As promised, here's how I put it together, taking it from -> THIS <- to -> THIS <-.

As before, so you don't accidentally ruin your work so far, save it, duplicate it, then close the original and use the copy. If you mess up, then you have the untouched earlier stage to fall back on.

This is where I create a transparent layer, instead of just duplicating an earlier one. I use Photoshop Elements, which allows me to create a transparent layer that I can draw on. We're still working on the Gimp alternative.

Remember: all of your earlier layers should still be locked so you don't accidentally alter any of them. All new layers are always placed on top.

Pick an area that seems flat to you, and use the magic wand (set to "Add to selection" and with Contiguous OFF) to select the same color you want to modify on both layer 2 and layer 3, then with either the square marquee tool or the lasso (set to "Intersect with selection") surround the area you want to modify -- this will leave a detailed outline that perfectly fits only that space. Choose a color that is either slightly lighter or darker than the one you want to spice up, and use the paint bucket (with Contiguous OFF) to fill the area.

Why did you want an area on a transparent layer in a new color, that perfectly matches the shape of the old area on the layers underneath? So you could be ready for the next step, which is to whittle away the new color and shape the area it occupies. There are several tools you can use to do this, and the simplest is the eraser tool (but not the magic eraser, which will wipe out all of your effort, instead). Any modification to the shape will do, just as long as you bring out the characters and make them stand out even more.

My pereference is to add colors that are slightly darker than the original, in simple patterns (like in the top panels, and the bottom right). Notice how the eye is drawn to a light, bright circle surrounded by a darker area.

If you want, this is also a chance to suggest details that aren't in the original drawing. I added two buildings behind Tali that weren't there before, just by darkening the sky and adding a rectangle of a second color behind the streetlight. Why aren't there any windows in the building behind the Martian Pimp? Only two reasons: first, it might be distracting -- the idea is to bring attention to the characters, not bury them in detail, and second, I didn't think of it at the time.

Above, on the left, the page with the new color layer; on the right, the layer by itself without previous layers underneath. Your quick glance will show that all of the added colors on the new layer were used to modify the background, and I left the characters untouched.

DON'T merge any the layers yet; there's still a chance you might want to make changes later on. Instead, just lock the top layer and save.

As you noticed, I only spiced up the backgrounds. Next is the final layer, were I take one more shot at the characters themselves.

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