Introduction

Setting base colors shouldn’t take a lot of time.

It would be fast and easy if we just used the fill tool.

However, we don’t.

 

The issue being either the gaps in the lineart, or the bad filling finish.

 

 

The truth is, you can still use the fill tool, obtain a neat coloring, and save time all at once. You just need to know how, in order to work smarter.

 

Check the video !

In this video, I’ll try to guide you through making peace with the fill tool :D

When you click on it, 4 options appear on the sub tool window.

 

All four of them will allow you to fill your drawing, but in different ways :

 

1st sub tool "Refer only to editing layers"

The first one fills specifically what you selected on the layer you selected. So, if you have let’s a say a circle on that layer and you click inside, it will fill just that.

 

 

 

But if you create a new layer, this option won’t take the circle into consideration and fill everything since the new layer is empty.

2nd Sub tool "Refer other layers"

The second option however takes all the layers into consideration, so in this example, it doesn’t matter which layer you selected, if you click inside the circle, it will always fill just that.

3rd Sub tool "Enclose and fill"

The enclose and fill option is the same as the previous one but with a wider range of application.

It’s a lasso tool that will fill what’s within the lines you selected.

However, sometimes the lineart is not as neat nor regular as this example, and you may end up with something like this (see image below).

And with all these gaps, the close and fill won't give the needed result.

 

Instead of being tempted by filling all of that manually, let’s explore the options that will allow us to avoid such results.

 

Tool property : How to fix the Gaps problem ?

There is another window under the subtool window called “tool property”. This will allow you to adjust the three previous options in order to obtain a neater coloring.

 

Go to "Target Color" And select "all enclosed areas including transparency" in order to fill everything including under the lineart.

 

Next go to "Close Gap" and set it to the maximum setting, this should allow the tool to fill the lineart even with gaps.

 

Finally, in "area Scaling" menu section, set it between 0 and 10. This will neatly fill the lineart without allowing the colors to overflow.

There are obviously a lot more options down there, but these settings should be enough to solve any gap problem.

 

4th Sub tool "Paint unfilled areas"

The 4th and last option is “paint unfilled areas” and this is another smart tool like the previous one, but intead of a lasso, it’s a brush.

 

 

This will automatically detect the lines and fill them with the color of your choice. Obviously, unlike a regular brush, you don’t need to be precise. Just roughly paint your target zone to get the job done.

 

It’s a very handy option, if you still find gaps after using the other tools, but don’t have time to be all precise with your coloring.

 

Tips !

Now that you know the basics of the fill tool, let me show you some tips!

1st Tip : Beware the colors underneath !

Since the " Unclose and fill" option can detect the colors too, you cannot use it on an already colored lineart, unless it’s for adding shadows, which would be another great way to use it!

2nd Tip : Click and drag !

You can click and drag this fill tool (1st and 2nd sub tool) over the multiple areas if you want to fill all of them, instead of clicking on them one by one.

3rd Tip : Erase with the fill tool !

Did you know you could erase with the fill tool? This one can come in handy in order to undo some of your actions, and all you have to do is select the transparent color here and work with it instead of the colors.

 

4th tip : Is that a fill tool or a brush ?

As mentioned before, you should not limit the fill tool to base colors. You can use it to add shadows, lights, and any kind of effect you feel like to draw with the Unclose and fill.

5th Tip : The size matters !

The “paint unfilled areas” works way better if you adjust the size of the brush to the area you’re filling.

For example, even if I color all of my zone with this small size, nothing happens. But don’t worry, the tool is not malfunctioning, you just need to adjust the size of the brush.

 

Conclusion

And that’s it for now!

I hope that this video helped you get a clearer idea on how to use the fill tool to your advantage, and thanks for watching! Salam !