Our Anime Coloring Workflow

Every anime-style illustration that leaves ILUZTAR goes through the same four stages, regardless of whether it's a simple headshot or a full-body scene. Consistency in process is what keeps quality consistent too.

1. Sketch & Lineart

We start rough — loose gesture and proportion first, refined into clean lineart once the pose and composition are approved. This is the cheapest stage to make changes at, so we intentionally slow down here and send it back to the client before moving on.

2. Base Colors

Flat, solid colors go down next, matched to the character's palette and the mood of the piece. No shading yet — just making sure every shape reads correctly at a glance, since a character's silhouette and color blocking need to work before any lighting is added on top.

3. Shading & Highlights

This is where the piece starts to feel three-dimensional. Cel-shaded shadows, rim lighting, and highlights get layered on to give the character weight and form, using a light source that's been decided from the very first sketch — not bolted on at the end.

4. Effects & Finishing

Glow, bloom, particle effects, and atmospheric touches go in last, along with any final color grading. This step is what turns a technically correct illustration into one that actually feels alive.

Tools of the Trade

All of this happens across a small, deliberate toolkit:

• Adobe Photoshop — compositing, color grading, final effects
• Ibis Paint — sketching and lineart, especially for mobile-friendly workflows
• Clip Studio Paint — detailed rendering and brush work

None of these tools generate anything on their own — they're just where the hand-drawn decisions actually happen, one layer at a time.