ok, so what's happening is that I was working on filling the colours in a while ago, and I saved my work to work on it another time (which is now). It made me save a JPG file, and a layer file that has my linework I believe.
so i open up the "layer" file, assuming it will let me continue to colour. the options were still the same as last time, but it didnt let me colour like it did before (filled the whole page with the same colour). then i tried the "JPG" file, and same thing happened!
so i went back to the tutorial, and it showed again how i need both the linework layer AND the normal layer in sai at the same time so i can colour.
but how am i supposed to open both at the same time? help?
video used (at 3:46), and i am colouring this on a computer, no tablet.
thanks if you can help me!!! i really need urgent help, there is a deadline for this
If I'm understanding right, it sounds like you're using two files? You should only use one. You want to make sure your lineart is on one file and then your color on a layer under the lineart layer. When you close your file, you have to select the areas you want to color all over again. You cannot open sai again and expect the program to remember your prior selections. Make sure your file is saved as .sai in order to save the quality of the work while you are still working on it. Once you save as another type of document (.jpg or . png), the quality will not be so good if you go back to editing the file. When you are finished with the piece, then you should save it as a .png or .jpg and if you think it's possible you are going to edit it again, keep a copy of the piece via a .sai file.
The only thing that tablets affect is being able to draw more stable lineart and the ability to have different pressures when you're drawing/coloring. Nothing else is really changed when you're using a mouse.
