Dicebox art process - part 3
Continuing form part 2, we’re now at the coloring stage of a Dicebox page, that page being page 2 of Book 2, Part 3 : Marriage.
Selecting the transparency lock for the color layer, I proceed to do the true flat color stage of the process, defining the discrete color shapes of the figures, clothing etc. Then I create a flat color layer for the background and apply a Hue/Saturation to the wall pattern line art to give it a green cast.
Next I start in on the shading, creating a layer set to Multiply for the the figures and one for the background. I also add tiles to the floor from a white checkerboard pattern skewed to the perspective grid I got from my Posable file shown in Part 1. Then I select the floor color shape to create a layer mask and then paint on the mask to create the texture.
Now I start to create depth, beginning with the wall by duplicating the pattern line art on to a new layer and applying a drop shadow.
I then flatten that layer, set it to multiply and quickly erase and paint, just enough to give a sense that it’s relief. Cast shadows are now applied, for the figures and an unseen tree. I’ve also applied the texture to the table and added a broad highlight to the wall to the left on a layer set to Screen.
Time for the highlight areas and the refined shading. The highlights are created by painting on a layer set to Screen, using the color of the color base.
To better illustrate the shading refinements, I’m using another panel from the same page. The first detail shows the flat color with rudimentary shading blocked in with neutral grays on a Multiple layer. The second shows the shading blended and refined, color added with a layer set to Color. And the third is of just the hues used on the Color.
In this way I can keep refining the shading using neutral grays and while keeping the color effects. My goal is to keep things as simple as possible while getting the effect I want. You can also see how I will color parts of the line art in the example above.
Here are the typical layers I use in order to create the figure art. The blending mode in parentheses, a hyphen before the name indicating a clipping mask, that is, a layer whose art is only applied to the layer below it.
—line colors
figure line art (normal)
figure highlights (screen)
—figure shading color (color)
figure shading (multiply)
figure flat color
I use this arrangement for the background as well, usually with a couple of texture layers thrown in for good measure.
And finally, I apply any additional effects, in this case the data screens. I turn on the word balloons and dialogue for this stage in order to get a sense of it as a whole and make any further refinements needed.
There you have it! This was one of my more complicated panels, but all the better to show what steps I might use for any given page.
