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Chris Chuckry: Guide to Comic Book Coloring
- 1. Chris Chuckry Colorist – full time from 1990 Co-founder of Digital Chameleon Ltd. Illustrator Art Nerd College instructor Dad
- 2. Clients- Past & Present DC Comics Marvel Comics Image Comics Dark Horse Comics Renegade IDW Dynamite Insight Editions First Comics Delcourt Penny Farthing Press Scholastic
- 3. Basics Steps of Comic Colour Black and white Line art Flats or Flat color Colour correcting Flats Rendering or painting the page Merging layers & submitting low resolution proof to client Revisions and creating final CMYK file for printing
- 4. Stages of a coloured page Line art Flat color or “Flats” Painted page
- 5. Helpful things before starting Script Colour notes from artist, writer, editor Reference, if needed Deadline Note – If you are a one person shop, you need to figure this out before you start colouring your project.
- 6. Notes about Technology Photoshop is the most commonly used program for colouring comics A pressure sensitive tablet is very useful I colour on a laptop, after many years of using a desktop workstation Back up your files Be aware of large file transfer services, like Yousendit, in case you need one. Pages coloured at 400 dpi to 600 dpi
- 7. Technology continued Get a .csf file from your printer, or publisher if you can.
- 8. Color settings in Photoshop
- 9. File setup in Photoshop Layer Set up in Photoshop Channel Set up in Photoshop
- 10. What does a colorist do? Really.
- 11. Identifying Characters Major characters have specific costume color for easy identification
- 12. Identify Places and Times Location changes Time of changes Past/Present/Future
- 13. Direct the Reader’s Eye Good color should direct the reader’s attention to the important parts of the page— characters or events.
- 14. Colouring for Emotion Colors convey emotions Anger, sadness, surprise, etc.
- 15. Rendering or Painting the art What style of painting suits the line art? Simple two-tone modeling More fully painted
- 16. So you want to be a Professional Create a portfolio of work - sequential art, not just pinups and covers Put your work out there – on a website or social media Network with other colourists and comic book artists Research publishers and their submission guidelines Work on your art Go to Conventions Have a fallback plan
- 17. I’ve got my first job, now what? Do good work Meet or beat your deadline Be courteous and easy to work with Be accessible and easy to reach You are a small business, act like one Each finished job is an advertisement for the next one!
- 18. Resources
Editor's Notes
- Hi everyone! It’s nice to be back here again, on this panel. For those of you who may not be familiar with me, this is who I am. I’ve been coloring comics almost everyday for a long, long time.
- Here are some of my clients over the past few decades. Not a complete or exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of the number of potential clients out there. It’s difficult to make a living as a colorist without doing work for one of the “Big Two,” (DC and Marvel), but it’s not impossible.
- The working file in Photoshop, usually has a number of layers and extra channels. When creating low resolution files for proofing, you should save these as a copy, so you retain your high resolution working file for revisions. The final CMYK format file (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) is usually saved as a TIFF file. Comics are usually colored at 400 dpi to 600 dpi.
- I download the line art from the DC server, after getting an email notice. I then send the line art to my flatters, via their ftp server. Once the page is flatted, I color correct the “flats” (this example has already been color corrected.) Before painting I read the script to see what’s happening on the page, and if there are any specific color notes. For example, here there is a flashback scene.
- Note: How is the book being lettered, and where in the schedule? Before, after or during color? Time of day and location changes are important. New characters—who are they?
- Computers are cheaper and more powerful than in the past. In this sense, it’s easier to set up a color studio. A Mac mini with a good monitor, tablet and backup hard drive is relatively inexpensive. Note: dpi is an acronym for Dots Per Inch
- If you want your colors to print more accurately, get an Adobe Photoshop Color Setting File (.csf) from you client, if possible. When you convert your RGB files to CMYK files, Photoshop will use the settings from this color profile to prepare your files for a specific type of printing press.
- Opening the color setting in Photoshop will get you this box. Don’t be overwhelmed, you printer, or your client should be able to help you out with this. I pay the most attention to the upper left portion—the working space. If you load the .csf file from your printer/publisher these settings will change according to the printing press being used for your book.
- Color serves the story, by enhancing the storytelling present in the line art. It identifies characters, places and times. It directs the reader’s eye around the page. It can also add emotional value to the art and story.
- Characters should have consistent costume/clothing colors throughout the book, so they are recognizable (with variations for lighting, etc.) At its most basic level, color is representational—sky is blue, grass is green, Superman’s suit is blue and red, with yellow accents.
- Color choices should indicate changes in location, and changes in time—both time of day, and flashbacks or future time changes
- Emphasize the important things with color. How do we do this? Contrasting colors (also contrasting color temperatures), contrasting values, “knock-outs,” or special effects.
- Certain colors and color combinations can convey or suggest different emotional states. For example, red can suggest danger, or anger. Green can suggest life, nature, money, illness. Here in panel 2, Fred discloses his darkest fear in a group session of couples’ therapy. The darker blue tones suggest a hint of sadness and depression.
- The color approach and the painting style should work well with the style of art in the book. Quite often the artist or editor will have an idea of what they would like to see. Is it flat color? Simple two tone modeling? A more painterly approach? There are many different painting styles that can be used, and it may take some trial and error to determine which approach works best with the art.
- If love coloring enough to try to go pro, these are the basic steps to consider. It may take a long time to break in, so it really depends on how passionate you are about it. The internet is a great resource, and you will have to be a self-starter and self-promoter. No one is going to come looking for you unless you make yourself visible. Finally, have a fallback. The best thing you can do is develop your creative skills so they can be used in other jobs. Drawing is a foundation skill, don’t be satisfied with being a colorist. Draw and paint other things besides comics.
- This is how to reach me. This presentation is also on Slideshare.net for you to view again, or download (though you need to signup for downloads—free membership.) NOTE: Loki and Winter Soldier are © Marvel Comics. Flintstones are © Hanna-Barbera. These images are used for educational purposes only.