Countdown #8: Knowing is half the battle…

I was out in the garage the other day looking for Christmas decorations. Searching for holiday cheer I had to move several large boxes full of comic books, Diamond Previews catalogs, and old copies of Wizard and Fan magazine when I stumbled across a small box containing some ancient Star Wars trading cards, a broken Micronaut, and a couple of G.I. Joe figures.  My mind drifted back to those days of running home from the bus stop after school and turning on the T.V. for a few hours before dinner and homework.

Like many boys raised on a steady diet of cartoons in the 1980’s I can tell you why Jem is truly outrageous, why Heathcliff is far superior to Garfield, and discuss the nuances of various Voltron teams like a wine spectator comparing vintage bottling.  One cartoon that made an impact on my impressionable young mind was G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero.  At the end of each episode a few of the joes would participate in a short story with a lesson, don’t take candy from strangers, fire safety, good sportsmanship, and the like. Each of these short stories ended with the same catchy tag-line, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”

What about the other half… the doing?

The application of knowledge, the doing, is very important to success.  How important?  I decided to try something new this semester with my Photoshop for Comics students.  On day one I showed them the Tommi Trek illustration by John Byrne in Hi-Fi Color for Comics and told them coloring this would be their mid-term assignment.  I could see fear in the eyes of many students and several contacted me after that first class asking about dropping it all together.  Even though these students wanted to learn how to color comic book artwork when confronted with the thought of actually rendering a full comic book cover many were ready to quit on the first day.  I promised them if they followed along with the the lectures and demonstrations in-class (the knowing) and completed their weekly projects (the doing) they would be bale to render the mid-term project in color without failure.

Over the next several weeks we covered the material from Hi-Fi Color for Comics on scanning, flatting, and worked are way into rendering by starting with some basic shapes and then moving on to a single character drawing before trying more complicated artwork (you can see student & reader progress at HueDoo.com).  Many students were learning Photoshop skills and coloring skills at the same time. The mid-term assignment came and went and as a class we moved into more advanced color rendering, color holds, and special effects.  Soon the end of the semester was looming large and each of the students were busy preparing for their final portfolio review.  The day of the final arrived and one by one each student stood in front of the class and presented their portfolio of work including their favorite illustrations from class.  When a student would reach the Tommi Trek image nearly each one would relay a similar story, “When you told us on the first day this would be the mid-term I thought, there is NO WAY I can do that.  I have surprised myself with all I have learned to do in this class”.

Have you ever been shocked at your ability to accomplish a feat you thought impossible?  That is the power of the doing.

You can learn to color this Tommi Trek cover too. Artwork by John Byrne

I have also learned quite a bit from my students and decided to incorporate what I had learned into the upcoming book, Master Digital Color.

• I learned that many of the old textbook metaphors do not apply to many creative students, especially now that each of us are used to having so much information at our fingertips.  The new book offers content in an up to date way that reflects how real readers will use the book (you can read more about this in Countdown #9).
• I also learned that while step-by-step tutorials make for great reference and learning materials some students benefit most by watching live demonstrations.  To that end Master Digital Color comes with mini-tutorial and demo videos on the bonus DVD.
• I learned that HueDoo.com is key to success for many readers and students.  The ability to see what others are doing and get real time feedback on your own progress can motivate you to push farther than you thought was possible.
• I learned that readers want to create a variety of color styles on their own artwork and other illustrations.  Master Digital Color includes six main color styles further divided into 18 hands-on projects with step-by-step directions.
• I learned that aspiring colorist grow faster when exposed to a variety of artwork.  The tutorials and challenges included in Master Digital Color come from some of the most amazing artist working in the comic book industry today (I’ll focus on these artists in an upcoming installment of Countdown).

Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.  The other half is doing something about it.  I have infused all the feedback I have received from readers, students, and other colorist into Master Digital Color to provide you with the best information and tool available to help you pursue your creative dreams.

Standing there in the garage, looking at these treasures from my childhood, and surrounded by boxes of comics I have worked on, I realized how fortunate I have been to color comics based on many of my favorite things from childhood like G.I. Joe, Transformers, Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Batman. That is the one thing no one ever tells you about the doing.  Eventually you find yourself surrounded with a lifetime of projects you contributed to. It is a wonderful feeling knowing this holiday season a child is reading a comic book colored by Hi-Fi  that is creating the same excitement in them I felt when reading comics colored by Adrienne Roy.  And someone will unwrap a copy of Hi-Fi Color for Comics this Christmas and begin a journey toward coloring comic artwork themselves.  It really is the most wonderful time of year.

Now if I could only find those Christmas ornaments…

Brian is a comic book colorist, founder of Hi-Fi colour design, and co-author of Hi-Fi Color for Comics and the upcoming sequel Master Digital Color.

Pre-order Master Digital Color from Amazon.com today you will save close to $10 off the cover price and give yourself the knowledge you need to succeed.