Adding color to sketches

The only coloring I do is with a red pen. Which is pretty limiting but it looks neat in the end.

I usually colour my sketches (or even the cool sculptures on here) with Photoshop, I find this really easy to do and you don't really have to worry about messing up your previous work and at the same time I will usually edit the actual line art for the sketch as well. I usually scan my line art into photoshop, adjust the brightness and then maybe trace over the work a little with a translucent black brush on a separate layer, incase some of the details are missing. Then I'll add another layer for my colouring, which I'll set to the colour layer style; This allows the colour in the layer to be applied to all layers beneath it, but it won't have any affect on the brightness/darkness of the layers. Then I'll probably make one or two layers beneath that colour layer to fill in the line art so that the blank spaces aren't too bright or dark.

try doing the sketch a secon time so you have the original as a reference, this way you can correct. And if youre painting, take the time to sketch it several times, and when it comes time to do the painting do it very lightly. Whta specific mediums are you doing it in? And color theory will help a lot. What colors are you using, raitos to negative and complimentary?

The most important thing in a picture representing depth is value. Are you adding color to line drawings or fully valued-out paintings?

Start out lightly. It won't look that good at first but it'll get better as you build on top of it and add more layers. Also check [url=http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/mediums/colored-pencils-drawing-techniques.html]this[/url] website out.

Tips on coloring – using [i]what[/i],on [i]what[/i]? You've told us nothing about where you're falling short in your process [i]or even what your process is[/i]! We don't even know if you're doing digital or analog!

I convert my drawings to digital art... Yes, I have a sketchbook full of Sangheili.

Do you have anything to share that would give us a visual starting point? I'm not the greatest colorist but (as you mentioned) values are SUPER important. May be a good idea to get comfortable with just grey tones. You will be able to work with light sources easier with just grey tones (IMO). Plus if you're doing digital work you can just use the grey base as your value and then work on your colors on top. Is there a specific goal you are working towards with your coloring? Concept Art, Comic Book Art, Painted Landscapes, Media? Knowing the goal may help ease into the proper training.