Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm assuming you just wanted a critique on your coloring, right?


Okay!

First, I noticed that your figure looks very flat. The color choices are wonderful (and really look great if you look at your avatar and compare the two ^_^, awesome job matching that up!), but the shading is so flat the character becomes almost lifeless. Tell me, how do you color? Do you use layers to color, each layer a different color/area/part of the character? How do you shade?

I suggest spending some time looking at how 3-dimentional objects (humans mostly, although the cat and the character's clothing are also something to consider) cast and form shadows. Spend some time really 'seeing' how a shadow looks on a human--notice how and where the shadows form from different perspectives and from different light sources. Notice that the human body looks rounded and has depth because of the subtle differences in the shadows, and how that depth and form changes as the light is moved around. Shadow isn't all one color or value. In photoshop, I usually use the burn tool to add shadow--since it picks up the base color nicely and accentuates it. I'm not sure what you are using to shade. I assume since the shadows are so dark--either you are just shading manually with other colors or you have the burn tool set too high. 2-4 is fine when dealing with skin tones. You don't have to make all of the shadows dark--you can have some variation. Setting the tool at a low amount like this helps train you into starting out small and not just over powering your character with too dark of colors at the get go (and thus making your character appear flat). Build up!

The light source that you used in reality should be casting a lot more shadow on places. The right side of her face (left side of nose to us) should be shaded a lot more. Actually, just a hint of cheekbone would be lit up (as in, not shadowed) while the rest was darker if this were a real scene. Under her eyebrow would also be in shadow, as would her exposed ear. Shadows on the face are hard to do well--so here, try this: Close your eyes. Touch your face (slowly), feeling how the bone structure is shaped underneath your skin. Notice how the cheekbones are not flat but dip in (and form your teeth really) where your mouth sits. While shading, you want to keep the bone structure of the face in mind. Follow the bones--where something protrudes, depending on the light source, it will be lit/shadowed differently than something that sinks in (like the area just underneath your eye sockets).

The same applies the rest of the body. Learn your anatomy and how muscles attach to the bone. I suggest (just to avoid an anatomy class), to get into a life drawing class. You will learn to draw people--real people, and learn how the body looks from hundreds of different perspectives and angles. This is really the only way to learn to draw and shade humans (even anime style ones) correctly.

very nice work i love the coloring

More shadows, maybe some not so dark. And you need highlights. Try not exactly a whiter version, but a lighter skin undertone. Highlights should be very subtle or else you risk making it look like a balloon.

It needs more softness, and more roundness. I assume you meant Photoshop instead of Photobucket, so use a soft edged brush at 10% opacity. To make things darker run over it a few more times.

If you meant Paintshop Pro, can't help there. I have never laid eyes on it.

Yep, I meant photoshop... xp