From: [i--ru--r] at [cats.ucsc.edu] (Isaac Truder)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
Subject: Rob Davis Comics Career Article 4 of 9
Date: 2 Sep 92 11:30:56 GMT

A Mr. Rob Davis, comics aritst, has written a number of articles on the
subject of breaking into the comics business and conducting your business
once you're in.  He has recently personally given me permission to
disseminate his articles to the Internet (they were previously available on
CompuServe).  These articles originally came from a publication called the
Comics Career Newsletter.  This one gives some artistic hints on coloring
for comic books.



                              COLORING TOO
 
                              By Rob Davis
 
 
    Last time, we dealt with the technical aspects of coloring.  With
that out of the way, we can deal with style and method and some of the
unusual properties of color.
 
    The 19th century physicist Mich-Eugine Chevral stated two laws of
color that are useful to anyone working with color.  The first,
"simultanous contrast", refers to the fact that when complimentary
colors are placed next to each other they tend to increase the intensity
of of each other.  Red will seem more intese and "jump forward" when
adjacent to green.  The same of orange against blue, yellow against
violet.  The second, "successive contrast", is the optical illusion that
a complimentary "glow" is imposed upon a surrounding weaker color -- grey
becoming greenish next to a red, yellowish next to a violet, and so on.
 
    As implied earlier, cool colors tend to recede and warm colors to
advance.  There are some exceptions to this.  Green will seem cool when
surrounded by yellow but seems warm next to blue-green.  In nature
objects take on a more bluish or grey tone with distance, nearby objects
have colors that are more intense and are mostly warm.  Lighter tones of
any color will recede into the background when against a full intensity
primary color.  That's why most superhero costumes are made up of
primary colors -- it makes them jump off the page!
 
    Certain colors and combinations of colors evoke emotional responses
in the viewer.  Artwork can be given different color-schemes and each
will have its own emotional message.  "Purple with rage", "red-faced
embarrassment", "yellow cowardice"; these are just a few examples of
color emotionalism.
 
    In any drawing there are three planes where the action takes place:
fore-, middle-, and background.  In order to keep panels and pages clean
and easy to read there should be contrast between the foreground
figures and their setting.  Subtle variations should only be made within
each plane.  Contrast between each plane of the panel is important in
making each quickly understood, which is the goal of any good colorist.
 
    Let's color a panel in our imagination as an example.  In the
foreground is a street corner with a street lamp, middle ground is a
slug fest between two or more heroes, background is a building.
Foreground:  a solid color "knock out" -- preferably a secondary or
tertiary color.  Middle ground is normal colors of the antagonists (in a
case where the characters aremuch to small for a complete color
rendition, a primary knock out might be called for).  Background -- grey
or any light, cool color so the building recedes.  With this
combination, the action takes precedence and the setting doesn't
overpower it.
 
    Keep things consistent and simple.  Backgrounds shouldn't be broken
up with too many different colors.  Make the key elements important.
Keep the contrast and avoid all light or all dark panels.  Strict
attention should be paid to the script.  Don't place green leaves on a
tree in a late fall scene! Check the time of day, or night, and the
position and type of light source in the drawing.
 
    Study very carefully colorists that you admire.  Watch how they use
color to their advantage.  The greatest lesson can be learned in
observation.  Most important -- remember the KISS rule:  Keep It Simple,
Stupid!  Clarity, depth, and contrast are the most important elements to
good coloring.
 
 
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
| This article is Copyright (c) 1992 by Rob Davis.  The author is a
| feelance artist whose work has been seen under a number of different
| company logos.  His professional comics career started with SYPHONS
| #7 from NOW Comics, as a letterer.  He also lettered RUST #'s 1 and
| 2 and penciled, lettered and inked DAI KAMIKAZE!.  At Malibu
| Graphics Rob has penciled and inked several projects.  Among those
| were SCIMIDAR and MERLIN.  For Innovation Rob penciled STRAW MEN,
| MAZE AGENCY, and QUANTUM LEAP.  At Rip-Off Press Rob penciled,
| lettered and inked THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN NEMO.  At Marvel Comics
| Rob penciled theee issues of Hanna Barbera's PIRATES OF DARK WATER.
| At DC Comics Rob has penciled STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and
| STAR TREK (one issue each as fill-in, so far).  All this as of
| September, 1992.




--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes) 
	    "Egads! These look like a women's fingerprints"
						   -- Durlock Holmes