Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

Wanted: A Colourist For A Variety Of Skin Tones

Tee Franklin is looking for a colourist for an upcoming job. Paid, obviously.

But her request is one that goes to the heart of the production process, may challenge some, but provide opportunities for others.

She asks specifically for "someone who can color POC in various skin tones, for example, not just one skin tone for Black people. This is a paid gig looking to start immediately. Please share."

Well, that I can do.

For those that read Ronald Wimberly's Lighten Up, this does seem to be a thing.

Many colourists working on monthly comics find themselves converge around a small set of tones, even in today's far richer available digital palette. It can be the safe way out – printing colour on paper is still unpredictable. A publisher is at the mercy of the press operator to a much greater degree than you'd think and even relatively experienced colorists don't understand issues regarding printing CMYK colours particular well. Take what can happen if you are trying to achieve a certain variance in tone, say, for a Native American character. If a colourist chooses to go for a touch more magenta, rather than getting a look that's accurate and natural, when it rolls off the press it might end up pure red. That's what editors fear, going for a better tone, having it shift in print, and ending up with something on the stands that's utterly offensive.

Such care and attention from palette to the printing press is beyond mainstream comic book publishers, having to print 20 comics a week. But it's something that's more achievable if one person is publishing one comic book. Tests can be run, press operators can be negotiated with, and perfection can be achieved in this sphere. You just need a dedicated colourist, producer and printer.

So if you are that colourist wanting to impress, here's an opportunity to show what you can do…

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