How I Grayscale and Color

Lineart:  konikfryzyjski.deviantart.com/…
Do not steal.

<sub>1: I take my chosen lineart, use the magic wand tool to select the lines, right click and press "select inverse", then make a new layer to color in a medium gray.

2: I use the dodge and burn tool, along with a bit of smudge, to shade the areas I enjoy and have more of an idea how to shade. Currently this is the legs of the horse.

3: I start to figure out where I think the rest of the lights and shadows should go.

4:  Basically, I have no idea what I'm doing.

5:  At this point, I'm not sure what to do next, so I make a new layer and shade the hair to change things up temporarily.

6:  I finish the grayscale and clean up any edges that need it. This grayscale could be better, but I got lazy.

7: I add a base coat. I also added the roan like markings and changed the layer style. In this case, it is under "hard light".

8: I color on the stripes. Stripes can be a pain so I often save them as a layer along with the grayscale so I can use them later, only needing to change their color for whatever breed I'm doing.

9: I add additional color to the stripes. I had used my wand tool to select the stripes and then colored on pink in a new layer. After I was satisfied I merged the layers.

10:  I merged the stripes down, added an eye and credit. I always credit when posting, finished image or not. Now I have a finished horse, ready to be put into a background with his other buddies!</sub>

I have a different order of doing things than most people, but it works. I don't necessarily suggest following my order of doing things, but I thought I'd post a step-by-step of how I grayscale and color horses anyhow.