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UbePie
Nov '17

So I have sen plenty of posts about going back to previous chapters of your comic to redraw it because your skills have improved. The answe is always no and it’ll just be a never ending cycle. But would it be worth it to go back and color a comic you srarted in black and white?

Here are my thoughts; I have two comics one in color one in black and white. The black and white one has hit a plateu her at Tapas but is still growing at WEBTOON though at a smaller rate then it use to. My comic that is in color is doing a really weird thing, while most creatures see a large gap between WEBTOON and Tapas subscribe my color comic only has ten less subscribers on Tapas than WEBTOON.

According to most that is an odd thing and shows the comic is doing better here on Tapas. That makes me believe the reason it is doing better over here is because it is in color. So i was wondering if it would be worth wild to go back and color my black and white comic to attract new readers.

Thoughts? Have you had any experience with color vs black and white?

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    Nov '17

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thekinginthesun
Nov '17

From my personal experience with Tapas, readers do prefer color comics over b&w. Somehow it's harder for them to keep themselves interested in something monochromatic. But that doesn't mean a b&w comic will have no following at all, but will please some sort of a niche (mostly manga readers). At the end of the day, it's your comic and you should do what's easier and what pleases you the most! If you feel like you should color it, do it! Maybe start coloring your next pages, then keep coloring the older ones in your free time? I just don't recommend going on hiatus just to redo older content. Your current subs want new stuff!

Btw my biased opinion is that 9 Circles is awesome either way. :relieved:
UrMom
Nov '17

Personally I really like B&W/greyscale, it's more challenging than colour (as in you can't hide mistakes as easilly), and looks really good when done well. I'd suggest experimenting with a bit with B&W, try out different hatching and shading techniques. Maybe study how more successful comics like Prague Race17 works with B&W/greyscale, or study manga. My first "serious" comic11 was B&W, and for being a complete mess story wise, it did pretty alright reader wise.

But there are people who openly prefer color in their comics, and it really depends on how you feel about the situation. Being someone who's mainly drawing a comic for myself I have less at stake with the decisions I make than someone trying to break into webcomics as a career. Do what you feel is best for your work.

Wumbl
Nov '17

I do my comic in colour...
Sometimes I feel bad about it because it adds extra stress having to make a colour layer. Comics that are done with just shaded lineart might be a bit more limited but I wonder if it would look better. My art style doesn't work well with it though - my line art looks alright on its own but it doesn't set the mood I want.
In the end, colours are pretty vital to the aesthetic of my comic... The synthwave influence rests 80% in the colour palettes.

joannekwan(ง ˙o˙)ว here to help~
Nov '17

Usually when I start something in black and white I keep it at black and white. Because I've used certain techniques for shading etc. it wouldn't work if I just colored over it, I'd have to basically start from the linework and do all the toning again if I wanted color.

I have a series that started in black and white and offered to do it in color if I met a milestone on Patreon. It was met so now it's in color. I did originally picture it in color so doing it grayscale was difficult for me at first, so I'm glad I can color it now. But I have around 16 pages still in b&w. I plan to color them eventually for consistency's sake, but right now I'm just keeping pace with my regular work so it's hard to fit it in.

So basically things aren't necessarily better if they're in color, it really comes down to how you envision your series to begin with.

Also my most popular story is in grayscale and not manga style, so people can tolerate b&w just fine haha.

UbePie
Nov '17
thekinginthesun

Thank you for your vote of confidence. 9-circles was orginally a manga style comic which is why I did it in black and white, I just wondered if color would attract more people.

UbePie
Nov '17
joannekwan

I always planned for this story to be in b&w, that is why I’m torn. I have heard that color comic do better, but this comic was planned to be b&w.
I am rethinking my approch to the whole comic which is why i aked for advice. It’s my first one and I didn’t know alot going in. I switched to a digital approch but will probably go back to doing it partially tranditional because it was easier to do b&w and line art that way. But that’s why i was asking for oppions.

Your approch seems unique in that you offered it as a goal.

Michelle
Nov '17

I'd consider how much it will affect your production speed. For me, though I envisioned my comic in colour, I opted for grayscale for the sake of keeping a faster schedule. Since I work solo, I 'm unable to do a full-colour page every week. Though, since I keep every file with PSD layers intact, I always have the option of doing colour if that ever becomes a viable option.

If going back to colour older pages+doing new ones in colour won't slow you down significantly, then I don't see the harm. As long as you actually want to do colour!

rantscomics
Nov '17

The first half of our comic is in b/w and the last half is in color, and I would say that most people have preferred the color version.

nikaalexandra
Nov '17

i wouldn't think about color in the terms of more subscribers or views, but whether or not you think it improves your own work. if you have faith in your story, readers will come.

I personally prefer comics in color, and looking at 9 circles, color would really benefit you in creating a polished final product. you can also use it to add atmosphere, influence moods, and add to the overall story. granted, whether or not to color is also a question of having the time to do so. in my own experience, coloring tacks on an extra 2-3 hours of work a page, but is definitely worth it in the end!

UbePie
Nov '17

Thank you for your honesty. The time factor is something to consider and I feel like it’s early enough that I can still go back and color the comic without taking up to much time.

NaamanBlanco
Nov '17

I primarily draw my comic "Dyeing Liberty" in B&W. However, I do think readers prefer color. Because of this I actually decided to occasionally draw a "splash page" in full color.

dawgofdawgness
Nov '17

I definitely considered doing black and white when I began my comic since I do NOT understand anything about color theory -
So I tried to do this weird thing where I would do limited flat colors and erase for highlights- it was reaaaally ugly.
So instead I started only coloring/shading the backgrounds in shades of blue and color the characters pure white (with one key color) so that i could save time but also it would look more eye-catching than just a plain black and white background.
Also I thought it would go more with the theme of my comic, which is supposed to be noir/jazz inspired.

But if you're thinking of doing a full color comic, I would definitely suggest learning color theory or something. Don't be like me!

YangKoete
Nov '17

I really LIKE colouring...but it's hard to do and quite time-consuming for my current schedule. I need to get some things out of the way and get better with colouring stuff first before I get really serious.

Otherwise...I think it's what most people want in my comics more than anything. I don't get why, but ok.

UbePie
Nov '17
dawgofdawgness

Yeah 9-circles is my first ever webcomic, and when I started I didn’t even know how to color on a computer and make it look nice. After many tutorials I have learned diffrence techniques for coloring. My second comic is in color but it takes a long time because I color it in a painted style with blending and mixing. Yeah it looks great but it takes four hours just to do one page.

I most definitely wouldn’t change my b&w comic into such a complex coloring theory. I would make it simple basic coloring.

Noir can be cool, especially when the only cisble color is red. I think that pops.