I have been working on coloring another lineart from Yoruzuki, and I have hit a little bump in the road when it comes to finishing it off. I have tried several different variations for the pavilions in the background and they all look like sludge to me. I'm also not satisfied for the stones on the ground.

So does anyone have suggestions? Should I start over with a different color scheme? Or perhaps does anyone know where I can get kick ass stone and wood photoshop brushes/textures??? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I don't really have any ideas or suggestions to offer you. I'm not the best person to ask. lol. But I DID want to take the time and tell you that I think what you have so far is amazing.

Yoru's arts are SUPER awesome but usually a little crazy to color because of all the amazing details. lol. So I just wanted to let you know what an awesome coloring job you've done so far and that I'm sure you'll work out your dilemma with finishing the piece.

Um, I'm not much for coloring/shading (just ask Theia, who's suffered through coloring some of my line arts of her own volition, lol), but I'd say maybe- since the influence behind the designs of the clothes seems more Chinese than Japanese (and if I recall these are based on Bride of the Water God, which I think is a chinese comic [I only got to read it a little before OneManga -may it rest in peace- pulled the scanlations])- why not run a search looking for traditional Chinese architecture and see what style of design or pattern is used most frequently for pavilions like the ones in the background, or which designs appeal to you the most?

Thank you! I am glad to hear you like it so far.

And I like the idea of checking out chinese architecture. I think a different perspective will give me the push I need.

For the stones, I can only suggest looking at actual stone tiles while colouring them, because looking at the tiles and the rocks in the background, I can tell you were doing it by memory.

Your colour scheme is amazing, so I'd say stick with it. For the pavilions, I suggest you either continue with your warm hues, or use cooler hues (blues, greens, purples) to act in contrast with the rest of the composition.

Rocks

Damn, long link.
But that's an example of what I mean. Ignoring the texture (because that really won't be what makes your stones look real), look at the way the shadows play across the rock. Following the shadows are edges of hard light. Using high contrast with light and shadow will give you a more realistic texture than if you use a texture on top of your shading.

Stone Tile

Those are good stone tiles. Having some variety between the tiles would be good, especially if you make tiles beside each other less obviously mass coloured. Real tiles don't fit together perfectly - characteristics in the stone do not continue into the tiles beside them.
Shadows and lighting, a gain, will help make it more real. Depending on where your light source is (and if you want your tiles to be raised, with some space between them), light will appear on the edge of the tiles because of the angle we see it at.

I wish you luck with finishing your picture.

You are right about the rocks. I've been playing around too much in texture land, and I have to get back to the basics of shading and form.

Thanks for the advice!!