Coloring Consistently, How do?

[elyss]

I've started coloring my comic and I find myself constantly feeling like the pages are inconsistent. It's driving me nuts at this point of wanting to stop the comic altogether.

Here are three pages I've worked on, the far right isn't finished yet. Do you think it's consistent? Either way I'd love some advice on keeping coloring consistent.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I keep an open copy of earlier pages in another tab of [insert art program here] and use the eyedropper tool to grab the proper colors.

I suppose you could also make custom color pallets in whatever program you use too and label them for whatever you need.

[Kann]

I've made a file with color palettes for my comics to make the coloring of the characters more consistent or copy colors from previous pages,

But you don't have to worry so much about it as long as colors aren't too different from page to page. Coloring on the pages you posted looks consistent to me.

[elyss]

My local colors are consistent, the lighting shifts the finished colors though

[sartinjacqueline05]

I had the same issue until i figured out how to import my color palette to my new canvases. The software i use resets the color wheel with each new page so that's a pain in the butt. But yeah, just keep a color palette for your characters. You may have to adjust it depending on the lighting of course. Sometimes though, my background color might alter the way my characters color looks. At least thats how it happens for me.

Don't let crazy color changes or inconsistency discourage you from continuing your work. It happens. It'll get better.

[Kelheor]

Stick to one technique. If you used only hard brush for background or shadows - don't start using soft or textured one. If you didn't made light reflex with soft brush before - don't do it on the new page.
Of course different light would shift the finished colours, this is how light works. They are pretty consistent, but as I see, you don't use light and shading on the second page at all, and you used some different brushes on the third page (or used usual brushes differently) and put more colourful shading and light with soft brush, that's what makes them different from the first one.
Overall some inconsistency is not bad, it means you are trying new things, which is good for your art, for your progress

[elyss]

Yeah I've been trying different methods. This exercise has made me respect colorists even more. I focused more on overlays and brushes in the first, gradients in the second, and gradient+brushes in the third. I want to simplify it as much as possible but I can't seem to get there.

[elyss]

I'm gonna google how to do that cause it could definitely help with keeping the mood similar over several pages.

[ninjashira]

Like some others have said, I keep a separate image file with all my color swatches on it so I can make sure my colors are all consistent.

And I do my pages in batches across a scene with similar lightning or that takes place in the same location. So I'll take my twelve or so pages and pencil them all, then ink them all, then do all the flat (local) colors for them all, then adjust the environmental lighting for them all, then do the shading for them all... You get the idea. I find that helps me keep my colors and lighting consistent across an entire scene.

[elyss]

Oh that makes so much sense! I checked out your comic and the coloring looks awesome! Such a consistent mood about it. I'll definitely try this

[demthorshie]

I have color palette files for each character since they all have extremely different hair colors, skin tones etc. I usually label all of the palette colors within the file so I know what's what for future pages.

[Coati]

I usually make this guides, since I use a lot of blending modes and stuff, the colors change from episode to episode, but I like to keep the same base. I use clipstudio, so I put this image on subview and use the eyedropper to grab the colors

[DokiDokiTsuna]

1. The pages look consistent enough to me. =/

2. I wouldn't worry too much about color consistency if I were you. I think it's one of those things in comics that's really a bigger deal to the artists than to the readers: as long as the characters don't look completely unrecognizable in different lighting, most people won't really care that much.

If you're really worried about it, you can make up standardized color palettes ahead of time and use earlier pages as quality control, as others have suggested.
In short, I think it's better to either get organized or stop giving a damn altogether (as I do). ^^; Sitting in the middle and worrying about whether you're doing things right will only serve to stress you out.

[aqua03]

That's basically exactly what I do as well. XD

[magnavarra]

colors seem way to consistent - bottom left panels is all brown and little contrast - try working on it a bit more. Remember that lighting of a scene affect colors greatly. For me it's ok since the character is still recognizeable

[rajillustration]

I honestly think that your colors aren't out of whack, I would just make sure that you're using lighting consistently throughout. Part of why he seems so pale in the first part versus the other is the choice to use hard lighting and shadow, while in the others you're using ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is great and powerful, and you can totally use it alongside panels that have hard light, but even ambient lighting has some shading to it--either with a gradient to show warm light bouncing off of the warm furniture, or darkness where occlusion hangs out (although in this style I wouldn't put heavy occlusion, and instead make it real light.)

But for consistency, I like to do my coloring with a master file open to tell me what my character looks like--so that way I can keep it looking about the same shade despite the lighting. Even then, if you have places where there's more contrast, and the skin may look lighter or darker despite being the same color as a place with less contrast. Contrast will exaggerate lightness or darkness--so in the first panel where there's a lot of contrast he seems extra pale in the shadow, compared to other places where his skin is closer to the background colors. If you want to get real particular you can just change the base color in contrasty panels if you get the sense that it doesn't read the same.

But overall I think you're doing a good job, just keep at it!

[elyss]

Seeing it it B&W is very helpful in seeing value and contrast. I take this into consideration

[magnavarra]

yeah if you are not certain with colors - try making it bw and working out values first