Learn 2D Cell Shading in Photoshop

Learn how to quickly color character art in a cell shaded style while maintaining maximum flexibility.

This course will demonstrate methods for quickly coloring character artwork in a cell shaded style, while focusing on production value as well as flexibility. We'll cover multiple techniques, including isolating scanned artwork onto a transparent background, and preparing lines for color using levels. It will also cover how to use clipping masks, layer masks, adjustment layers, and a number of other tools and functions in Photoshop. These tools and techniques will then be put into practice to create a base layer onto which all of the flat local color layers will clip. Adjustment layers will be placed over these flat colors in order to light the character.

Throughout the course, various shortcuts and time-saving methods will be used to speed up workflow as much as possible. Other than speed, the other focus of these methods is their nondestructive quality, which allows the artist to go back into any stage or section of the piece and easily change it. The course also covers how to push the appeal of the character by employing gradients to add dimension and interest, and using a combination of cell shading and painterly techniques to get the most out of the character and ultimately produce a high quality piece of character artwork.

Students - please look under Section 1 / Lecture 1 downloads for the source files associated with the lesson.)

More about the Instructor:

Colleen (Peck) Larson is a freelance concept artist living in California's Bay area. She is a semester away from earning her BFA in Illustration from San Jose State University, and previously she's had the opportunity to work for companies such as Firaxis Games and Gaia Interactive, but currently she is a concept artist interning at Zynga in San Francisco. Her obsessions lie equally between art, video games, cats, and her husband Erik.