For a moment, I thought I've sent this pic here, but it somehow slipped my mind.
My next project could be what my New Year's Resolution needed; a chance to get the fire back in the belly as well as to go back through the strips and make a better story (with better artwork) out of it. It'll be published by Lulu and have a bit of a Wizard of Oz feel: Jim's world is in Anime-style screentones thanks to a bunch of textures and brushes from here in DA, and Scarlet's world will be in technicolor.
All of the strips I'm reusing for the Remix version will be inked as well, and I'm going to order a Pilot Disposable fountain pen just for the occasion.
[link]Since Screentones obviously don't shrink very well, posts on pages here will be very limited. But then again, I am making this comic with the intent on publishing it, am I?
I think it'd look better with shading and highlights, it adds more dimension, especially when you want to contrast two types of coloring as you seem to do here.
Also, I've been wondering. I use Photoshop myself so I'm all into layers and using Multiply to color my lineart. Does Gimp have layers too? I think you could benefit from something like that.
And yes Gimp does have layers, something I've been working with with the colored pages. I just hope I can find the patience and time I need to put in the dimensions.
Also, for the lineart, to make it look less jarring and also to preserve details and pencil or ink shading I usually scan it in Greyscale and never in black and white and use the Adjust Levels tool to get rid of the excess grey or darken my blacks. It's insanely useful.
Top layer "Lineart"
Then a copy of the top for the coloring,
A third blank one for nitpicks
A fourth for the backgrounds
and finally a fifth that's white for a base color.
What say you?
And if you're coloring under the transparent layer, one color at the time you can be as messy as you like and that helps when deciding things like where the light source is, what textures you want... Something like this [link]
But you don't have a tablet do you? You should get one if you are serious about your art, its an indispensible investment. Also, what program do you use to color and ink your work?
Maybe it's the low dimensions I have to work with using the web comic format. If there's anyone who's willing to donate a tablet for commissions, or even pay some commissions for me to get the money to buy one, I greatly appreciate it. I'd get one if i had the money. It's the usual complaint from me.
And I see, so you up the contrast until its pure black and white? A very common technique, but you can't just stop there. Again, the lines look rough and unfinished. Make a new layer and trace over the original picture, then color it. It will look better.