NEW 4-LAYER coloring method 🤯 (works in any software)

[@YTartschool]

This week it's time to show you guys what my hours of research have led to, getting my coloring method down to 4 single layers. Easy to memorize, easy to do in any software, no special tool needed, just basic software knowledge. Now.. it's YOURS ❤ (for the small price of a like or a sub)

[@TheLobstersoup]

Idk if I wanna join your artschool. Everytime you start a lesson there seem to be fire and explosions going on outside.

[@moviereelnews]

this is a game changer for me. thanks marc

[@ShadowWind82]

There is no file from this video in Practice Files Download

[@moozey11]

If anyone knows what the equivalent of this is for Krita, let me know. Also, I have been looking for some better brushes for Krita, especially for shading.

[@Fessoid]

Looks like 3D-modelling character in Blender! Awesome.

[@LEONGREF]

Your shading is so good it looks like a 3d model

[@nycsim-r8t]

Marc was a 3D artist in the video game industry.

[@envyoc]

illustrating is basically 3d modelling in 2d

[@victorynachi2603]

Honestly

[@agwynsatria9165]

Frfr

[@AlainBoudard]

Yeah, it's really awesome.

[@RickyAY031]

your shading make it look like I'm learning Blender now, it's so cool

[@userunfriendly9304]

sometimes if I'm unsure of a reflection I'm drawing, I'll toss a rough mock-up into blender just to make sure.

[@MJWolverine21]

When Marc comes to the shading step I raise my both hands and I am like, nah.. I give up.

[@kuromiLayfe]

hehe… for shading as shown in this video.. think of the darkest shade to come from the line art lines towards a lighter shade at a center point. I used to use the smudge tool when trying this with only 3 layers (one guided line art layer, a thicker lined layer as the shading layer and a vector coloring layer)

[@TsubasaAnimations]

Think of the parts as 3D shapes and start with big strokes that way. Shade the head like a circle and the limbs like cylinders. Then you can start adding the finer details like the shadow under the eyes, nose, lips etc. It's not as complicated once you get into it

[@MangroveLord]

dont give up!

[@ArylideL]

0:15 thought you had hair for a second with those pencils behind your ears

[@jj.vargasmusic5019]

Same

[@winxpusr]

this half shading brush is genius, can't believe I didn't think of something like this before

[@Hannah-fo3bc]

it may look small but honestly Marc taking the time to show how it looks in csp and not just photoshop is really thoughtful of him. so now I have stored knowledge too for when I try csp someday. One more thing that goes unnoticed is it's also beginner friendly BECAUSE it makes the most of four layers. There are many people out there who have basic set-ups that can't really handle a lot of layers, especially beginner artists. I was one myself. Used a very light program called Paint Tool SAI and yet my laptop back then couldn't handle more than a few layers. Of course Marc's experience will show, of course your first few tries won't magically look like his, that ISN'T the point. The point was to show you how, it's not telling you to achieve it at his level. Focus on the process and take time to apply it to your own style. It'll always be awkward at first, because that's how learning is. Thank you for being thoughtful sir, and thank you for your free content. Cheering for you! 💕

[@mattparsons433]

I’ve been religiously sticking to your similar earlier method (lines, flats, shading, lighting & effects but without the inner glow and red shading) and it’s been super helpful. I’ve seen some artists do time-lapse painting which while looking great, use hundreds of layers. This method is so much simpler for equal effect. I’ll be sure to try out this new method, many many thanks for sharing!

[@LISA.WANG.]

1:17 It is stuff like THIS that I can never wrap my head around. More than theory and technique of what to do, I have no clue how to organize my layers and what the modes do. Thank you for this!

[@NaughtMax]

I stole this method from you a while ago and often get told it looks like 3D, which is funny because I’m primarily a 3D artist XD. But I also want to add if you’re struggling with soft shadows it can be helpful to do the first layer as a simplified cell shaded version, then using either lasso or mask to different sections and using Gaussian blur and smudge tools to just uniform forms, from there you can adjust the curves or gradient maps to refine how shiny or reflective it is. This method is very similar to good 3D renders with multiple different lighting passes to get a really crisp outcome

[@lunafox5571]

I'm scared to try drawing in 1 layer immediately, (though technically i draw with 1 layer everytime whenever i draw traditionally lol) maybe i can try with this 4 layer technique first :D As always.. Thank you Marc for the quality content!

[@mauricioalbelo]

Al principio te dan cosa, pero es como dijo samdoesart: "Sal de tu zona de confort". Personalmente, aceleró mucho mí ritmo de trabajo el colorear todo en una capa. 😎👍🏻

[@lunafox5571]

@@mauricioalbelo you're correct 💯 I've tried couple times before drawing in 1 layer digitally but whenever the result start looking good, i'm afraid to continue and refine it so i never finish it. But like you said, i should get out of my comfort zone and make more mistakes so i can improve faster, thanks 👍

[@mauricioalbelo]

@@lunafox5571 Lo que yo hago es que primero hago el fondo, lo trabajo, despues el personaje. Despues podes aplicar efectos y luces en otras capas como en este video si te parece bien. No hay reglas absolutas, ya demostraste confianza haciendo todo en una capa? No pasa rayos, luces, polvo en otra capa. En mi caso tardaba dias por detallista. El ultimo trabajo que me hice entre 5 - 8 horas. Pero porque era mas detallado.

[@nomoretwitterhandles]

13 years ago when I started my art journey, the only things I had were my sketchbooks and my 3DS art app. Since the 3DS/app was limited in certain capabilities, I only had 5 layers to work with. The great thing about art is that you can always find creative ways to break out of those limitations. I ended up improving really quickly, and even now I keep my layers minimal. It feels cleaner that way. I'll never understand how some artists can stand having over 50 layers, let alone hundreds!

[@deafinki]

Colors! 3D was freaking awesome. Honestly that 5 layer limit actually forced people to get more creative within those constraints. I kind of miss it, lol.

[@CyberPolygon2077]

It is very easy to get over 100 layers. You paint the character details individually as additional objects that you can hide and replace at any time. Ok, that's been my way so far so as not to have to concentrate on details at first and only add them at the end.

[@drawingcomics]

Thanks for sharing this process, Marc. I like that your art style removes the line layer.

[@Tinopachanga]

This is literally the meme of "Step 1: Do the lines. Step 2: Add in the details". Your experience makes this look so easy 😭

[@DeterminationV5]

Look, some guides are targeted towards intermediary to advanced artists. Even though beginners can extract info from this if they try, this is targeting intermediary to advanced. Try checking out his guide on shading or line, since these go from the ground up line by line detailing the initial process.

[@migovas1483]

Another blast! I totally agree about people should know their tools, and fiddle with them and don't expect settings to be found ready everywhere, people should learn how to build their brushes ,customize, professional environment is tough, sometimes you are given tools you are not used to.. and you are expected to easily transfer your skill... be prepared.

[@otakuking69]

My main connections that that with all the shading on one layer, you're likely using just one brush for shading. I often like to change brushes to give different texture to different materials

[@justinmeisse]

Nice 👍 I'm going to apply this to 3D coat for character model painting.

[@kirahhdrop]

“And my lines are a mess…” Ngl SYAU 😭 ITS PERFECT TO ME-

[@reversamente]

this is the way. i do something similar, but usually add more layers (for example i like to add layer for just the ambient occlusion shadows) i also find very helpful to create, instead of layers, groups, you can add a clipping mask to the whole group. After i paint the falts, i create a groups and select the flats and turn it into a clipping mask for the group. The way in the video is really clean, i like it too.

[@NatureMedStudio]

I have a BFA in Biomedical Art and I feel like I learned more from this than I did some of my classes in college! This is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@BaseBasvic]

Best short digital painting video I have seen in a while, wish I could afford the reasonably priced art school!! Maybe later…. THANK YOU for all of these!!!

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Breaking things down like this is super smart.

[@Kiseriru]

I will try this method in a future drawing - I just finished a group drawing with way to many layers since I didn't know a better method. Thank you for this tutorial 🥰

[@FUMOangelo]

Ever thought about setting your default background color to beige ~ gray , just a suggestion and not mentioning it because my eyes are wasted or anything at all Thanks for everything in general, Marc

[@jovannydiazabad6123]

Something I forgot to add is that when doing shading and planning your value structure you can use a rule of thumb that says "for an object outdoors and in direct sunlight, surrounded by dark surfaces, the shaded area is 60% of the value of the sunlit side."

[@Kcolonel_69]

I want to learn this technique and use this in my freelance projects

[@naruh0draw2]

Thank you so much, I've begun 3d shading since 3 week, I always have difficulty but it's easier with your video. Encore merci Marc Brunet

[@Redmoon074]

Im glad you've made it open source

[@YTartschool]

😛

[@orionvin]

fun fact (in csp at least, should work the same in photoshop) hard light makes it possible to shade and light on the same layer :D if the value of your color is above 50%, hard light will lighten. if it is below 50%, it will darken. makes it possible to use even LESS layers 👀

[@YTartschool]

I you could but I don’t recommend that for this method, there are many reasons why I keep them separate ;)

[@vergil620]

That took long enough, but finally here it comes.

[@smuglady3606]

the art community really can't thank you enough for all the work you do for free on your channel, this from someone who is a slow learner and who needs to go a little further to learn how to do this things ❤ I don't think it goes without saying but keep it up!

[@akitsuneke]

Dude! Thanks so much! I KNEW I was missing something from my workflow, it was the last step that changes the muddiness from my workflow! It's like, such a small step but changes SO much man!

[@Zatroth]

Yeah I view this technique years ago in the collage, but forgot the exact procedure, since then I stuck on adobe illustrator doing basic vector graphics, but finally I reunite with this beautiful technique!!! Thank You Marc and God Bless You!!!

[@JJay7042]

Im definitely gona try this, this looks awesome! Thank you very much for sharing

[@RodiaR-b3n]

It's just cool, thanks a lot, I hope it helps me draw better.

[@Spino8336]

omg.. i always struggle to fine a good way to colour! THANK U! omg i m usin ibisPaintX and not the same brush as urs..but i love it ! its a amazing style to colour thank u !

[@IncursorVerde]

Show us the path to wisdom (and not getting replaced by AI that quickly)

[@blackwarrior823]

How are you going to be replaced?

[@rafaelfernando5304]

AI Will not replace Human Works.

[@forvsol]

Sadly it already happened. If you look for job you can see many openings for "AI artist" for 2D games or concept art. My biggest nightmare came real when I saw "We are seeking AI comics artist". All those years of my practise are now worthless.

[@nycsim-r8t]

AI is replacing creatives in the industry. Making animation and video games is expensive. Not all of them, but a number of creatives. Animators, writers, voice actors, story board artists, concept artists, etc... There are interviews with execs including one from Pixar which discusses using AI for inbetweening and other tasks.

[@rafaelfernando5304]

@@nycsim-r8t big companies are doomed by AI and ideology. I think it's time for artists to Go independent. Depending on big companies Will bring nothing good, they simply don't Care about the artists anymore, Just like Instagram for example, banning artists every day or shadowbanning for no Reason at all.

[@seatongrey315]

Ok.....not going to lose it here....but I had this idea almost 100% two years ago...BUT....since I thought I was wrong or I didn't master or refine it I abandoned it. This is....wow .....you are right Marc...POWERFUL!!!! Just wow. I think I would like to ask though. Would you do a video for advice to those who are waiting to be validated by industry pros instead of trying their own things?

[@schminke89]

Pro tip: do the color layer first so you don't have to lasso everything in the shading and highlight stage but can select the seperate colors as seperate parts to shade

[@BlueFayt]

your videos from a couple of years ago convinced me to minimize down my layers to a handful and I've been so much happier working that way since! Thank you for all your work, it's very appreciated for us freelancers to learn from a professional like this!

[@Bajamanator]

I know it might seem small, but the pops u add when u toggle layers on and off or do other things that might be easily missed is super useful, thanks for those ^_^

[@mariocamarillo1206]

This is so damn good, It made me wanna try this method and get back it again at digital art. Awesome bro!

[@GDLRenoBlade]

I used to have 5 layers for each part/texture. Flat, soft shadows + drop shadows, lights + highlights. Even tried to separate full parts such as arms to have alternative poses...

[@Beolith_art]

I'm definitely going to be trying this out, trying to refine my processes and this looks like it could be just the method I need.

[@balorprice]

This blew my mind - it looks absolutely fabulous. I'm really excited to get more uniform looking pieces because I have zero consistency! Thank you so much Marc

[@prosebuds5124]

This process is straight up MAGIC I can’t wait to practice and master it!

[@dadich84]

I have to say, this is the best coloring tutorial I have seen so far. I did a piece for a job submission that I didn't end up getting and I wish I saw this before.

[@Starsandstardust]

One of my most favorite artists, you saved my anatomy and taught me color theory so easily I was almost baffled at how it took me so long to learn it despite how easy it was! I'm also learning from your shading techniques, and I feel like my art has never been greater! Thank you for providing us with your great knowledge, you're a miracle to beginners!

[@bergie8342]

This is one of the best digital art videos I’ve ever seen. It simplifies so much for me. I’ve always just messed with different shades of color and always disliked how it came out. Easily the best information you’ve given us in my opinion. Thank you Marc

[@gbartho]

After I learn how to draw I can give it a try. It was so awesome seeing the drawing come to life ❤️

[@Simply_Sketch]

You would not believe how EXTREMELY grateful I am for these free (aside from one like or one sub lol) YT art school classes. I currently saving up for your program, but watching these in the mean time has helped me drastically!!

[@phancanedoo013]

I find it GREAT that you've addressed this method! I happen to dislike both having too many layers and having too few layers, and 4 layers (or 5 with lineart) strikes a very nice balance for me personally. I do have one thing to ask though, and i find it to be a very big deal: HOW DO I LEARN TO BEST USE THE LASSO TOOL?!? So far, all i know about its usage is tracing the lines, but doing so across a bunch of sections of an art piece is so difficult, as i keep missing lines and such. What do i do about that?

[@lovebaltazar4610]

thank you for this comprehensive tutorial, your rendering is just stunning!

[@roadtothetop3932]

Looks like I need to update my process, thank you always mb

[@MyChemicalLove011]

Every time I watch one of your videos, I learn so much and my art improves every single time. THANK YOU 🙏

[@MargaretS-e1g]

when was the last time you drew traditionally? It would be cool to see a video of you trying it out again. (Amazing work BTW)

[@fwoggangidk]

Ain't - no - way. I'M GONNA NEED THIS.

[@lukydiamint]

Gonna try it right away bit still, the model / sketch much be very solid to fit this level of coloring / shading ^^

[@xanksauri89]

I have no ingenious comment, this is just good. Thanks for sharing this Marc, having a method to follow is such a big help. And thanks for the rest of the videos as well.

[@daffy_core]

this process is realy great base for having a stable default workflow with full control and amazing rendering results , yet complex scenarios and different compositions and environment will impact any drawing drasticly so dont forget to still improve beyond what you mastered like for example just think what would you have to do if theres a night scene lit by some fire aroud the character ? now its more and mroe complex and thats okay if you need to make something complex then yes you spend a lot of time matching the desired resutl but if you dont have to dont do this paingin as marc showed us and mostly do in his painting is lit by sun just a global illumination with one color and bounce light its simple but verry effective sometimes you wont even notice , so thank you again marc for this lesson again im truly messy person and i would have to dig this workflow to my brain since i stared when youre doing speedpaints with you square brush making messy stuff clean and this is what i learned and sticked with me but im grateful for everything i think truly wihout you i might quit drawing long time ago , not that i print amazing paintings like you can almost every day by 3 h but im trying even tho its not enought im sorry

[@OlgaGlassSilver]

Cool! I found it useful! Despite the fact that i'm from Russia. Here in Russia there are several old schools of drawing. One of them is the oldest folk craft Zhostovo. Their flowers are almost always drawn divinely beautifully! I also drew them myself and gave them as gifts to my family and not only. So this school uses the following steps of drawing: 1) Painting the background with color: sanguine, sepia, ocher, black, grassy gray-green, etc. All these colors are presented in the crayons of the classical school of drawing. 2) Lineart on the background, 3) Separation of objects from the background (white, beige), 4) Flat coloring the object, 5) Overlaying shadows, 6) Drawing light. 7) Reflections in the shadows (Ambient Occlusion), 8) Drawing hard white highlights and shadowless thin lines. Well, in general, the work is not left unfinished. if use it in cg. Why i didn'f guess it before and try to draw another way!?

[@jaden6805]

Thank you so much. It allowed me to make my best drawing for now

[@Kaimeno]

I know all the shading is practice practice practice, but DAAAANG yours is amazing!!!

[@ipa_stor]

Sorcerer🤣 like no words it looks so simple, i have to try it, thanks a lot mate!!!!

[@deddjay]

This is just the optimized method I needed! Great tutorial.

[@dafrelt]

I try this method in Krita and works like a charm, thanks for sharing it with all of us 🥰

[@YTartschool]

Glad it helped!

[@dsamurai4725]

If you have a continuous outline you can just select the outside of your sketch then inverse selection and id reduce the selection by a few pixels. Just make a new layer and fill in with a solid color. Voila

[@jackypaschan1]

Best video ever done for a simple yet effective process. Thx a lot. Have you already done or planned a video on how to draw objects like swords, desks, buildings and every other object that is "non organic" and submitted to perspective? I know how to draw those kinds of things and use perspective manually with pen and paper, but I can't find any good way to do it digitally, it's always a p*** in the ***...

[@juanangulo555]

you make it seem so easy and simple

[@conaiz]

Thank you for this universal coloring update. Especially your solution with coloring the shading layer. I am a bit astonished that you actually prefer removing the lineart, because of the perceived emphasis on the lineart/polishing lineart in the past.

[@YTartschool]

Lineart was just a phase that started 3-4 years ago, it was always painted like this before ;) just visiting an older style

[@pimpiriwin]

Gracias! He estado practicando esto de manera instintiva hasta ahora 😅 con estos tips SEGURO mejora mi velocidad 🧙🏼‍♀️

[@krissteinz1728]

Thank you so much for this Marc! Very helpful

[@batman313rd]

Thanks I can't wait to try this!

[@fleity]

Really nice and structured approach, plus lends itself very well to be made into a game engine shader as it shares some ideas with how pbr rendering works :D

[@nulldata9832]

Your shading is so cool it made me question my decision to learn drawing and think about getting into 3D with Blender instead.

[@ASEC21]

greatest teacher and artist on youtube, hands down!

[@chaoswolf7976]

Mhm. Well structured. Simple and not unnecessary overcomplicatet. Room for some personal “touch“. Definitly helpful ^^ Mayyyybe you could give us some tipps, on base of this method if possible, how to get a more paintet look as result? Would be much appreciatet :)

[@betraid]

Good job, looks like stylized 3d model printscreen with all this lighting and shadows u painted.

[@anthonycadette]

this was very insightful I learn a lot from this video and I'm going to us that bush for shading now thank again marc you rock man.

[@amirs7917]

Shading on this does indeed look outrageous. Amazing tutorial, though I have a question about the shading. That step of your process has always confused me. Mainly what are you considering as your light source when shading, since the actual lighting step (main light source) seems to be different than what is used for shading.

[@PedroLaraSalazar]

This is a great method for quick rendering. For me your method of Gradient Maps has been career changing! Is the greatest method, with a gradient map I can have same results, but the lighter parts could be more yellowish and the darker more towards to purple and looks like a complex painting method but in reality is very simple, that's the best method so far. Thanks for sharing!

[@YTartschool]

Different methods for different goals :D happy it’s been helpful!

[@efemji]

this totally changed my mindset. thank you mr youtube art school

[@cmdrhatchy9611]

4 layer style using 7 layers. The last trick with changing the colour of the skin shading never occurred to me before, I shall try that out. I mostly use the comic style 'cut and grad' method when I'm not painting, so it's process is a little different.

[@TrườngNam-g9k]

Hello. This method is absolutely amazing. It helps me to reduce layers as many as I can since I use many layers for each part of the human body and materials. Anyway, this way is mainly fine for drawing a portrait like ONE character in a singer frame. For some beginners who wants to jump to this method, consider adding them into a group folder if you draw many objects. And if you draw a scene, background or environment, also consider before applying, since there would be many layers you are handling for a background. For a game artists who draw assets, group layers if you don't want to lose the layers you are drawing.

[@Odincraft-j6v]

All I can say is thank you Sensei Marc! I hope I get as good at digital painting as you someday!

[@rolanpriela2627]

Wow. And to think this is free Talking about content here. Amazing as always Marc!

[@evgenator1334]

This is the greatest coloring tutorial ever!!!

[@exeopro410]

Marc, you're a freaking genuis.

[@UnWinnable-y4m]

Love the process. Very instructive. Loving it!

[@snowdragon9577]

These intros are getting more outrageous by the video! I love them tho :P Am gonna add this to my list of art learning videos as always!

[@EosChill]

Thanks a lot for sharing all these great tips master ❤ Your videos are always full of splendid artworks and super helpful information showcased in a fun and pleasant way for the audience.

[@samashicorp]

I loved your method, I'm going to put it into practice.

[@heckensteiner4713]

Thank you for open sourcing your code!

[@astridtrisorio4894]

really massive shading technique, well done Marc as usual 😍

[@SadelinaV]

I've never been so early before! Can't wait to watch the video till the end!

[@SadelinaV]

Very handy method, especially now, that I'm trying to optimize my shading technique.

[@LutherTaylor]

Been following you for like 10+ years Marc! " the last bath" for reference xD "still sad the first music choice you had for it got replaced. rarely comment but always loved your work. this one is amazing!!

[@JozLess]

This is actually super usefull, especially since I was using way too much layers for my drawings for this whole time

[@kevinsmithfox4614]

Thank you as always Marc! 😃🙏✨🔥

[@lazyoctopus6183]

Thank you so much for this one! Got to a point where I started playing around with blending modes and things got interesting but also messy. So this will help a lot!

[@raivo3926]

I extremely appreciate you making and sharing it, it's so helpful. Thank you so much Marc!