olouring comics has long been the lowest rung on the creative
ladder, partially due to technological
inadequacies and also due to the constant reprinting in cheaper
formats in just black and white. But in recent years the floor has
opened up, enabling colour to take almost centre stage on
In the last of a three-part tutorial Frazer Irving show the
basic methods he employs when colouring an illustration for
comics.
COLOURINGCOMIC ART
the page, giving more opportunities for colourists to explore
the medium and readers more variety in their product. This, I am in
no doubt, is due almost entirely to the wonders of graphics tablets
and Adobe Photoshop. For this tutorial I will be using an A3 Wacom
Intuous3, G5 Apple Mac, and a 30-inch Apple monitor. Go on, envy
me
C
Workshops
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Frazer IrvingCOUNTRY: UKCLIENTS: DC Comics, Marvel Comics,
2000AD
Frazer hasfive years experience drawing for comics, CD
covers, magazines and other products. He uses digital and
traditional media together, and thinks that 2000AD is the baddest
and bestest comic in the galaxy.www.frazerirving.com
April 2006
Photoshop
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1 Separate coloursThe first stage in colouring for me and almost
every other professional colourist I know of, is what we call
flatting. This is often a job that we give to assistants who dont
mind the menial tasks that our creative egos cannot stand, and Im
no exception. The idea behind this is that you paint in areas of
colour that correspond to the spaces/areas that you wish to be
separate in the illustration, ie, clothing, hair or skin, etc.
Using the Magic Wand tool, you select the areas in the line art (on
the top layer) that you wish to fill, then create a new layer
beneath that one and fill with a colour. The colour itself isnt so
important, as this will change later. Whats really important is
that you lock that layer so that the area of flat colour can be
painted over easily. You do this for the whole image, grouping
areas of flats onto their own layers such as skin or background or
bike bits.
2 Balance it rightNow I have to decide the overall colour
scheme. This is usually achieved by eye-balling a colour in the
swatches and just filling that layer with it, though you can also
use the hue/saturation function for subtle tweaking. Its important
here to get the tonal balance right, even though you can alter it
later its crucial to bear in mind that painting with colour is a
contextual experience, where each element of the image affects the
way you perceive the other.
3 Painting shadowsHaving chosen basic colours, the next step is
to pick an area of flat colour and start painting the
shadows/highlights in. I tend to start with the shadows and do this
for all the image and then add the light later, but this is by no
means a hard and fast rule. Here youll find the benefits of locking
each layer, as you can paint swiftly and loosely over the area
without worrying about bleeding over the edge.
4 HighlightsThe next stage I go to is the highlights. Sometimes
I like to paint highlights on a new layer that sits above the rest
as the highlights can sometimes be quite minimal yet often need
noodling and fixing, and I find it easier to do that on a new
layer.
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Quick technique Colouring comic art
6 Dodge/BurnUsing the Dodge/Burn tools, I paint into the fill,
making the most of the textures inherent in it. Seeing as its a
flaming bike, the effect works quite well and sets off the
flatter/smoother textures of the rest of the image quite
nicely.
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Help your eyesSet your desktop to a neutral grey when using
colour, as colourful desktops can distract the eye and lead to poor
colour choices.
PROSECRETS
5 Scanning Its now time to get involved with some scanned
elements. I have many watercolour textures that I use for this kind
of art, and I apply it in the same way I do with flat colour. The
texture is pasted behind the line art and its hue/tonality is
modified until I like it.
7 Adding depth A final layer is added above all the others where
I can paint special effects such as fire over the line art as well.
This adds depth to the image and helps to give it that painterly
edge that we all seem to want from comic art these days. The image
is then flattened, converted to CYMK and sent off to be
printed.
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April 2006
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