And now, what you've all been waiting for...
Lara Croft from "Tomb Raider", published in PSM Magazine -- Adobe Photoshop, 1998

You've begged, you've pleaded, you've offered me bribes, and
now it's finally here -- a short tutorial in computer coloring
available to everyone on the web for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!  YAY!
Now, at the moment this page is setup with the raw basics, but with
time I'll include little extra tutorials on filters and other techniques,
so just keep your hats on. Here's the finished product for
you to view (click on her to make her grow)


NOTE : this tutorial is currently out of date, I'll make a new one
demonstrating more current techniques when time becomes available.
It is currently best for those who don't have access to Layers or
aren't entirely comfortable with their use.

Materials and system specs --
Okay, to give you folks an idea of what I used to do my work ,here's the system layout when I made this piece in 1998 (alongside it are my current specs). 
Don't worry if your's doesn't match it in power -- even if it's a little slower than the minimum specs, you should still be fine ^_^.
  • Pentium 200 MMX (now a P4 1.7GHZ)
  • 64 MB of RAM (now 512 MB of RAM)
  • 8 Gigs of harddrive space (now 120 Gigs of harddrive space)
  • an UMAX Vista-S6E scanner (now an UMAX Astra 4400 scanner)
  • a 2 MB graphics card (now a 64 MB GeoForce 3)
  • A 6"x8" Wacom tablet  (NOTE : the Wacom tablet is your best friend!  If you can afford one get one! I'm STILL using the same tablet after all this time)
  • Adobe Photoshop 4.0 -- this is a must for this tutorial ,kids! (I currently use Photoshop 5.5)

(a digital tablet, your best friend)

Now, choose your path into the world
of basic CGI coloring !!!

-- click on the images below to go to each tutorial lesson! --

Step One -- Conceieve her!  Draw her!
You have to start off somewhere.  Get your idea set up and draw!
Step Two -- Ink her and take her in!
How to scan, what dpi's to use, and what format is best for you!
Step Three -- Select your channels!
You're gonna need to seperate your pic into pieces and this is the way to do it!
Step Four -- Fill in the blanks!
Just like paint by numbers, minus the numbers...  Trust me, this is EASY!
Step Five -- Get to shading!
The REAL meat of the story -- give your pics some depth with the world of dodge and burn!
Step Six -- Get your background in check!
You want a photorealistic background?  Just jump in here!
Step Seven -- Put 'em together!
Layers are your friends.  This is how to match your friends together (matchmaker, matchmaker...) ^_^.
Step Eight -- Write on it!
For that final touch o' informative art, nothing says anything like words!