Redrawing 101

[Xyros]

In this tutorial I’ll try to explain the basics of redrawing with my methods.
There are plenty of other ways to go about it and it wouldn't hurt if you tried looking up other tutorials.

If you do not have Photoshop installed, you can download it here. You don't need a tablet for redrawing and you don't have to be artistically talented to be good at it.

First off, a redrawer’s job is to:

1. draw over the Japanese text, so that it looks as if the text was never there

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2. fill in the void between a doublepage

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Now that we know what needs to be done, let’s see how it needs to be done. When I start redrawing I usually create 3-4 empty layers and each of these layers represent a step as seen here:

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1.step: brush the Japanese text with a white brush on the first layer

2.step: draw the “skeleton” of the redraw. This is sort of a sketch which you draw to get a better picture of how it should look like in the end. BEWARE that this layer is above the step 3 layer!!

3.step: fill in the patterns. This step can be troublesome if you don’t have much to work with. Sometimes you have to create a separate layer to recreate the pattern and the best way to do that is with the clone stamp tool:

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4.step: draw details. On this layer you try to make your redraw look as similar as possible to the style of the art of the manga. With Kingdom there’s usually all kinds of black lines, black and/or white specks of dust.

By the way, I'm not saying that you're limited to only 4 layers, you can have as many as you fancy so long as you place them in the right order!

Here's how the layers look in the menu:

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Here's the psd file: Redraw.psd

And that’s the basics!

Essential tools/features you need to learn:

Pen tool

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The pen tool is great for drawing lines because it's very flexible and easy to use. It can be also used to fill the shape you created with the color of your choosing.
Before using the pen tool make sure that you set the settings accordingly:


   
To create a straight line simply select the tool and press the left mouse button where you want your line to begin and where to end.

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To create a curved line you create a straight line, then add an anchor point and move it while holding CTRL.

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To create a curved line that curves up and then down proceed as above, except that you move the handles instead of the anchor point.

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To actually draw the line/fill the shape simply click the right mouse button and select stroke path/fill path. Width of the line is determined by the stroke setting of the brush.

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Clone stamp tool

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The clone stamp tool is a great tool used by many redrawers to copy one area of an image onto another area of an image. It's mostly used for expanding patterns and joining spreads.
However, it shouldn't be used carelesly, because it can quickly look obvious that it was used.
Before using the clone stamp tool make sure that you set the settings accordingly:



To use the clone stamp tool you must first select the area which you want to copy by holding Left Alt+Right Mouse Button & pressing the Left Mouse Button and apply the brush where you need to.
Make sure you're careful when cloning patterns so that the original patterns and the cloned patterns match nicely. If you need more patterned area, just repeat the drill.

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Here's a video that shows how cloning is done.

Layer Masks

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Masks are a great feature in photoshop, because you can always add or reduce the area that you need without losing the original image. I often use it to hide parts of an image when redrawing.
Here's an example of using a layer mask:

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How to create a mask:


If you want to hide parts of an image, create a mask and brush over that area with a black brush. If you want that area back, but you don't want to lose all the work you've done in the meanwhile, brush the area with a white brush. Another useful tip, by changing the brush opacity, you don't hide/recover the brushed part completely, but instead make it transparent.

Burn/Dodge tool

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There are times when patterns transition from bright to dark and that's when you have to use the burn tool and dodge tool to make that transition as smooth as possible.
Example:

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Before using the burn/dodge tool make sure that you set the settings accordingly:

I usually set the opacity at 2-4%. A useful tip: instead of switching between the tools, you can just hold alt while brushing.

I highly recommend you check out this tutorial made by Rain from Red Hawk Scans. It's one of the best redrawing tutorials ever.

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