Thanks, Corinne! I'm glad you'll find it useful. :D

Q: How did you separate your "same colors" into separate layers? did you magic wand select based on the lineart, switch to the grayscale, and then created a new layer from selection?
A: I cut them in SAI. Since SAI has the best Magic Wand in all the programs I use. I basically just:

• go to the ink layer and select the parts (ex: hair, skin, etc.)
• cut with ctrl+x
• paste on a new layer

Q: Additionally, I noticed you used the same general value for the entire character in gray scale (ex: the hat midtone appears the same as the skin midtone, even though the hat ended up white). Was there a reason why you didn't put in overall base values, aside from highlights/shadows?
A: It would be much easier for me to color the character as if she was a statue. Since you can control the colors in gradient map anyway.