TUTORIAL
Version 2
Written By Subbykins
Ok one of the best ways to learn how to do something is to watch someone do it and since you can't be at my house to actually watch me paint, I'm scanning a cel I'm painting step by step so you can see how it's done.The picture I'll be using is of Misato from Evangelion.I'll start off with a description and put the pics at the bottom of the page.
Ok, Well to start with here is a list of materials
Acetate(transparency film can be purchased at office supply stores it works fine and is cheap. If you want something more professional you can buy cel sheets at art stores)
Paint(Acrylic paint will work as but cel paints can be purchased at art stores i believe it's vinyl paint )
Thin Black Paint Marker(deco color ones are pretty good) for outlining(optional you can also use a fine brush)
Good Brushes
Your sketch
Palate for mixing paints
A light table if you have access to one but there are ways around that
Rubber cement
Time( a resource I often lack)
Well first of all we start with our sketch or sketch.I'm not going tell you how to draw your picture cause everyone does differently; but i can offer a shading tip.If you look at mine you'll see I used different colored pencils to show where to shade and highlight.That isn't nesecary in fact I only do it like that sometimes but it is helpful actually.
Ok well now first you'll want to get a mirror image of your picture.(I recomend using whatever image editing program you have mirror it and use a print out for your cel, unless of course you have access to a light table.By the way i tried using a lamp with a small watt bulb under a glass top table DO NOT do that it still gets really hot just like an easy bake oven)Well anyway place a sheet of transparency over your sketch(use a little rubber cement to hold it in place) and trace the outline with either your fine line brush or paint marker.oh here's a tip for you deco color pens are pretty permanent, but if you mess up rubber cement will remove it. Be sure to only trace the outline not the shading lines.Well after you have your outline traced and that's dry(dries much quicker with a paint pen; you're ready to begin filling it in with paint.
I recomend painting any small areas in your first few layers.(like small shadows the with parts of the eyes ect...) Some shades of paint may be thicker and require less coats while thinner paint requires more coats.After you get a good solid coat you can move on to a larger area.I recomend doing it this way so you can paint over the small areas when filling in the larger parts;because well that's the easiest way to me.
Ok so now you're ready to paint in the large areas remember never paint two touching areas at the same time! Let the paint dry before you paint any two places that touch; otherwise it's very likely some of the paint will mix together and blur or get on your brush and streak into another color ruining all your hard work(yep I said it work hope I didn't ruin your perspective new hobby with that evil word)
Ok so now just go through painting color after color coat after coat until your finished. The amount of time this will take you is really going to vary.Different coats will dry faster than others. If you paint several different(non-touching) areas at once it won't take as long.Not to mention the actual time you spend painting and drawing. If you draw really fast and have nothing else to do but work on your cel(yeah I'm living in a dream world huh.)it will still probably take you at least a couple of days if you have a hectic schedule like me it can take up to a week or two sometimes. Expect your first few cels to take longer then once you get the hang of it it'll go much quicker.
Ok now on to the pictures.Most pictures are taken from the back side of the cel(the side you paint on) so it may look a little weird i'll throw in a couple of scans of the front every now and then so you can see the progress.
