Before being published in products such as comic books, a colorist fills in drawings with color. Colorists are artists with experience and training in their field, though the amount of experience and education required varies depending on the job. Colorists used to work primarily with paper drawings and coloring pens, but now they mostly work digitally on computers.
Digital coloring software for professionals is frequently complicated. To complete each digital coloring job, colorists must master the necessary software programs. Coloring software can be used in conjunction with a tablet and stylus, which is a pen-like instrument that the colorist applies to the tablet to make the work appear on a computer screen. Colorists use a variety of different types of artist’s coloring programs in their work.
The work of a cartoonist or comic book colorist takes place at the end of the creative process. Other professionals, such as a penciller, inker, and letterer, finish the captions and basic line drawings first. The penciller is the first artist to work on a comic; he or she draws the characters and layouts the page. The inker then goes over the penciller’s work with ink or outlining graphics. The letterer then fills in the dialog balloons with words, either by hand or with computer software.
The spaces left for the colorist to color may be blocked off in some way after the other three artists have finished their work for easy identification. The artwork is then colored by the colorist. Colorists are usually the last creative professionals to work on a comic book or other project before it is published, so they must finish the coloring quickly to stay on schedule. As a result, colorists must be able to work effectively under duress.
A colorist doesn’t just paint the drawings with a broad brushstroke of color. Rather, he or she employs art techniques like shading and color blending to create three-dimensional forms. Colorists know how to work with shadows and light in their work. They also have a strong understanding of color, such as how to use cool and warm colors in comics or cartoons to create a specific mood.
A colorist is an artist in every sense of the word. Many colorists have a strong focus on color theory as part of their art degree or background. Colorists, like freelance graphic artists and designers, often work on a contract basis, even if they have a full-time job with one publisher. To market their services to potential clients, they use computer or print portfolios that showcase their work.