03 Nov Photoshop Coloring Tutorial: Color a Cartoon Character Step by Step

Color a Cartoon Character in Photoshop the Way Professionals Do

This Photoshop coloring tutorial takes a mascot from black lines to finished color in nine steps. It is the same layer-by-layer method I use for client mascots, so every color can be changed in seconds when the client asks for it.

Each step comes with images and a narrated video. The first steps go slowly and explain every click; the later ones move faster and focus on the technique.

What You Need

• Photoshop: any version. The screenshots are from CS6, but every tool works the same today.
• Mouse or tablet: the first steps use vector tools and gradients, so a mouse is enough. A pen tablet makes the rest faster.
• The files: the lineart in PSD and the Photoshop action to extract it, free to download below, plus the finished layered PSD in the last step.

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Extracting the Lineart

Download the drawing and open it in Photoshop. It was drawn digitally, so the lines are clean and easy to color.

First we separate the black lines from the white background. With all the lines on their own transparent layer, you can paint underneath them and recolor them later.

Flat Colors Template

I paint each element of a character separately, so I make lots of selections. A "Flat colors" layer under the lineart lets you plan the color scheme and select any area with a single click of the Magic Wand.

1. Select an area with the Magic Wand (W).
2. Expand the selection 3 px (Select > Modify > Expand) so the color goes under the line and leaves no white edges.
3. On the "Flat colors" layer, fill the selection with the Paint Bucket (G).
4. Repeat with every area, then lock the layer so you don't paint on it by accident.

With "Sample All Layers" checked, the Magic Wand selects through every layer; unchecked, only the active one. CTRL + H hides the selection's dashed line when it gets in the way.

• Plan ahead: picture the finished character and define the color scheme before filling.
• Medium tones: not too saturated or grey, not too light or dark, so there is room for light and shadow.
• Clear contrast: neighboring areas should be easy to tell apart.
• Harmony: choose colors that work together; Adobe Color helps you build a palette.

Painting Simple Areas: the Eyes

I paint lights and shadows on separate layers. When a client asks for a color change, every layer can be adjusted in seconds without repainting anything.

We start with the eyes, using only the mouse, vector tools and gradients. Before painting, decide where the light comes from: here it comes from the top, slightly to the left.

Shadows

We want coherent volume, not realism. Concentric shadows look mechanical: with the light at the top, the shadow is thicker at the bottom.

Create a group called "Eyes" with a "Shadows" layer inside. Select the eyeball on the "Flat colors" layer and paint a hard shadow in a darker blue (#5482cf) with the vector tools.

Soften the edge with a large soft brush, painting from far away. The edge should blur without disappearing, which gives the eye a glassy look.

General Light

On a new "Lightness" layer under "Shadows", drag a white-to-transparent gradient from top to bottom, without covering the whole eye.

Reflected Light

On a "Reflected light" layer, paint a white outline that doesn't fully cover the shadow. Then soften its inner edge with the Eraser (E) until it is slightly transparent.

Try CTRL + U on each of the three layers: shifting their hue is the fastest way to explore new color combinations.

The Pupils

Create a "Pupils" group above the "Lineart" layer and paint each pupil on three layers.

• Pupil: paint the shape in blue (#10a3f8).
• Glow: a radial gradient in the same blue, with the layer in Linear Dodge mode.
• Glass: a slightly oval ellipse with a white-to-transparent gradient.

Coloring the Lineart

Create a "Color hold" layer above "Lineart". A colored line brings the illustration to life: same hue as the area it surrounds, just a bit darker.

CTRL + click the "Lineart" thumbnail to select the lines, go to "Color hold" and paint the eye lines in a dark blue (#223171). The line blends with the eye but still reads clearly.

Complex Areas: the History Brush

The eyes are a simple round volume. Complex shapes need a more advanced tool: the History Brush, which paints with a past state of your image.

Think of it as an undo you can paint on just one area. If the eyes looked better three hours ago, you set that snapshot as the source and paint back only the eyes. Lower the brush opacity and you get a partial undo that blends both versions.

A Practical Example

It is perfect for complex gradients, built in stages that protect what is already finished. Try it:

1. Create a gradient.
2. Set that state as the History Brush source (the box to its left in the History panel).
3. Create a second gradient in another color on top.
4. Paint with the History Brush: only the second gradient is undone.

The Eraser would remove both gradients; the History Brush works as a selective eraser.

When the History Brush Doesn't Work

• One layer: it works on one layer at a time.
• Same layer: the layer must exist in both the source state and the current one. Merging, deleting or creating layers breaks it.
• Limited history: Photoshop keeps a set number of states. Raise it in Edit > Preferences > Performance, or take snapshots.
• Both directions: if you step back in history, the brush paints from the "future".

Every time you finish a stage, set it as the source and take a snapshot. Here are the teeth painted with this technique:

Very Complex Areas: the Skin

With the eyes you learned to color by layers, and with the teeth to build complex volume. From here, practice is the only secret: with time you start to see the volume before you paint it.

A quick color sketch helps before painting large areas. Don't worry too much about the exact colors: CTRL + U adjusts any layer later.

This is the order I usually follow, but the number of layers is up to you. I painted one arm, then duplicated it, flipped it and adjusted it.

Hair with Layer Blending Modes

Realistic hair would look out of place. The technique is the same as for the skin, just more organic: follow the direction of the lines.

To add color variation, use the layer blending modes in the menu at the top left of the Layers panel. A layer in Multiply mode, painted where the hair should be darker, gives a two-tone fur in seconds.

Multiply flattens the volume a little, so further layers bring it back, like the reflected light.

Change the blending mode and color of the "FX" and "FX Mask" layers to see other results.

Wood with Brush Blending Modes

The trophy base gets a simple wood texture. Brush blending modes work like layer modes, but only on the pixels you paint over within the same layer.

1. Paint overlapping strokes in dark brown (#672a15) with the brush in Screen mode to create the grain.
2. Darken it with a flat color layer (#7b3619) in Multiply mode.
3. On another layer, paint a soft black gradient on each side of the base.
4. On a new layer, paint a semi-transparent hard edge on each side in a light color (#a07e63) for a glossy finish.
5. Add a soft central gradient in the same color and lower its opacity.

Painting Shiny Metal

Clean metal reflects a lot of light. It reads as metal through strong contrast: wide soft gradients next to sharp, hard edges.

To lock a layer's pixels, use the first lock icon in the Layers panel. You can then repaint the shape in another color without painting outside it, as if you had a selection mask.

The lineart is one more part of the illustration: darken it where you want it to stand out and lighten it where it gets in the way of the volume.

Final Details

All that's left is the mouth, the nose and the medal, painted with the same technique.

At the end you have one group per element. Changing the color of each layer is a good exercise to find new color schemes for the same character.

The Final Result

Here is the mascot with the nine steps put together. Open the PSD and switch the layers on and off to see how each step builds on the one before.

Reader Versions

Readers colored this same lineart with the tutorial. One drawing, one technique, and every version ends up with its own personality.

Colored it yourself? Email your version to [email protected] and it joins the gallery. If you get stuck on a step, ask in the comments below.