Hi . I have created an image tutorial how to make an anime colorful. Please comments on my post . Link http://www.homeology.info/2010/02/how-to-paint-an-existing-image-with-adobe-illustrator-cs4.html
First of all I want to say that your creativity is awesome . You have used blend tool very cleverly . Really great work. You should apply some shadow on borders for making it more impressive. You can also try mesh gradient on borders .