Why Colouring Takes So Long
I can't believe it, I’ve spent more than a week colouring and feel like I'm barely progressing.
To be fair, it hasn’t been just one page. I started with the child, layering section by section, and began colouring parts of the mother. Then I coloured the whole title page. Not because it was next, but because I needed something to feel finished. That helped me see the palette more clearly and gave me a sense of progress, even while the rest is still in motion.
A big part of the process is switching the linework on and off. I draw everything in layers inside of Krita, and I regularly toggle the outlines to see how the colours hold up on their own. With the lines visible, the drawing feels sharper and more defined. With them off, it becomes softer and more painterly. I use both views to figure out if a colour feels too harsh or if something needs to be adjusted.
Here are two views of the same page, one with lines on and one with lines off. I use this comparison throughout the process to check the balance and softness of each page.
Breastfeeding toddler image with lines
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| Breastfeeding toddler without most lines |
The colours in this post might not be final. Some of them I’ve already changed. But they are part of how I work, slowly, layer by layer, with a lot of testing along the way and I wanted to remember this part and share the experience. littlegoodbyes.ca
On thing that is important to note is that I’m also working in CMYK to match how colours will look in print. Most screens use RGB, which makes everything appear brighter and more saturated. A soft purple on screen might print muddy. A warm skin tone might lose its warmth. I use soft proofing in Krita and print test pages at home to see what actually works.
This part of the work is quiet. It does not feel like a big milestone. But these small checks are what help the whole book feel like it belongs together.
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