@Chrono Vortex: I've got a suggestion for making the shading. I don't know if you're already using this method or not, but i think it's worth explaining it anyway.
My ships' base images are usually organised like this:
(the topmost layer is the first in this list, the ones that follow are all below each other)- ─ effects layer (if applicable)
- ─ lines layer
- ┬ shades group (mode: Hard Light or Overlay)
├─ self-cast shadows (mode: Multiply or anything that works!)
└─ shades - ┬ fill group
├─ color layer 1
├─ color layer 2
└─ etc... - ─ background (hidden when exporting)
The lines layer contains only black lines, and is supposed to be on top of everything. If you want something to go over the black lines, put it in the effects layer.
(i.e.: the glow from a light source)The fill group is at the bottom, and contains all the layers that define the ship's colours.
(i.e.: a layer for the hull, one for the windows, one for the metallic parts, etc.)This is particularly useful for doing alternative layouts, and also to help you pick the right hues if they don't look right after applying the shades.
The shades group, which has to go between the lines and the fill, is where the magic happens. This group is set to apply its contents in a special way, basically adding lights or shadows to what's below.
To do this, you have to set its
method (in photoshop, or mode in GIMP) to "Hard Light". This can be done from the Layers panel, by selecting the [group|layer] and picking the desired m[ode|ethod] from the menu at the top of the panel.
(There are many different ones, i suggest to mess around with them to see what they all do.)The actual shadows are just shades of grey. The main shades layer should cover the whole hull image, and its base colour should be a
50% grey, because it becomes invisible when applied with Hard Light.
On this layer you must apply the shades. Do it by making the desired areas darker or lighter depending on their inclination and position.
I find it easier to make a separate layer for the self-cast shadows, and keep on the main layer only the shadows that would be generated from the ambient light. This layer must have its m[ode|ethod] set to Hard Light too, so that it gets applied on the shades layer first before being applied to the hull as a group.
Let me make all of this easier to understand (hopefully) with this 18-seconds gif.
In this particular case, some lines use a blending mode like the shades group. (for science!) ...And it looks like some shadows are part of the fill, but don't mind these things..! XD
I also forgot to show the fill group's different layers. Basically, most layers in this group only contain one colour. So if i ever choose to change that red paint on the thrusters to blue i can simply modify that layer's hue! It's pretty handy!
These are some examples of what this method allows you to do. Since the shadows are applied over the fill, I only had to modify the layers inside the fill group to make these hulls, and it took like 2 minutes for each!
So, yeah. I hope these infos can help.
I don't think this method is too hard to perform. Feel free to ask for more info if needed.