From brush sketch to color art

Here is a sketch of a Brussels street scene done with a bristle brush in ink. This drawing is from my book DRAWING IN INK, although out of print, copies can be found in used book stores and on the internet. This is an example of how you can take a drawing that was done using traditional mediums and then color it on the computer using Photoshop.


I begin by scanning the drawing into the computer. I decide to color the drawing in dark blue using the paint Bucket Tool. I then add a light orange to the sky.


I add more tones to the buildings and the lamppost.


I add a few bright tones to the buildings and a neutral tone to the sidewalk area, finishing the scene. This is not a realistic study but it makes an interesting picture. I could easily try several color versions of this scene, two more are shown below.


This is a great way to experiment with digital art techniques.