How to Color Dark Areas of a Comic Strip

Comic book art might look simple, but nothing could be further from the truth. Shading is the element that allows your drawing to appear three dimensional. Create images that spring to life. It requires artistic talent, technique and lots of patience.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Sketch the basic images that you would like to appear in your drawing. Make sure that you sketch very lightly with a pencil so that you can erase any stray or accidental marks.

2. View your sketch from a distance to ensure that all of the characters' body parts are consistent and proportional. It's important that you're sure of this before you start to use ink.

3. Trace over your pencil sketch with black ink. It's best to use a fine tip ball point pen for tiny details.

4. Erase any visible pencil marks after you trace the drawing with the pen. Make sure that your drawing appears clean and precise before you begin the shading process.

5. Determine the light source in this particular image. Fill-in the areas that aren't within the path of the light.

6. Shade these darkened areas in the comic strip with the black pen. Create the dark areas by drawing criss-cross lines that overlap one another. Crosshatching creates the illusion of a shadowing effect in your drawing.

Tips & Warnings

• For realistic shading of your image, keep the background simple. However, include contrast in your background. Avoid a background that is all light or all dark.