Colorist Appreciation Week Roundup

As much as I love comics and always will, there's still some kinks to work out in how creator royalties are handled as well as credits in regards to colorists. This past week my response was to shine the spotlight on some of the industry's top colorists and what makes their contributions such an essential ingredient to the overall package.

I learned a lot from researching each colorists' body of work and I hope you'll learn something too and come to appreciate them and their peers even more next time you read a comic (unless it's The Walking Dead, in which case, never mind).

DAVE STEWART (DC: The New Frontier, Hellboy)














JORDIE BELLAIRE (Deadpool, The Rocketeer)





















DEAN WHITE (The Avengers, Uncanny X-Force)

















CHANDRAN PONNUSAMY (Cryozone, Steam Engines of Oz)





















ALEX SINCLAIR (Batman, Astro City)





















Let me know what you think of my choices and leave a comment or tweet at me @scott_duvall

Colorist Appreciation Week Day 4 - Chandran Ponnusamy

As my tribute to highly talented colorists continues, I want to focus on an artist I've had the pleasure of working with. Chandran Ponnusamy, or simply Chandran, as he's often credited, is in my opinion one of the most underrated colorists in comics. His work can often be seen in various titles for Arcana Studios, but I'm surprised he hasn't been snatched up by any other publishers because his flair for coloring and collaborative nature make him a great asset to any art team.

Art by Clint Hilinski

My experience working with Chandran was on a sci-fi comic Cryozone, where I had a very distinct vision in my head for how the coloring should look. I was very impressed with this stage of development as he made the art by Clint Hilinski crackle with energy. If I wanted a soft green glow to illuminate a room, that's exactly what I got. If I needed slightly out-of-focus panels to emphasize a flashback, he made it happen. If I needed a motion blur to emphasize the rapid growth of a tree, Chandran delivered. The coloring exceeded my expectations on every level.

Each and every challenge I threw at him was met with professionalism, giving me exactly what I wanted and going the extra mile to make sure the comic looked the best it could. As I've stated previously, coloring choices can make or break an otherwise good comic, and Chandran's instincts were right on the money.

Although I'm not as familiar with his other work, having viewed covers and some interiors online, it's clear that he brings the same skills and passion to each project, supplying his unique stamp.

Art by Allan Otero

Art by Yannis Roumboulias

 Below is one of my favorite pieces from Cryozone. I wanted a futuristic cityscape that was immediatly eyecatching and drew the reader in. The inked version was good and I was pleased with the outcome, but it was really when I saw this version that my jaw dropped. It went from being a drawing, to magically transporting me to this world I'd created in my mind. For the first time I could actually gaze upon a vision that was previously unseen by anyone else's eyes. In short, the coloring MADE it.

You can check out Cryozone on Comixology for just 99c or get the print version from Midtown Comics.

Check back tomorrow afternoon for the final colorist spotlight for #ColoristAppreciationWeek!

Art by Clint Hilinski