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KreativeConfusion
Apr '16

I'm thinking about switching to black and white/ grey scale when I start chapter 2 of my comic. I feel like it would be so much easier for me to get pages out and I might be able to pull off more frequent updates if I can get into the swing of it. However I'm not sure if I want to make the change since I don't want to turn readers off because its not color anymore. I was wondering if anyone made that kind of switch and how it went for them?

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    Apr '16

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    Apr '16
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Doubtcent
Apr '16

I found a happy medium.

If I don't want to color completely, I greyscale it up.
But then select all of the colors present and set the color layers to a single color, like purple or red. For example:
5
This was done in black and white, but then I set the shades and colors to a dark purple.
It's the best of both worlds.

Kaykeactual fraggle
Apr '16

I change my coloring style a few times. I've had people mention it, but I don't think anyone stopped reading because of it.

phen
Apr '16

I also have a comic (Candour is Going Mad3) that I started the prologue in colour and switched to grayscale once that was finished. The reception was great! I didn't lose any followers because of it and I've been slowly gaining since then (plus it totally helped me maintain my output). The biggest thing I had to pay attention to, though, was environment detailing so that the characters didn't get lost in the backgrounds without the colour boundaries.

I gave a quick look over Tipping Point1 and it has a very unique, strong style -- the characters are especially stylish and your gentle, painterly backgrounds would look excellent with a grayscale scheme. I think you can make a strong visual transition! ^^v

SamNoir
Apr '16

I'm kind of having a bit of an internal debate myself about VICTORIAN FOUR. feel free to click on link to see more page examples in B/W and Colour

What do folks like better?

Black and White/Grayscale.

or Colour?

KreativeConfusion
Apr '16
phen

Ahhh well thank you for that ;7; and I'll keep that in mind as well! I realized keeping the characters noticeable can be tricky,

@SamNoir I think your style looks really interesting in color! It reminds me of western comic books so I think readers will like that. I will say color gets more attention too, it just tends to catch the eye more but it can depend on a lot of other things too.

Marton
Apr '16

I did the same change with my comic. Nobody complained.

dracoplato
Apr '16

I did the opposite and switched my comic Zenchav2 to color from BW after the prologue. I only just got to that point in the story on Tap so I don't know reader reaction yet, but for me personally I'm much happier working on it in color. I think it's important as an artist to do what you think will be best for the story, as well as for your own productivity. Doing it in the way that causes the least stress for you is probably most important in the long run.

miseryhunting
Apr '16

I think it doesn't matter as long as you stick with it.
The reader notices.
I had a favourite artist of mine swtich between coloured pages and black and white pages several times and it is really really annoying. The reader doesn't care if you feel insecure or think your style is not good enough - for them to be following your work, they must like it. The reader wants consitency.
However, I think people on Tapastic are generally pretty accepting, because most readers are artists themselves. If you decide you like black and white pages, it's cool too, but be sure you want to make the switch so you don't have to keep changing styles - some people would stick with you, some, who are not as invested, might not.
But if it's only the time that worries you, remember, it's always quality over quantity.

kambreapratt
Apr '16

We tried to switch to B&W once and our readers did not respond well at all, so we switched back.

zerogravityfiction
Apr '16

My comic is black & white, with occasional coloured panels for emphasis. Nobody seems to mind I don't think, although it wasn't a switch so who knows. Imo I don't think it would affect the overall reception of a comic or anything like that, I mean The Walking Dead is black and white. A lot of mangas are too!

KreativeConfusion
Apr '16

@kambreapratt was there a decline in views or did your readers actually voice complaints? Honestly that would be one of my worse fears, having my readers get vocally upset about a change I made @_@

@zerogravityfiction Ahhh I know, and I was thinking of doing something similar to that, but I'm worried about the change in consistency annoying people for a while.

kambreapratt
Apr '16

They actually were very vocal about not wanting it in black and white. They voiced it.

littleelliebot
Apr '16

I did my intro chapter in colour then swapped to partial colour. Mainly eyes, room colour, small details and I tried a thing where when I introduced a new (main) character, I wanted that panel in full colour. but I kinda have gone all over the place with what I do for colouring xD.

I didn't have many readers to begin with, and I dont think I lost any? I've had people say that the way I colour my pages is interesting/they like it but thats about it P :

serverpanda
Apr '16

My comic has been in black and white from the beginning. I know that compared to an earlier incarnation of it that was in colour, my black and white comic sadly does have less readers despite it being of a higher quality (I took some time to do a few art studies before starting the new version). That said, I won't be changing to colour any time soon aside from the usual chapter covers and some illustrations. It just isn't a viable option for me. smile But to me there's not a thing wrong with black and white comics. I'll read them as long as the story is worth it anyways.

indagold
Apr '16

Don't switch styles mid comic. I would do that for a separate comic, but in the middle of comic it just looks weird. I used to do similar things like that when I was starting out and realized how garish and clashing it looked.

Dingbat1991
Apr '16

I would honestly say it depends on the style of your comic. Because my style in more on the toony side, I decided that my bright color palettes are crucial to my comic and compliment its moods well. Color for me isn't the most time consuming process anyways.

Give black and white a shot if you feel its easier and keep an ear open for the response of your audience towards the change.

Ghostie
Apr '16

I'm the opposite actually. I wish I could do full color, full-paint. I started a comic like that once, but the sheer amount of time I had to worry about coloring and shading, then blending and special effects like glinting metal, or... just backgrounds were an absolute nightmare when they had to be painted and colored. Characters not so much, but backgrounds were almost painful. I burnt out FAST.

I dunno. I prolly wouldn't change mid-comic either, but that's just because it would visually bother me. XD Forever. No matter what. I pretty much went "I'mma do this in black and white because it's faster, more efficient, and works with my genre anyway; and just for fun I'll color splash it occasionally" and committed. >.>

KreativeConfusion
Apr '16

@kambreapratt oh geez that sounds kinda scary @_@ hope they weren't too vocal about it.

@littleelliebot I was thinking of doing something similar. Colors do play a semi important role in the comic but it take so long, it's draining on me sometimes.

@indagold well it would be in the in the next chapter (I'm still on chapter 1) and I've seen comic artists do it before. Have the start be in color then transition to black and white later.

@Plague I tried full paint before. Not fun @_@ burn out happens real quick like you said. it's why I try to do cel shading.

MylCreates
Apr '16
1

Going from Color to B&W can be a tricky thing depending on how long your comic's been going. If you can somehow incorporate a reason for it going B&W within the story (mood shift, change of worlds, backstory, etc), that'd probably be more forgivable. @vincentprendick presented a good idea in using a certain color shade instead of pure black & white.

When I was making Hacheeachkee I did this for about 20 pages before deciding to jump into color (and had a specific action in the story spark it) and kind of signified the change from backstory (because the comic had a narration until that point) into current time.

You can try doing the reverse of this if you wish to convert to B&W so that people can be eased into the new style instead of slapping a sudden change in their faces (unless it's very deliberate and part of the story ofcourse)

aFistFull
Apr '16

Colouring really is a pain. I find it such a long and arduous process. My first issue was in black and white but more of a Sin City style where they merge together. I think it's a good idea to shake things up. Keep everything fresh.

MylCreates
Apr '16
SamNoir

The colors for your comic are more minute, I'd say you could stay in color tones and use a different color to highlight important things or do some creative lighting using a single color for certain moods. smile

wendybirdx
Apr '16

On a similar note, I do have a question for everyone - would it be a good idea to have the comic be black and white and only use color in the occasional important page? Like when the situation is so big you need a full page illustration. If that one is more detailed and in color, would it be too much of a contrast or an interesting change?

Ghostie
Apr '16

I've actually seen people do this, and it's a pretty neat effect, actually. Especially if it highlight's something really really important. .o I've seen folks who do the chapter covers and their first page be in full color while everything else is black and white too. I think that could be pulled off pretty slick, honestly. .o

wendybirdx
Apr '16

Sounds great then! I think I'll give it a try for my future work. (:

YuliaCandylun
Apr '16

as a biggest fan of bw, I advice you to try.
at last for test it, see how it will going on, looks...