CBR: Coloring Comics with Chris Sotomayor

[CBR News]

Colorist Chris Sotomayor and Andy Schmidt of Comix Experience take CBR readers though a step-by-step look at the process behind computer coloring, from receiving the original inked art to the final, fully colored image.


Full article here.

[mgs]

Damn! So Sotomayor computer colors!!... that was a sobering realization.

[howyadoin]

Damn! So Sotomayor computer colors!!... that was a sobering realization.

How did you think he did it? Pretty much everything has been computer-coloured in the last 15 years or so.

[Roquefort Raider]

Very interesting article. I'm amazed that everything was done with brushes; I could have sworn that a lot of the image was done with the gradient tool. I'd be curious to know more about Sotomayor's customized brushes.

I thought it pretty clever to have someone do your flats for you; it will indeed save considerable amounts of time. To an amateur it may sound a little like cheating, but for a pro I can see how that would be a very smart way to increase productivity.

[Soto]

Yeah, I've been computer coloring for the last 13 years of my 14 year career at Marvel, and even before that on some smaller gigs.
Also, I'm self- taught, from doing tons of research and trial & error (back in '95-'96, the internet wasn't as prevalent as it is now).
If you have any questions, or ever want a sneak-peek into how I do this stuff, feel free to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/sotocolor) where I sometimes do open sessions for anyone to watch my computer screen as I work, or check out my website at www.sotocolor.com

Thanks.

-Chris Sotomayor

[howyadoin]

If you have any questions, or ever want a sneak-peek into how I do this stuff, feel free to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/sotocolor)...

Done.

.

[mgs]

How did you think he did it? Pretty much everything has been computer-coloured in the last 15 years or so.

Really, I thought he used semi-traditional techniques. I did not know that he was full on computer coloring. I guess that says something about his talent, which is tremendous, imo, as i've said, you can take any comic and his coloring would instantly make the comic better.

but i still abhor the strict use of computer techniques on the printed page. I'm not sure if I feel foolish for not seeing it earlier, or whether I have to reanalyze what I think is 'talent'.

[howyadoin]

Really, I thought he used semi-traditional techniques. I did not know that he was full on computer coloring.

At this point I have to ask if you know how "traditional" colouring was actually done.

[mgs]

At this point I have to ask if you know how "traditional" colouring was actually done.

weren't printed pages actually colored/painted on a given page, then scanned in or printed when the page was done (lettering, etc)?

[howyadoin]

weren't printed pages actually colored/painted on a given page, then scanned in or printed when the page was done (lettering, etc)?

Not generally. Colourists would take a copy of the page, colour it with markers or watercolour or whatever, and then mark the copy with the appropriate colour codes. Then separators would cut the film required for the actual printing process.