Coloring
March 9, 2012 8:00 pm
My colorist Tiffany asked me a question yesterday that I thought I had an answer to. She wanted to know what the mood was of the story; what tone we need to set. She was asking to get an idea of how to approach the color scheme/style, but it got me to thinking about overall, what the mood is. I think I described it somewhere as a love letter to the sci-fi stimuli from my past, and those influences were bathed in blue light and shadow.
I re-read the first 20 pages and decided that’s not exactly how I Want it to feel. At least, I don’t want you to feel like you’re watching a grainy, worn VHS of Aliens. You should have an HD version, at least. There still may be grain and duct tape, but hopefully if it’s engaging enough, with the right amount of “cool,” you’ll overlook the blemishes under the bright lights. So I opted for a more current, traditional approach. Nic’s pencils should give you that feeling of 80’s sci-fi, but the color shouldn’t be distracting. I actually cited Justin Ponsor’s work in the Ultimatum chapter of Ultimate Spider-Man. It’s modern, but muted. Depressed, but hopeful. At least that’s how it feels when I look at it.
Anyway, Tiff’s her best, and I think she’s really bringing it home. And Nic’s pencils continue to inspire. Wish we could start today.