COLOR: HELP OR HINDRANCE?

One of the ways things have changed in the way comics are done today is the digital coloring. It seems that the possibilities are almost limitless. However, just because someone knows how to place color on a page doesn't mean that they are a good colorist. 

I have had mediocre results when it comes to people coloring my artwork. The problem usually occurs because the person coloring does not understand how shadows fall- specifically the planes of objects.

For example, here is the construction of facial planes, as drawn by Andrew Loomis:

Shadows fall on the face in accordance with these planes. It changes depending on the light source. Here's a nice photo I found on the subject on photobucket:

Below is the colors that were done over my artwork for Kong: King Of Skull Island. 

As you can see, in addition to muddy colors, the shadows on the faces are all over the place. There is no rhyme or reason to any of them.

Here's another example from Len Strazewski's Milos. 

I didn't want to color the pages myself, so I chose to get someone else to do it. Here are the results:

After I saw this, I knew I had no choice but to color it myself. Here are the final colors:

Though important, this is but a small issue when it comes to coloring, especially digital coloring. I will be explaining more in a future post.

ON SALE NOW

Here's a book that I worked on for the publisher Zenescope, which is on sale NOW:

1000 Ways To Die

Trade Paperback Vol 1

Based on one of Spike TV's hottest shows, this book pushes the line between life & death.

20 episodes showcase the bizarre, disturbing and often comical way people succumb to death. You have to see some of ways people meet their demise to believe them.

I illustrated 2 stories, based on these  video segments of the show:

Wedding Swingers

Fried D'oh

STORMY TEMPEST STORY ONE

The following is artwork for the first in a series of 4 short (10 page)  stories written by Len Strazewski, penciled by me, and inked by Jeff Austin for AC Comics Stormy Tempest character. Stormy was created by Bill Black had been appearing in Femforce as a character from the future who was sent back in time to assassinate a U.S. Presidential candidate. She was captured and sent to prison. This is where Len and I inherited the character. Len had some plans for where Stormy's saga was going to go, but first he had to get her out of prison. He also felt like she should get a job at the end of the story that reflected the character's roots ( She is loosely based on Las Vegas burlesque star/ stripper Tempest Storm) The art is my pencils next to Jeff's inks, and the story appeared in Femforce #152 (2010).