How to Paint Anime in Adobe Photoshop CS3
The Asian anime influence on the United States may be felt just about everywhere--movies, comic books, posters and even clothing. Anime is a vibrant and detailed 2-D style of artwork, but even the most beginner anime enthusiast can start creating work. Make use of your computer’s Photoshop CS3 software, a graphics program filled with tools, colors and filters that will help you paint anime and truly get “spirited away.”
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Instructions
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Open Photoshop, click “File” and select “New.” Name the file “MyAnime” and set your preferred dimensions, such as 8.5- by 11-inches. Pull down the “Mode” menu and click “RGB Color.” Click the “White” button under the “Contents” section and click the “OK” button. A blank white canvas appears on the screen.
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Click the “New Layer” icon, which looks like a bent sticky note, on the “Layers” palette on the right side of the screen. A new Layer 1 appears on the list.
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Double-click the top-left square of the “Color Picker,” which is the two overlapping colored boxes on the “Tools” palette. Select black and click “OK.”
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Click the “Paintbrush” tool, pull down the “Brush” menu at the top of the screen and select a solid, round brush head such as #19. Draw the outline of your anime character, such as a schoolgirl or a furry creature.
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Double-click the “Color Picker” again and select a neon color. If you don’t like any of the available hues, click the “Define custom colors” button, choose from the rainbow and click “OK.” Click the “Paint Bucket” tool and click inside the drawing, which fills with the color.
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Switch back to the black paint color, reduce your brush head to #1 and fill in accents on the design, such as the character’s facial features. Many anime characters have very large eyes, so be sure to leave room for them if your character is facing you in the image.
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Continue to change brush heads and paint colors to add designs to the anime, such as neon pink hair color, yellow fur or accessories such as a wand or books.
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You can also give the anime a shadow so it appears in 3-D, hovering on the page, by double-clicking the Layer 1 line on the “Layers” palette to bring up the “Layer Style” window. Check the “Drop Shadow” box to instantly add a shadow to the character. Check the “Outer Glow,” “Inner Glow” or both boxes to make the character seem as if it is lit from behind. Click the “OK” button.
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Increase the neon color of the entire anime design by pulling down the “Image” menu, clicking “Adjustments” and selecting “Hue/Saturation.” Move the “Saturation” slider bar to the right; the further you move the bar, the more your design appears cartoon-like and vivid. Click “OK” when satisfied.
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Click the right-pointing triangle in a circle at the top of the “Layers” palette. Select “Flatten Image.” Pull down the “File” menu, click “Save As” and save your design to the computer.
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Tips & Warnings
Another option for painting anime in Photoshop, if you don’t want to start from scratch or aren’t feeling as artistic, is to bring in your favorite picture or scan from a comic book and recreate it yourself. To do this, simply open the file in Photoshop (“File,” “Open” then “Browse”), then convert it to black and white (“Image,” “Mode” then “Grayscale”). You’ll then have an image that is ready for you to re-imagine with your own blazing neon colors and designs; just remember to save it with another name so you can always access your original.
References
- Photo Credit Angry one image by AirMan from Fotolia.com
