Editing Colorist

{{short description|Responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art}}
{{other uses}}
{{Multiple image
| image1 = 2fawcett013.jpg
| alt1 = Black and white frame of a white woman sitting on a throne decorated with serpents.
| caption1 = Page from Unknown World #1 (1952)
| image2 = UnknownWorld1 15.jpg
| caption2 =
| alt2 = Colorized frame of a white whoman sitting on a throne decorated with serpents.
}}

In [[comics]], a '''colorist''' is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is most often done using digital media, with printing separations produced electronically.

Although most American colorists work directly for comics publishers (either as [[employee]]s or [[freelancer]]s), there are a few coloring studios which offer their services to publishers. [[American Color]], [[Olyoptics]], [[Digital Chameleon]] were the companies notable in this field.

== History ==
Originally, comics were colored by cutting out films of various densities in the appropriate shapes to be used in producing [[color separation|color-separated]] printing plates. The typical colorist worked from photocopies of the inked pages, which they colored with special dyes. [[Dr. Martin's Dyes]] was a brand notable in this field within the comic strip industry.<ref name="color guides" /> [[CMYK]] codes were written on the page to indicate the final printed colors, and these hand-colored pages were used as guides by the engraver.<ref>"Bullpen Bulletins", ''Marvel Two-in-One'' #52 (Marvel Comics, June 1979).</ref> [[Tatjana Wood]] was the main colorist for [[DC Comics]]' covers from 1973 through the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite book|author-link= Paul Levitz|last=Levitz|first= Paul|title= 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking|publisher= [[Taschen|Taschen America]] |year=2010| isbn= 978-3-8365-1981-6|page= 524 |quote= Virtually all DC covers from 1973 through the end of the Bronze Age were colored by Tatjana Wood.}}</ref>

More recently, colorists have worked in transparent media such as watercolors or airbrush, which is then photographed, allowing more subtle and painterly effects.

==Digital color==
Colorist [[Steve Oliff]] and his company [[Olyoptics]] were one of the first to use computers to do color separations. Although other companies at the time were experimenting with computers, Oliff and his crew were the first to blend the color guide artist with the separator.<ref name="Khoury">{{Cite book |last=Khoury |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xjVEjumBEIgC&dq=akira+digital+coloring&pg=PA177 |title=Image Comics: The Road to Independence |date=2007 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1-893905-71-9 |language=en}}</ref> In 1987, the Japanese [[manga]] ''[[Akira (manga)|Akira]]'' was in preparation to be translated and published by [[Marvel Comics]]'s [[Epic Comics]] line. Oliff was chosen as the colorist, and he convinced Marvel that it was time to try computer color.<ref>Gravett, Paul. Manga: ''Sixty Years of Japanese Comics'' (Laurence King Publishing, 2004). </ref> After the publication of ''Akira'' in 1988, computer coloring became increasingly prevalent in the comics industry.<ref name="Khoury" />

By the early 1990s, even though the larger comics publishers were using computers, there were variations within the field. DC Comics allowed only a 64-color palette, while Marvel had expanded it to 125 colors. [[Dark Horse Comics]] allowed even more variations.<ref name="color guides">Hollingsworth, Matt. [http://matthollingsworth.net/content/view/22/1/ "Color Guides," MattHollingsworth.net.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008024428/http://matthollingsworth.net/content/view/22/1/ |date=2008-10-08 }} Accessed Apr. 6, 2009.</ref> The dominant programs in use during that time were Color Prep and Tint Prep, both originally implemented by Olyoptics. This software was invented and written by "Pixel Craft", the first company to create software that used a personal computer that could output files for a digital image setter to make negatives for color printing. Pixel craft was a small company in Long Island, New York, created by Kenneth Giordano and Khouri Giordano. The father and son team went on to accomplish many first in the computerization of color print.<ref name="color guides" /> In 1993, [[Image Comics]]' use of computer color and more advanced color separation technology propelled DC and Marvel to further upgrade their coloring techniques. Finally, in the mid-1990s, Digital Chameleon's facility with [[Adobe Photoshop]] helped make that program the industry standard.<ref name="color guides" />

The improvements in the technology used for coloring have had a great impact on the way comics are drawn. Before the use of computers, artists would often use the pen or brush to put in detailed [[shading]] effects; now the artist is more likely to leave the drawing open and leave it to the colorist to insert shading through variation in color tones or through adding a layer of [[translucent]] black. Most contemporary colorists work in [[digital media]] using tools.<ref>Sierra, Jerry A. [http://www.historyofcuba.com/jas/Articles/color2.htm "Digital Chameleon Colors The Vertigo Universe - Part Two,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114200553/http://www.historyofcuba.com/jas/Articles/color2.htm |date=2008-11-14 }} ''Publish'' (July 1994). Accessed Apr. 6, 2009.</ref>

==Notable colorists==
{{Div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[Jack Adler]]
* [[David Baron (comics)|David Baron]]
* [[Josette Baujot]]
* [[Jordie Bellaire]]
* [[Jeromy Cox]]
* [[Nine Culliford]]
* [[George Freeman (comics)|George Freeman]], formerly with [[Digital Chameleon]]
* [[John Higgins (comics)|John Higgins]]
* [[Matt Hollingsworth]]
* [[Richard Isanove]]
* [[Vittorio Leonardo]]
* [[Lee Loughridge]]
* WadeeKT
* [[Laura Martin]]
* [[Dave McCaig]]
* [[Paul Mounts]]
* [[Steve Oliff]], founder of [[Olyoptics]]
* [[Cris Peter]]
* Joe Rivera
* [[Alex Sinclair]]
* [[Marie Severin]]
* [[Dave Stewart (comics)|Dave Stewart]]
* [[Christina Strain]]
* [[Lynn Varley]]
* [[Jose Villarrubia]]
* [[Glynis Wein]]
* [[Tatjana Wood]]
{{Div col end}}

== See also ==
* [[Color grading]]
* [[Flatter]]
* [[Inker]]
* [[Letterer]]
* [[Penciller]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{color topics}}
[[Category:Comics creators| ]]
[[Category:Comics terminology]]
[[Category:Film post-production]]
[[Category:Visual arts occupations]]