Colourist Appreciation Day started last year, essentially, from the mind of Jordie Bellaire – who subsequently spent the rest of the year becoming one of the most famous and well-known colourists in comics. In celebration of the anniversary, I’ve compiled a short list of prominent and brilliant comic colorists – who they are, where you can find them, and where you can find out MORE about them.
Let’s make this a year where we all work harder to appreciate the colorists who make comics COMICS. This is by no means a list of all the great colorists out there – let’s consider this a starting point. Suggest other colorists worth supporting and celebrating in the comments!
Laura Allred: Colorist for books including FF, X-Statix and Madman
Website — In interview with iFanboy
Jordie Bellaire: Colorist for books including Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly and Half Past Danger
Website — Twitter — In interview with Robot6
Bettie Breitweiser: Colorist for books including Captain America and Velvet
Website — Twitter — In interview with Kieron Gillen’s Decompressed
Frank d’Armata: Colorist for books including Avengers, Captain America and Uncanny X-Men
Twitter — Profiled on Comics Should Be Good
Andrew Dalhouse: Colorist for books including Batman/Superman, Teen Titans and Arkham War
Nathan Fairbairn: Colorist for books including Scott Pilgrim, Seconds and Batman Inc
Website — Twitter — In interview with Comics Bulletin
Marte Gracia: Colorist for books including All-New X-Men, Nova and Venom
Matt Hollingsworth: Colorist for books including Preacher, Hawkeye and Gotham Central
Website — Twitter — In interview with Fever Dreams
Lee Loughridge: Colorist for books including Deadly Class, Stumptown and Batman Adventures
Laura Martin: Colorist for books including Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-Men
In interview with Sequential Tart
Brian Reber: Colorist for Valiant Comics, on books including Eternal Warrior, Shadowman and Unity.
Website — Twitter — In interview with The Beat
Ruth Redmond: Colorist for books including Revolutionary War and Exit Generation
Rico Renzi: Colorist for books including Collider
Website — Twitter — In interview with Harriganworks
Javier Rodriguez: Colorist for books including Daredevil
Website — Twitter — In interview with Marvel.com
Alex Sinclair: Colorist for books including Superman Unchained, Justice League and Batman
Website — Twitter — In interview with Comic Book Resources
Val Staples: Colorist for books including Hulk, Marvel Knights and Daredevil
Website — Twitter — In interview with The Beat
Dave Stewart: Colorist for Hellboy, Daytripper and Batman
Twitter — In interview with Comics Alliance
Jose Villarrubia: Colorist for books including Promethea, Trillium and Fantastic Four
In interview with Comic Book Bin
Dean White: Colorist for books including Uncanny X-Force and Captain America
Website — Twitter — In interview with Marvel.com
Matt Wilson: Colorist for books including Wonder Woman, Young Avengers and Swamp Thing
Website — Twitter — In interview with Panel Bound
Megan Wilson: Colorist for books including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and God Hates Astronauts
I want to give some love to my colorist Paul Little, who is currently working on my series Five Weapons and on Morning Glories, both from Image Comics.
Steve Oliff. Seriously doing God’s work on Miracleman.
Trish Mulvihill, a long time colorist on many DC books, is also due a shout-out and appreciation.
Ditto to all mentioned above– what a great idea! Also worthy of praise is Dave McCaig, who provides a lot of online advice and mentorship to up-and-coming colorists. He has some great palette designs, and his blues really pop for me.
Dave McCaig!
I think Barbara Ciardo is one of the best colorist (Batman Noel-Superman Earth One #1 and #2).
http://barbaraciardo.blogspot.it/
No Justin Ponsor or Nolan Woodard? Blasphemy!
I mostly read IDW Transformers comics and they have great colorists so I just want to give them love:
Josh Burcham @jcburcham http://dcjosh.com
Josh Perez @dyemooch http://dyemooch.deviantart.com
John-Paul Bove @wordmongerer http://wordmongerer.blogspot.com
Priscilla Tramontano @Pr1ps http://priscillaat.com
Joanna LaFuente @iSheepU http://khaamar.deviantart.com
Carrie Strachan and Randy Mayor are the best around!
Ronda Pattison. She continues to be the thread of visual constance in IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and is also working with Sam Kieth on the challenging re-coloring of The Maxx.
Let’s not forget Michelle Madsen, who also happens to be married to Dave Stewart.
Folks I work with…
Allen Passalaqua, who colored IT GIRL and still colors BATTLEPUG, THE FOX, and others.
Paulina Ganucheau, coloring THE DOUBLE LIFE OF MIRANDA TURNER, the comic George Kambadais and I are doing for Monkeybrain.
Jean-Francoise Beaulieu has been coloring over Brent Schoonover on “Integer City” for DARK HORSE PRESENTS, but also works with Skottie Young on the Oz books.
Nick Filardi just did a cover for an upcoming project I have going, but he also colors Joëlle Jones on HELHEIM.
All people worth checking out and admiring.
Mad love and respect to Rachelle Atkinson (Rosenberg) who I’ve worked with in the past and currently works for Marvel. http://www.rachellerosenberg.com/
Steve Hamaker!!! Colorist of Bone, RASL and Table Titans, baby.
Muntsa Vicente! Her work on The Private Eye with Vaughan and Martin has been nothing short of revelatory.
There are many cartoonists who color their own work, and who are as good as any on this list, most notably Chris Ware (who can be underrated as a colorist and letterer, if Ware can ever be called underrated), and Matt Kindt (whose superb water colors make the perfect compliment for his art).
And someone mentioned Jean-Francoise Beaulieu above, whose colors play as big a role in the high quality of Marvel’s Oz books as Shanower’s adaptation and Young’s art.
John Kalisz deserves appreciation as well. I gave him some of his first work, before all the smoke, mirrors, and filters of computers. The man has been working steadily for over twenty years for Marvel and DC–and he is a stand up guy.
Mike Rockwitz
Hey Heidi and Co.
After 20 plus years in the business and probably 1000’s of comics under our belts you would would think Richard and I would at least rate a mention. Ouch that hurts!
Tanya Horie
Can’t talk about coloring without Tanya and Richard Horie!!
http://www.thehories.com/digital-color-for-comics.html
Rarely used but still a fantastic colorist – Moose Baumann
http://moosebaumann.deviantart.com/
This occasion makes one more reason to come to my panel at Wizard World Portland on Sunday:
11:30 – 12:15PM COLORISTS ON COLORING
With literally millions of colors in their digital palettes, comics colorists have a more challenging job than ever, with the responsibility of adding mood to the stories they work on, while keeping the narrative clear and compelling. Ace color artists Jeremy Colwell (Dark Horse Presents; Powerpuff Girls) and Bill Crabtree (Invincible; The Sixth Gun) discuss their careers and their craft. Includes a DEMONSTRATION OF HOW COMICS ARE COLORED! Moderated by Danny Fingeroth (How to Create Comics From Script to Print.) (OREGON BALLROOM 202) http://www.wizardworld.com/programming-portland.html
As Mark says Moose Baumann work is fantastic!
Also, Fco Plascencia colors in Invincible and Batman rocks! http://fco.deviantart.com/
By the way, one of my first duties as colorist was on “The Phantom: Generations #7” written by mister Danny Fingeroth :)
This was a really cool article, thanks!
John Rauch!!
Invincible is gorgeous with that one two team they have.
http://john-rock.tumblr.com
John Rauch
STELLAR Labs Color Crew:
SUNNY GHO!
JESSICA KHOLINNE!
SAKTI YUWONO!
ARIF PRIANTO!
BENY MAULANA!
Thought I’d mention Derek Dow, aka Art Munki, an excellent Scottish colourist who’s done a few covers for me (and much much more besides). Lookit the bloooood!:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h1QmRU5aGJw/UfEM89d5YLI/AAAAAAAABHc/ucyatpUojns/s1600/Crawl-Hole-Cover.jpg
http://artmunki.deviantart.com/
A good colorist shouldn’t call attention to the coloring, but Jordie Bellaira’s work on Manhattan Projects is quite effective!
Good idea this.
Here are some folks not on your list who I think deserve kudos as well:
Paul Mounts
Glynis Oliver
Noelle Giddings (mainly Milestone Media)
Daniel Vozzo (of Vertigo)
Art Lyon (colors over Gene Ha)
Eva De La Cruz (Coffin Hill)
Cris Peter (Hinterkind)
MY TWO CENTS:
KÒTE CARVAJAL
NELSON DÁNIEL
JAY FOTOS
JUAN MORAGA
CARLOS BADILLA.
“Colorist” or “colourist” — which is it? I believe this is still the United States.
NIGHTWORLD colorist Dominic Regan is worthy of recognition this day. Not only did he turn the famous Kirby Krackle into an explosive patina on the covers and pages of NIGHTWORLD https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/nightworld, his fearless inkline-free colors on High Pilot and Akay http://gammahed.deviantart.com/gallery/will knock your sox off. None dare call them “color-holds”, Kudos!
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