paste into a new channel. I repeat this with the figures and finally with all the details. That way, if I want to change the lightness or overall color of a figure or an entire panel, I can select it very easily. If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll soon be posting a video of color rendering on one of these pages, too. For more information on “Pono Loa,” a great Hawaiian mythological adventure book, please visit http For more information on Renae De Liz, visit her site at www.goldengoatstudios.com And to see Renae’s drawing videos, please visit www.youtube.com For more information about me, visite my site at www.raydillon.com and …
Video Rating: 5 / 5
14 Responses
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Buddhafyable Says:
You’ve probably already fixed your technique since you posted this, but you would save a ton of time by making an expand > fill action. You’d get rid of almost all the artifacts and could basically just paintbucket the whole thing.
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fargokraft Says:
YOU STOPPED HALF WAY!! D: I was enjoying that vid!!!
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fredpac Says:
Hi,
I hope you don’t mind of some questions of mine. I know this would be an old vidoe post of yours but I am trying to hope that my questions will be answered.I’m a regular flatter for color tones for comics and I use the wacom pen tablet for flatting and I’m having a little trouble with my speed and accuracy in it, after watching this video I’m getting curious if this tool would really be helpful for a flatting job when it comes to speed and accuracy. Thanks a lot for your asnwer…
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raydillon Says:
@CDBigShow Actually, this IS Photoshop. I use PS CS for everything I do.
I will be looking into Manga Studio, as I’ve heard a lot of good things, Painter and Sketchbook Pro look good, too.
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CDBigShow Says:
What is this program called? Can you do the same coloring with Photoshop?
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raydillon Says:
Not really. I actually bought a Tablet PC with a flip around screen, but had to take it back because it had too many issues. The screen angle had to be perfect or you couldn’t see anything, ran really hot. I know of a Fujitsi that’s supposed to be pretty good, but as far as I know the Modbook is the best.
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PachucoDesigns Says:
Absoutely. I’ll definitely be considering it. Do you know of any other tablet PCs that stand up to this thing’s performance for that purpose?
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raydillon Says:
Absolutely. Sounds perfect. And, yeah, it paid for itself within the first month or two just being faster to work on than my former system. And I might have mentioned it, but being able to take it with you and whip it out when you have a second of waitng in line or something is priceless.
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PachucoDesigns Says:
Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’m a film and animation student, and I’d like to have something to carry around with me. So I’m definitely thinking it’s a better choice. It would help me get more work done. It seems much more practical.
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raydillon Says:
Personally, I think the Modbook is far better just because of its portability and ease of use. It feels like carrying around a sketchbook rather than being connected to a computer all day. I work such long hours that this is incredibly important to me.
And you’re saying that you’re out and about a lot, so that sounds like the Modbook would be the only choice for you.
Let me know if you decide to get one. Oh, and the new Modbook Pro is supposed to be lightyears ahead of the model I have.
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PachucoDesigns Says:
I’ve been weighing the pros and cons between the Axiotron Modbook and the Wacom Cintiq. Which would you say is the better choice, particularly for an artist who is out and about a lot?
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raydillon Says:
Oh, and since I inked this page, too. I tend to put foreground and background on different layers, so that later on, if I want to push something into the background, or have light glow behind someone, etc., I don’t have to mess with a selection around ink lines and making everything sync up. But, for flatting, this leaves a lot to be drawn in. Early in the video, you see me drawing around a hand. The wooden spear is in the foreground on a different layer, so I was unable to select to fill.
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raydillon Says:
Some areas it doesn’t work (for instance, if there isn’t a solid ink line), or it’s just faster to draw it in. I’m using an Axiotron ModBook (Apple Tablet PC), so I draw on the screen, plus, I’m very used to working in Photoshop. Sometimes it’s just simpler to do it the way I’m used to. Everyone should find their own comfortable way, though, as long as you have the output you need.
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fishdirt Says:
Question, you seem to brush in the colors in a lot of places, why don’t you use the selection fill method? I’m trying to show a friend how to color and the more I know the better.
