I've been asked on occasion how I color, specifically how I get the 'lineless' look. This is a typical example of one of my more complex coloring jobs, specifically of http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2224613

This took me about 10 hours over 3 days in coloring, plus half an hour to find the blue sun.

1) The background. In this case a stretched and resized http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/.....36_ys_full.jpg from NASA.gov

The most important reason I keep backgrounds separate is for ease of modification. Since it's its own layer, I can replace the blue sun with a red one, or a moon, or nova, or just a decorative color gradient like I did on the original http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2051387/

Transparency: 100% (meaning nothing shows through)

2) The colored lettering in the picture. This layer includes the © stuff.

Transparency: 100% What you see as white is actually transparent.

3) Since I liked the black lines outside the SWAT Kats logo, I copied the black line layer, removed most of it that wasn't needed. This has to be separate from the primary black line layer because of the different transparencies. This layer needed the black to be opaque, while the primary black line layer is nearly transparent.

Transparency: 100% What you see as white is actually transparent.

4) Colors. Flat colors with all the lines colored in with what they go with.

Transparency: 100% What you see as white, is actually transparent.

5) The badges. Not a normal level, but it was one of those things that because of how I created them, it was best to have them separate.

Transparency: 100% What you see as white, is actually transparent.

6) Black lines. The transparency on this layer is where the magic of 'lineless' art happens.

Transparency: 20% What you see as white is actually transparent.

7) White lines. I don't use them often, but it's the same effect as the black lines, but used for shinny black things (leather, metal, etc). It makes the lines/highlights lighter instead of darker. Like the black lines, the transparency rating on it is critical for the effect.

Transparency: 10% What you see as black is actually transparent.

Most pictures only have 3-4 layers -- background, color and black lines. This is one of the most complex jobs I've done in a long time.

I hope someone finds this useful/amusing/informative of what coloring can actually be. It's not a quick or easy process when you get to this level, and the really skilled colorists blow my efforts away.