Color strip experiment

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Matt Trepal
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Post by Matt Trepal »

Neutronium Dragon wrote:Just thought I'd add that I also like the look of that color strip you posted. It fits the style of FCE very well.

That said, if you prefer black and white, stick with it. It looks good both ways. :)

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Thanks, ND! I'm still experimenting, so I haven't made a decision yet. But when I do, you'll all be sure to know what I choose! ;)

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Post by CaptainSpam »

Matt Trepal wrote:Thanks, ND! I'm still experimenting, so I haven't made a decision yet. But when I do, you'll all be sure to know what I choose! ;)
Unless you're colorblind! :-)

Yeah, the coloring fits the comic's overall style nicely. That matters a LOT; an overblown coloring style on a simple comic can ruin it.
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Post by ZOMBIE USER 12701 »

All I can say is color the strips, man. With the way you have the colors laid out, epsecially in Unpleasant Dreams, I'm sure you'll boost your readership tenfold if you do, even if it forces it down to two strips a week. :) And come back to the Furcadian Ram and Noodle! It's boring without ya there :)

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Matt Trepal
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Post by Matt Trepal »

Hey, Stalks! Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for the praise! I would like to color the strips. I would also like to produce high-quality black-and-white strips. The two may or may not be incompatible, but combined I think they might take a lot of time.

And I can't drop down to two strips per week! I've got too many stories to tell!

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Post by Kellogg »

Matt:

All I can say is that color takes a bit of time to learn, but with the
grey scale stuff you're doing, it's not all that much harder. Once
you build up a pallet of colors with shades conveniently set up,
it goes a lot faster.

(This is Yerzel's fur, this is Portia's eyes, all in one colored file)

The first few strips take longer, yeah, but the learning curve
is a quick one.

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Post by ZOMBIE USER 12701 »

You know, it just hit me... I assume you have a lot of strips done by now (you did say you drew them 3 weeks in advance to me once I think) ... why not put up more than one strip per update, colored? Take what you have now, color them all, then put say, 3 strips per update? This way you have a larger comic per viewing, and thus a possible larger readership when the word gets out. And/or you could do custom work for people, like charge for Unpleasant Dreams (seeing I certainly bugged ya enough to draw it... too bad Fawn's covered by that blanket :wink: ) I'm sure you do more than one strip a day, right?

Okay, I'll shut up now. Too much sugar make permanent-crinos-form werewolf go crazy.

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Post by Matt Trepal »

Kellogg wrote: All I can say is that color takes a bit of time to learn, but with the grey scale stuff you're doing, it's not all that much harder. Once you build up a pallet of colors with shades conveniently set up, it goes a lot faster.

(This is Yerzel's fur, this is Portia's eyes, all in one colored file)
Actually, I've already done this; I started building it after your guest strips, Scott. I've tried to use the same colors for multiple uses (different shades of gray, mostly), but it's still gotten rather large. But if anyone is looking for the "official" FCE color chart for any fanart they may be planning (hint hint ;)), feel free to ask for it.
Kellogg wrote:The first few strips take longer, yeah, but the learning curve is a quick one.
This is what I'd be counting on!
Stalks-The-Wind's-Shadows wrote:You know, it just hit me... I assume you have a lot of strips done by now (you did say you drew them 3 weeks in advance to me once I think)... why not put up more than one strip per update, colored? Take what you have now, color them all, then put say, 3 strips per update? This way you have a larger comic per viewing, and thus a possible larger readership when the word gets out.
You mean go back into the archives and color all the old strips? :o Yikes! I'm not sure I've got the time (or the strength of will and character) to undertake a project like that, seeing as how I drew my 341st strip today. I have thought about going back and redoing some stuff, but then I thought that the historical interest in watching my artwork develop would be lost.
Stalks-The-Wind's-Shadows wrote:And/or you could do custom work for people, like charge for Unpleasant Dreams (seeing I certainly bugged ya enough to draw it... too bad Fawn's covered by that blanket ;)) I'm sure you do more than one strip a day, right?
Ah, if people were willing to pay me for my work, I might think about that. But I'm not confident enough in my own art (I make a lot of mistakes, especially inking) to do commissions. And more than one strip per day? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Ahem. I'm sorry, that always makes me laugh. No, I'm very slow at this, and can only handle more than one strip per day if I've got the day off and can do one in the morning or afternoon and one in the evening. I really envy people who can knock out a whole weeks'-worth of strips in a single sitting. (I'm specifically thinking of Tiffany Sykes, here, that cartooning machine, but I'm sure there's other examples of prodigious output.)

Actually, you'll be able to judge my coloring prowess in the next few weeks as some supplemental content gets shown.

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Post by ZOMBIE USER 12701 »

No no no *grin* I meant color all the ones you've done up to this point that have yet to be published. You did say you did strips 3 weeks in advance, which means you have several done that haven't been posted yet. And I understand about going slow to get it done right :P And we got to get everyone on the forum here into my Ram and Noodle place one of these days :wink:

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Post by Matt Trepal »

Stalks-The-Wind's-Shadows wrote:No no no *grin* I meant color all the ones you've done up to this point that have yet to be published. You did say you did strips 3 weeks in advance, which means you have several done that haven't been posted yet. And I understand about going slow to get it done right
Ah, well that was my second interpretation. Actually, because I like the consistency, I wouldn't start coloring the strips until the next storyline starts. (I know, I know, how anal-rententive of me) Which I'm thinking I might do, just to see how it holds up for a storyline; that's the only way to make sure.

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