Shades of Gray: Production Pages Part III
September 5, 2007, filed under: Sketchbook, by LexThe last week and a half I’ve been hard at work cleaning up the pages from Part I and dropping in gray tones. I use three shades of gray (light, medium and dark) for spot color throughout the book. I’ll primarily use it for background items (woodwork, houses, props). I also use it for characters to help better define them from their environments. I try not to overdo it with the grays, and prefer to go the subtle route wherever I can. I’m particularly pleased with the filter I cooked up for the mere…
I’ve always been ambivalent about putting halftones in my work, I tend to prefer stark black and white in comics, but frankly, my work isn’t at the point where it can stand on its own with just black and white. I’m still trying to figure out the proper balance between the two, I hope to one day be as proficient with my contrasts as someone like Jeff Smith is. Until that day comes though, I’ll continue to drop in the grays. However long it takes, it actually does make the pages look better once they’re completed.
Now it’s on to the word balloons!
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“I’m particularly pleased with the filter I cooked up for the mere…”
Nice.
How did you achieve it?
Comment by Brian — September 5, 2007 @
Thanks…I found a print of a woodcut painting and scanned in a patch of it, then threw on a second filter that made the surface look uneven and blotchy. Gotta love photoshop!
Comment by Lex — September 5, 2007 @