Most people try so hard on coloring their pictures on paper and then see that they are not satisfied over their hours-worth of work. Worst of all these pictures they used to color on were the very originals themselves - <sigh> what a waste.

I assume that you have a computer powerful enough to handle all your Image Editing needs. There are several choices on which image editing tools you may use. Though I only used two of these, I recommend the rest for their performance in the market as well as availability.

• Adobe Photoshop 5.0 / 5.5 - this is the most-used Image Editor that I have in my arsenal of art tools. I think it was once called Aldus Photostyler back then when I was in high school. So we came a long way back then. Once I get my own salary, one of my first software to buy is going to be one of these.
• The GIMP  - this is a real kick from the Linux Users. One of the programs that struck me home when I had my studies on the powerful and free operating system. What struck me the most was that it's free! Though it has its limits, most of the features that I look for in Adobe are also found in GIMP. Though there are a lot of other features that it lacks but it was already enough for me to like it.
• Corel Draw - It is said that this program rivals Adobe's Photoshop but when I tried it, it had an entirely different interface and thus I didn't like it at all. Must have been those days when you are really attached to one program and next you can't understand why the other program caters to you differently.

Steps to good rendering:

I have summarized the steps i have learned to a few:
 

Scanning - After your ardous task of putting together your sketches and finalizing it, you prepare the picture for scanning.
Clearing the debris -  Once you scan the image, you will notice that there are some portions of the image that needs attention. There are smudges, ink blots and missing lines. These blemishes of the image are merely deleted from the image so as not to destroy the image. Missing lines however pose a different problem as it is difficult to make a computer-generated line blend-in with the other lines you have hand-drawn. So I suggest that before scanning your image, never forget to ink the drawing then erase the pencil marks.
Setting the layers - One of the most powerful features of Adobe Photoshop involves the use of multiple layers that acts as transparencies over another. With layers, you don't have to worry about tampered images because the coloring simply are placed just underneath the picture. I placed a layer underneath the drawing to act as a blue screen. It helps me know which areas I have not painted yet.
Coloring basic elements - For each new basic color, we create a new layer for it. We do not worry about shading. We simply want to fill the entire figure with the basic colors that comprise the picture.
Shading - Of course, drawings must make a near 3D effect meaning it has to have shades darker than those that are facing the light. For every layer I have placed on a color, I placed a multiply layer on top of it so that the colors that I place over it will blend in seamlessly.
Highlights - not my absolute expertise. But my teacher told me that people in colored drawings should sweat or at least reflect a little light to emphasize increased depth accented by the shades you have assigned.
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