Inks are from Witch Hat Atelier, a manga series by Kamome Shirahama. If this series isn’t on your list it definitely should be!

I’ve admired how Shirahama’s page composition and inking style for a long time, so I may do more colorwork from her inks. This style presents a unique challenge. Since she leaves many of the figures with open lines it gives some leeway to the colorist to decide where to define the edge. Shirahama’s use of parallel lines to show areas of shadow soften the transition between light and dark colors.

I’d say the biggest challenge was how to handle the white midground surrounding the figures. I tried a few different things before settling on the gradient with areas masked out. I was hesitant to use the inks as a base for masking the gradient, but I’m glad I did.