Oct 6, 04:05 PM · Coloring vs. Backgrounds
I’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to panels. If a background isn’t necessary, I’ll skip it, especially if it’s a talking head or there’s a buttload of dialogue necessary. Well, one of the important elements of Golden Boy is color; I use color effects for backgrounds quite a bit. Sometimes they are just flat tones (to further the Hatch Show Print concept), other times they are coupled with some effect, to signify motion for example. The point is, when I am originally doing the page in black and white, most panels look empty. In fact, when I have shown professionals my inks for this book, I get criticized quite a bit, because there is no flow to the page. However, when they see the same page in color, I’m getting a different tune. That is how important color is to this book.
I’ve been drawing the same page for two days now, because I keep psyching myself out when it came to the backgrounds. I kept adding too much detail, which as I become more accomplished as an artist I am wont to do. It is hard to know when to pull the reins in a bit.