This time, as the third tip to level up your work, we'll explain "coloring backgrounds with depth." Let's build a sense of perspective and take your work to the next level.
Continuing from last time, here is the line art we'll be using.
>> Line art of the Butterfly Girl
We offer both a downloadable version you can print and color right away, and a version already printed on paper made especially for coloring. Please check out whichever suits you best.
Now, let's get started!
■ Tips to Level Up Your Work
The key to raising the quality of your work is adding a little "extra" on top of the basic coloring technique.
We've broken this down into three parts in this series.
The first was "adding subtle color variations."
The second was "how to color areas without line art."
And now for the third and final part, we'll introduce "coloring backgrounds with depth."
Last time, we colored up through the figure. This time, we'll fully color in the background as well, taking the overall world of the piece up a notch.
If you're unsure about how to color backgrounds, please also check out our other lessons on "basic coloring" and "coloring skies."
>> Basic Background Coloring Techniques
>> How to Draw a Sunset Sky and Sea
■ Understanding "Depth" in Line Art
A coloring page is flat as long as it stays line art, but adding layers of color creates a sense of dimension.
In this line art, we can break the piece into 7 layers, from front to back:
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Frontmost: the braided hair
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Clothing
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Skin and face
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Hair behind the ears (further back than the face)
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Butterfly wings
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Butterflies in the background
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Background frame
Keeping these 7 layers in mind as you add color creates a finish with real dimension.
The piece is already complete enough at this stage, but in the finished example on the right, sparkle and small white circles are added even in front of the braided hair, and small points of light are also added further in the background, adding more layers of perspective for a deeper sense of depth.
We tend to think "background = the back," but this time the key point is "adding light and circles even in front."
Adding this "extra" step after you've fully colored the line art results in a more vivid, polished piece.
■ Tools Used
This time, we'll use the following tools. We recommend using colored pencils with good white pigmentation.
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Colored pencils
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Eraser
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White pen
■ Why Color the Background Densely
To make the sparkle and white circles we'll add at the end really stand out, it's very important to color the background densely and thoroughly. If the color is too light, the white won't stand out and the finished quality will suffer.
Rather than coloring dark in one pass, layering light coats on top of each other gives a more even, cleanly dark finish. Keep the dimension of the flowers and leaves in mind too, coloring while balancing color and shadow.
As you color the background black, it starts to blend in with the black of the butterfly wings, so erase around the wings once to create a white outline.
Do the same around the figure, erasing to leave a white gap. A pen-type eraser is handy for this.
Ideally, color the background thoroughly enough that you can no longer see the white specks of the paper.
■ The Extra Step: Adding Light and Sparkle
Once the background is colored, it's finally time for the extra step.
First, use a white pen to add dots around the white outline you erased.
Rather than just outlining, this creates the effect of light radiating outward.
Next, use an electric eraser to erase small circles over the hair, creating specks of light. Electric erasers can erase cleanly even over densely colored areas.
Color over them with a white pencil and add shadow around them for a more three-dimensional sparkle.
Add fine dots with a white pen over the hair as well for extra sparkle. This instantly makes the piece more vivid and eye-catching.
■ Adding Depth with "Soft Round Glows" in the Background
Draw soft, fluffy circles (orbs of light) in the background.
Varying their size creates depth and movement.
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Draw circles in light blue or light purple
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Erasing a bit first makes it easier for color to go on
The reasons for adding color are:
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To distinguish the white in the background from the white in the foreground
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To make the light in the foreground stand out more
That's it.
Color softly over the circles with a white pencil, leaving a bit of color on the outside, to make them look like they're glowing softly.
For the white pen, we're using a brush-type pen called "Milky Brush." It's easy to control the shading with, making the sparkle look more realistic.
>> Milky Brush (Amazon)
Keep adding white circles and sparkle while checking the overall balance.
To finish, make final adjustments such as:
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Deepening the shadows
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Filling in any areas that feel lacking
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Lightening any areas that feel too heavy
to bring everything together.
■ Finished (Summary)
The whole piece now has more layers of perspective, with both depth and vividness increased.
This wraps up our 3-part series on tips to level up your work.
If you haven't seen Parts 1 and 2 yet, please check those out too.
We hope you'll enjoy experimenting with different variations of these techniques in your future work.
Please share your colored pieces on the official Nuri-Iro website's "Everyone's Coloring" page — we'd love to see them.
We look forward to your comments and requests for future videos.