Black and white vs color

agentfink 2016-03-20 06:35:09 UTC #6

There is b&w (straight up line work) and grayscale... which can be just as hard as color I think. My comic was originally B&W linework but I made a decision to go grayscale and think it's a better presentation.

You mentioned sacrificing story... How many pages are scripted? Planning ahead can help with making sure the story is where you want it to be and frees up time for the actual art work (be it color or B&W).

jonno 2016-03-20 06:47:35 UTC #7

incoming brick of text

@christinaeliz i will definitely have to try that out sometime, but i think i really have to evaluate my general style
@thomassayle if a little delay is alright with the viewers, that's cool, but i dont want to use that as a crutch, and if i said i was doing this for myself, i would give up on it fast (just the way i roll i guess)
@Bloomer improving BETWEEN updates? haha, there is nothing in between updates, soon as i finish one, im on to the next, i aint got time to draw anything that isnt a page (which im super ok with)
@gateofselidor i like coloring a lot, but i feel that the longer i take to release anything, the slower the story moves along, which im not into. good to know that just not doing it wont help, though
@agentfink story-wise, i am like 4, maybe 5 pages ahead, with some major plot points farther ahead, so i can at least have the skeleton of a story arc, and i have something to morph the story into

thanks for the feedback guys

Vikiro_Hop 2016-03-20 06:47:46 UTC #8

Honestly I think your comic would benefit a lot from color. Idk I dig black and white myself but I can definitely see that full color just pops out and sucks people in especially in regards to webcomics. That being said I can definitely sympathise with wanting to keep the story rolling.

I'd suggest trying to do just fills instead of any shading or gradients or what have you. It could be a good middle ground. I do stuff like that in my comic most of the time, I think even basic coloring would work well with your comic. As someone who has unfortunately tested the limits on tapastic as far as late posting I can say that most subbers can be quite forgiving. (No excuse to post late, but when some people are posting a week or two late...well I think you get where I'm going.)

I like the concept of your comic and your background work so I look forward to what you do regardless.

shazzbaa 2016-03-20 06:50:43 UTC #9

You aren't going to get faster at colouring by posting pages in black-and-white. But I'm seconding @gateofselidor -- Which is better for the comic that you want to make? The aesthetics of colour, or the pacing of more frequent updates? That's not a decision anyone can make for you, because one isn't inherently better -- it's about which matters more to you.

If it's just a matter of worrying about getting an update right on time, you might want to look into a buffer, so that getting a page done a little late won't hurt your update. Like, if you've posted page 2, and you have page 3 and 4 finished already, then it doesn't matter if update day rolls around and you need a couple more hours to finish page 5, because page 3 is ready to be posted. If you work this way, you have a little bit of wiggle room, where if you're able to finish a page roughly once a week, it's okay that it's not done right on the dot of update night.

So a more useful question might be, how long does this actually take you, and do you have that much time to colour pages? Like, if it consistently takes you 10 days to colour a page and you want to update every 7 days, then that answers your question. But if it's just a matter of "I can colour a page in 7 days, but when a page gives me trouble I run a little over," then getting a buffer might clear up your worries about running a little late sometimes!

UrMom 2016-03-20 06:53:31 UTC #10

Lol, I meant when you're not literally updating the page to the site. xD

jonno 2016-03-20 07:00:15 UTC #11

i'm definitely working towards getting a buffer set up, but boy, is that a slow roll. I also know that when i am introducing new situations to the comic (ie. the diner), it will naturally take more time, as i need to pull from what little knowledge i have of color theory. but i know that a lot of these new things (like the diner) are going to appear a lot more often than just once, so that would take less time. i have also had ideas for certain parts of the comic that will involve less coloring, so i guess i might be worrying a bit too much over it.

thanks for the input

AnnaLandin 2016-03-20 07:07:44 UTC #12

If you really want your pages to be in colour, and you can't make it with your current update-schedule - switch update schedules. Give yourself more time. Plan your drawing time, and try to draw a little every day.

The point of having an update schedule at all is to a.) give your readers something consistently to look forward to, and b.) finding a way to fit this comic (which you are drawing for free) into the rest of your busy life, without stressing out too much.

If your priority is to stay on schedule, then sure, switch to black and white - it's faster, and if it gets the message across the way you want it to, go for it.

On a related note, I recommend trying to stay ahead of your readers a bit. Don't just draw the page you're going to post this week - try to finish a couple more, build up a buffer. There will be times when even a black and white page takes too much time to draw because you're having an exceptionally busy week - if you've got a couple of pages worth of buffer sitting around, you can still update on time.

jonno 2016-03-20 07:18:23 UTC #13

heres the thing with this: i draw a lot. every day. its kinda all i do now haha
I definitely agree with the statement about buffers, and im grinding away to get that going.
honestly, i wouldn't consider my rushing to finish a page, or trying to stick to a strict schedule, stressful at all (at least, not yet). I feel like constantly living in a state of "it's go time, you gotta move or else you miss your chance" is my only way to stay motivated to do anything, really.

side note: i really love your work on grassblades, it is perfectly balanced between art, mood and story. good work

AnnaLandin 2016-03-20 07:27:56 UTC #14

Then all you can do is keep plugging away! Practise really will make you faster. : ) When I started drawing comics, a single page could take me ages to finish - these days, it takes me 4-8 hours.

Then I think you're going to have to get used to the idea of missing updates. Living on the edge like that means you will miss update-days at some point because life tends to get in the way - whether it's a family emergency, a sudden illness, patchy internet connections or your computer throwing in the towel.

Of course, missing an update day isn't the end of the world! And as long as there's a legitimate excuse, I'm sure your readers won't mind!

Thank you! <3

Shanny8 2016-03-20 09:17:33 UTC #15

I agree with @AnnaLandin- change your update schedule to accomodate your workpace. That may also give you time to start buffering pages...instead of trying to spit out a page every week, go for every 2 weeks instead- and inform your readers that this is just temporary, until you can get things straightened out; I'm sure they'll understand.

mariusthered 2016-03-20 11:36:41 UTC #16

have you considered just using a few colors? limit your pallet and open time while not going to black and white

hushicho 2016-03-20 12:42:23 UTC #17

Color is much more time-consuming, in most cases, than greyscale. Plain black and white is far less time-consuming, but depending on style it can be difficult to layout so that the images are clear enough. Greyscale is generally much quicker than color, and I will respectfully disagree with some of the posters -- greyscale is much easier than color to get looking good. Color is far more difficult to get even decent-looking, which is made more complicated by the fact that everyone has different aesthetic tastes; what looks perfectly right for one may seem garish and tacky to another.

I also have more than one friend who suffer from colorblindness in some colors, so I've become aware that greyscale can be kinder to a wider audience. I find it also involves an audience more, because they have to use their imaginations to some extent too.

I would advise practice though, most of all with comic-making in general, and try to build a buffer before setting yourself on any strict schedule of updating. It's best to know how you work, and what your timeframe generally is for production, before you set a schedule that you may not be able to keep. Walk before you try to run.

bouncyegg 2016-03-20 13:21:09 UTC #18

As a reader, I usually gravitate towards color comics only because they're more visually exciting. However, as a creator, coloring can take foreverrrrr. Maybe you could have a monotone pallet with a few colors and mostly black and white? Is there any way you can be flexible with your update schedule? I'm sure readers would prefer to wait a little longer to see the comic that they really enjoy in the way they enjoy it.

http://tapastic.com/series/thebouncyegg

TennaShoe 2016-03-20 15:05:29 UTC #19

I agree with this idea.
Create swatches for each character and each background setting and maybe a "time of day" overlay color.
This way, there's way less to think about when coloring.

Even though I do grayscale, I try to only pick 2-3 shades of gray per page/per setting. If I used the full range of black to white, I'd never get done.

Also +1 to the person that said if you avoid doing color, you'll not get faster at it.

R.n.P 2016-03-21 12:11:29 UTC #20

I prefer black and white cuz to me everything thing looks good on black and white or it may be because its a manga that inspired my comic but anyhow color doesn't matter much to me I prefer following storylines.

Doubtcent 2016-03-22 15:25:31 UTC #21

What I find is a happy medium is coloring the grayscale.
Usually, if I'm just too lazy to color or just think that too much color would ruin a scene, I color in gray-scale, select that layer, and give it all an accent color. That way, even if the comic could be in black and white, there's still color involvement.

MobLobs 2016-03-22 22:01:50 UTC #22

While I do think coloring is the best way to go, for me honestly when I start working on my comic I'll do it in either black and white or greyscale (Still deciding which one I may like best.) It's honestly because coloring takes me forever to do and I'd rather actually get pages out instead of taking 2 weeks trying to color something. The only things I'll probably color are the covers but that'll be about it.

It's all about preference really.

shaylafarley5 2016-03-29 22:51:01 UTC #23

Black and white is fine, but if you started your comic with color then changed to black and white then that could effect it when you may want to take it to print.
That's why when creating a full colored comic make sure your have a few buffer pages to back you off just in case things slow you down. (like life!)
When i started posting I had a two chapter buffer with half of chapter 3 done. But once I got to my command, time for my comic slowed down a lot. I had to take a month hold (which i didn't want to) just to create some buffer pages.
My advice is to continue coloring it just try to make it where coloring isn't to time consuming(which is hard to do)

Mharz 2016-03-30 11:11:06 UTC #24

In my opinion I think I prefer color on your webcomic. It's more effective that way. I suggest building up your buffer rather than switching to black and white. Draw 10-20 pages ahead of time so that you can maintain an update schedule. Maintaining a schedule is like chasing deadlines. When you don't have buffer it can be pretty stressful.

HVOICE 2016-03-31 22:01:25 UTC #25

Everyone has different opinions on color and black and white pages.
I'll just give you my personal opinion.

I'm old fashioned. I love the look of black and white comics. I always have and I always will.
I always loved reading manga magazines when they used to be printed (like shoujo beat or shonen jump) and then being happily surprised to see my favorite series in color for a couple pages! That was always a fun treat! It was always exciting because it only happened every so often.
I think having the comic in color ALL the time kind of ruins that nice surprise. Not to mention, there are people (like myself) who can't stand certain color themes. I hate bright color schemes. Hate them. And if there was a comic that had nothing but bright colors on every page, I probably wouldn't read it. It would give me a headache.
Like, let's say the main character has light brown hair and always wears a lime green shirt under a bright pink jacket. Light brown, lime green, and bright pink. Those colors together would make me want to puke. A character like that I would only want to see in color on a cover or on special once in a while color pages.
Like I said, this is just my personal opinion, nothing more. This is all based on taste. Everyone has different tastes. I'm sure other people might like those three colors together I don't know.

It just might be a little risky because there are those people like me who are very particular about color schemes. When it's black and white, it leaves the thought of color to the imagination of the reader, and it shouldn't turn off people who prefer color right off the bat either (unless they're the type of person who just CAN'T read a comic unless its in color)

All in all though, do what you think is right for your comic.
If you think it should be in color, then do it. If you feel like is should be in black in white with color once in a while then do it.
If the story and art are good, then people will like it colored or not.