Should I Practice Coloring Even Though I Want to Draw Manga?

[MasterValkyrie]

I am a new artist (just started a few months ago) and I was wondering if coloring is actually necessary? I know most, if not all, Manga style artists can color. But besides the occasional colored covers, what is it actually needed for? I may just be naïve, but coloring skills is sorta useless for the final projects, right?

[nathanKmcwilliams]

You should probably practice color as well. It helps to understand working in monochrome, and you'll need it for promotional material and chapter covers.

Overall it's a good idea to be balanced in a little bit of everything. My comic started in color but is monochrome now, and honestly it wouldn't be as good as it is now if I hadn't put all that time into learning coloring and shading techniques.

[disqette]

Even if you're working in B&W, it'll do you a world of good to master shadows, lighting, and values. Studying coloring can help with that! Those skills can be honed painting in black & white, too tho. But if you really don't like working with colors, don't bother. It'll help to have foundational knowledge tho

[SpavVy]

As someone who works on two series that are considered "manga" and used to work in B&W, I have to say yes, learn how to color it will really help with covers and let readers know the colors of your characters, etc.

[NickRowler]

Yes you should practice coloring. This does not mean your final goal should be to create a color comic, but having the skills to create eye catching covers is important. You might also get to a point where you expand and start doing stuff like commissions and merch.

[SleepingPoppy]

I may just be naïve, but coloring skills is sorta useless for the final projects, right?

If you only learn the specific skills you think you need to make a specific thing, you're really pigeon holing yourself. Just because you're interested in this one thing now, doesn't mean either your interest will change/expand or _the expectations _ to do that thing in the industry could change over time.

I know most, if not all, Manga style artists can color. But besides the occasional colored covers, what is it actually needed for?

I would say, if you're just interested in making a free web comic and seeing where it goes, it doesn't matter much. If you want to become a professional artist, you should put effort into having well rounded skills, including coloring.

All that said, if you're a young artist just starting to figure things out, and you're not interested in coloring, it's not like you need to put all your effort into learning that ASAP or anything.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I don't think it should be an 'even though' issue. If you want to practice some coloring techniques, go ahead. Even if you never use any of the skills you learn for your manga, does it really matter? What do you lose by having some fun and gaining new art knowledge? ^^;

And like others have said, you never know what you might want to do in the future. It's not unlikely that those skills will come in handy someday.

[IndigoShirtProd]

Any promotional art you do for the comic will likely be better received if it's in color. So at least for that reason, learning to color well will likely help you comic.