American illustrator Tony Foti explains how to create a transparent copy of a paper sketch to paint under.
With the scanned image imported in Photoshop (File>Import>Your Device), adjust the level sliders until only the lines you want are left
I find my line work is a lot cleaner when I'm using a pencil and paper, so I work this way quite often. Place a loose piece of paper under your drawing hand to prevent smudging the page.
Once the drawing is finished, you can either import it with a scanner or take a photograph. The latter option generally produces less-satisfactory results, although I'm aware that not everyone has access to a scanner.
Open the Channels window, hold Ctrl and click the RGB layer. This will highlight all of the white space. Inverting the selection will highlight the drawing.
Create a new layer above and fill the highlighted area (Shift+Backspace). You now have a transparent version of drawing, with all of the white space removed
Adjust the opacity of the sketch as you go, to accommodate the area that you’re working on
Tony Foti is a US freelance illustrator who contributes to D&D and Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings lines. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine issue 103.
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