Free Screen Tones
Hello everyone, after talking to people about comics and the problem we seem to have with them I decided give away some stuff I use. So, to go with my Inking FAQ I’m going to give out templates and files that help me with making my comics. This will include these print quality screen tones at 600 DPI!!!1 Whee!
Yeah, see I’ve been thinking it over and while it would take time to explain how I make tones in Photoshop I could give away the printable usable files much easier. So for download you will find a zip file of 25 screen tones in bitmap mode at 600 DPI. Nothing too fancy but they are of the simple dot tone pattern variety that most people think of with ‘manga.’ Whatever that means. =]
All of the screen tones were made by Michael Vega who has given me permission to give the files away to anyone who wants them because it’s not hard to make them. Really. I could do them myself but he’d already made them so I just ask for permission instead. However neither of us wants to explain the technique since others have done it better…
So, if you’d like an explanation of how to make screen tones like these or in general how to color or make comics that print correctly using Photoshop, I would strongly suggest purchasing Pat Duke’s ‘Photoshop For Comics Master Course’ CD from Radio Comix. This cd is a great resource for information about Photoshop and comics. =D
So anyway on to the tones. Please right click and save to disk. The file is a zip file and about 1.1 MB.
The zip file is also on Deviant Art: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11813974/
For Mac users that have trouble with zips. Here is the sit file version, it’s about 1.6 MB. Please right click and save to disk.
There’s a read me file that gives some info about the tones, tips as to what not to do, and also has info if you wanted to send us a dollar in support (not required.)
As to who the hell we are… well both me and Michael Vega have been working in small press/indy comics for years and years and now we are busy working on a comic/manga for TokyoPop. These tones are the tones that we are currently using for our Tokyopop book and we know that they print with no problems. Edit: We have stopped working as artist for Tokyopop. Be that as it may please enjoy our tones. =>
Mostly we’re hoping that this will help people out by giving artists access to nice crisp high dpi screen tones. Although this isn’t as high a DPI as I could have gone… I just don’t want to file sizes to be too ridiculous.
Feel free to post links to this for Nanomango or on forums so that other artists types can find this. =D
This may be a silly question, but how do I install these tone files? Do I drop them in a pattern’s folder?