ABSTRACT
Coloring animation once it has been scanned is a relatively easy operation. A lot depends on the approach and software selected, but by and large, digital coloring is more of a process of tedium than technique. In the old "cell" days, animation drawings used to be hand traced or later Xeroxed onto clear acetate sheets called cells. The sheets were then turned over again for frame-by-frame shooting over a colored background. Flat-colored artwork is treated in exactly the same way as animated drawings are. The line artwork is imported into the program on the lowest layer and colored digitally. It is very difficult to get subtlety with the coloring, but it can be visually exciting, and in keeping with the flat-coloring style of the animation. Imported artwork can gives the opportunity of using a traditional, painted background look.
