Digital colouring

Hi all,

I have a dream to be able to digitally colour one of my favourite H-manga volumes.

The problem is I can't colour very well, mostly because I never been taught / understand the theory behind how to make effective looking colour. I understand different tones, shadows etc, but it is quite a hard process to learn alone.

So my question is: Does anyone know of any good but beginner friendly guides (link) or books on the matter?

I can use Photoshop etc.

im trying to learn too i use SAI but i need a better one because the one im using is acting up and doesnt save correctly.
if you know how to use the program just google it or go to youtube and see how they color. thats what i do but i get very impatient when try it myself

I have found it a thousand times harder to color digitally than traditionally. I'm I the only one or is this a universal fact?

it can go either or. even if the results end up the same, the tools for each are different and require different techniques. like any other form of art, it all boils down to how determined you are to persistently practice and experiment. eventually you'll get used to all the fancy-smancy buttons and improve.

I don't have any tutorials, but I think it'd be a good idea to watch speed paints on youtube, like the one below. even if you're not getting a detailed run-down, you can still see how it's done and then experiment yourself.

though i must say if you're trying to use SAI then Ru3na's coloring is useful..
and make sure the image size is big.. cuz the out come is really good start with light or mid grey as base color that way your eyes wont hurt.. just in my opinion..

SAI is a good one.. and so is Photoshop.. i use both.. =___=

Rubberrazorz, you're most certainly right. Thank you, SAI looks great.

No problemo. I'm trying to learn digital coloring myself, so best luck to the both of us.

Looking at tutorials and process videos is a good way to get an idea of how to do things, but really you're only going to learn by going into your program of choice (albeit photoshop, SAI, opencanvas, painter etc) and just experimenting with the tools and processes.

If you're familiar with how to color with traditional mediums then coloring on the computer isn't much different.

Not sure if you have a tablet, but they are certainly helpful. Wacom has a number of tablets that are extremely good quality (I myself have an Intuos 4 and have had a 3 and 2 in the past). A couple of my friends have used Graphires (they're a bit outdated) and I know that the Bamboo tablets work just as well for a significantly less price.

My suggestion to you is to just scan or find a doujin or manga page and open it up and start coloring. If you run into any specific issues there are tons of tutorials and resources on websites like DevaintART, Youtube, etc.