Jason Copland

I'm pretty new to coloring and wanted some feedback/pointers from some experienced colorists (Nick, John, etc) so I can make my work stronger. The line work and coloring is all me. I have no one else to point fingers at!

Thanks!

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Miguel Marques

For me the choice of colors was very good. . Maybe a little more of it gradient tool.

Jason Copland

Yeah, I tend to think in terms of flat color, mostly. I'm a little unsure about my skill at using gradients. I also know nothing about using filters or textures.

I guess my thoughts are to keep it simple... but it could be my lack of confidence in using gradients that make me think that way...

Thanks for the comment, Miguel!

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Necromancer XI

I would suggest you use more vibrant, eye-catching colors but apart from that it seems well done. And try varying the shading and highlighting to lighter or darker shades so it creates a more important contrast which creates a better atmosphere
take care
Ross

Nick Pitarra

I love these colors. You clearly have a good understanding of what you want to see over your work. The color choice is excellent, and I prefer flat colors with slight rendering....so this is great stuff in my book. I think gradients and filters come off as fake when used poorly, this stuff looks good enough to where I wouldn't risk messing up with to many FXs. Great art work to btw.

One big problem I'm having with modern comics is when bold color choices or the color rendering in general over takes the line art. I think color should only accent whats already on the page and never draw attention to itself. And if it does draw attention to itself only when thats specifically part of the story...like if some one is hallucinating or something...its always fun to get trippy with the colors. Anyways...cool stuff.

~nick

Eva1

I think the choice of such a calm blue in the forth panel seems out of place. I think a bolder color would have added to the anticipation/suspense one should feel when seeing an animal sacrificed.

The colors are, as many have said, very flat and unrendered. This can certainly be a stylistic choice, and seems to work just fine here.

Jason Copland

Ross - I agree that there could be more contrast between the shadows and highlights. As for more vibrant colors, I was trying to make sure that I reserved the use of them to more of the important people of the scene(the guy in the red, the woman with the knife), but maybe I went too far in their restriction.

Nick - I agree that the overuse of filters and such can kill great line art. I tend to gravitate to flat style coloring as it tends to not overpower the line work. Thanks for the kind words!

Eva1 - I was wondering about that choice of blue, too. I think it needs to be changed. Thanks for the comments!

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robbdaman

It's a pretty basic color job but a good one overall. This reminds me of those little religious comics you'd get in Sunday school as a kid. My biggest critique is the perspective on the columns in panel 3 at the top seems off as if the top parts are angled or leaning. As far as gradients it's just something that takes practice, work on it and you'll get better, if you don't there won't be much improvement and you won't build any confidence at it.

R~

Jason Copland

Rob - Yeah, practice makes perfect. And good catch on the wonkie perspective on the column. Thanks!

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Jason Copland

Maybe a color hold on the lines around the stag's face will make the panel have more impact, without having to change the color? See attached file.

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sevans

I'm with npitarra on this one.
The flat, natural tones suit the content and look great.

Jason Copland

Sevans - Thanks!

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nick filardi

ok- first let me say that your pallete is fantastic. I love super clean flat color like this and it goes really well with the type of art you chose. Not fitting for mainstream x-men, but perfect for this.

There is a scene change here. Outside and inside. I tabbed the outside more blue, and the inside more yellow to show this. It's subtle, but something that needs to be there. The way it is right now its all kinda washed out blue. Which you could argue works because the room is kind of outside a little... this tweak would matter more in context of other pages around it. But hey- if you are building a portfolio with this and other pages, why not show more range per page?

Some posts were talking about the amount of shock when the animal is slaughtered. This also depends on the context. Is this the main characters favorite elk (elk?) that talks to him? If that is the case you want more drama. If this is a daily task for these people, then the way you have it is fine. If this is the clifhanger of the issue you might want to kick it up slightly... even if it is a mundane task for these people in the comic. These are all story telling choices that you would need to make with more story going on. More pages.

so yeah, context.

Some other posts were talking about using the grad tool a little more. I don't think the image *needs* it. I would just make sure other pages in your folio have it to show range. Plus- you know... fuck around a little in pshop. Worst thing that happens is that its awful and you show no one, hide your shame, and move on.

Over all, i would say that the only thing you are really doing "wrong" is not creating depth of field. In the daytime, the darker stuff comes forward and the lighter stuff retreats and vice versa for night. Now- super clean nice looking stuff like this doesn't really NEED it. There is a clear focus in every drawing, and the colorist doesn't need to have a ton of chops to separate the background/middleground/foreground too badly. This is the advantage of working with beautiful line art, it'll still read unless you really blow out the color. But with more convoluted line art you'll need to stretch your limits a little more than what is shown here. If i was an editor, thats what i would be worried about.

Now- i'll tell ya one of the things you are doing right that i don't see often enough on the net or at cons... The line art is a little indy and quirky (in a good way. I'm just saying it isn't mainstream punisher) but it is very clean and professional. On top of that, it is work i haven't seen a hundred times before. Many colorists work with really shitty lineart from internet guys that don't have work themselves. If the image itself is already not getting picked up by editors and publishers then you are kinda shooting yourself in the foot by using it. Even if you are a brilliant colorist- it'll be hard to see over crappy line work. Or people tend to use the same joe mad!, chris bachalo or skottie young pic over and over again. There are a few joe mads that i must've seen colored over 100 times. When i see those i just turn off. Plus- liquid did such a good (but perhaps a little dated) job with the lines, that it would take some chops to get it better than them. Which- why would anyone want to compete with them unless they were sure they could crush them? Honestly- this line art is a breath of fresh air, nicely done.


And the rest of you! Would it kill you to scan in some cool black/white books? Bone, Kriby/ditko essential reprints, batman black and white, stray bulltes, black hole, Demo, Grendel, teenagers from mars, old astro boy, chester brown stuff, moebius, FUCK MAN- COLOR SOME M.C. ESHER! For god sakes. If you want to get noticed by editors stick to sequential pages unless the splash is crazy good and comes out beautifully. Even then, only one maybe maybe two. Any other splash/cover is a waste of your time. And you can bet that if someone colors an esher drawing, even if it was god awful i would totally remember him. You just never see that.

*EDIT!* I just realized you drew this. Nice job man- looks great.

Jason Copland

Wow, Nick, you did me a serious solid with that post! Your fix of the depth of field, especially in the 3rd panel, is huge! That opened my eyes to a whole new way of dealing with the coloring.

The slaughter of the elk isn't much of a plot point. It's does precede an event of great significance, but the ritual isn't a big dramatic moment.

I can't thank you enough for taking the time with this, Nick! And thanks for the kind words about the line art, too.

~J

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