Wednesday, April 25, 2012

OPTIONS!!

Hi-
I'm going to go with the newer inking style even though there were some people voting for the older one. I'm okay with that.

HOWEVER ... I'd sure love your feedback on three options for the book:
1) All black with gray tones
2) Black line art with sepia tones and sepia half tones
3) Black line art with a shade of blue for tone and blue half tones

Any of these float your boat more than the other?

I'm listening. I SWEAR!



Here they all are!
I need feedback and discussion.

Tom

22 comments:

David Balan said...

Sepia. It's the least distracting and meshes well with your environment, as its natural and foresty.

The blue is strangely off-putting because it's such a strong color. It doesn't match your setting.

The gray halftone is a fine idea, but combined with your new inking style, it becomes too busy. The small variations inside the halftone combined with the scritchy-scratch of your ink lines ends up melding into a big mess of just noise.

The Sepia, on the other hand, is an unintrusive color, allows for some great depth of field with the sepia lines in the background, and as a flat color, it jives well with your new inks.

It also just reads the best.

Drew Zucker said...

I personally like the black and grays, I think it's got more mood than the others, but of the 2 colors I'm partial to the turquoise.

rie said...
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rie said...

i like the first one; black line art with gray tone, prof lyle :)

Shelby Cowart said...

Personally, I'm more drawn to the Sepia tones. But you can never go wrong with simple black. :]

Unknown said...

the issue with the color choices is that they dont vary in tone too much. it's a solid color and the colors are light, so, it doesnt look like night. the black and gray loks more natural, the sepia is an interesting choice, but you'll need darker tones, as well as with the blue, but the sepia can bring a "memory" type of feel, like it;s ages and you're looking back in time. the blue suggests maybe a more melancholic mood, but i still think it could look a bit too light.
personally, i'd suggest to explore the blue further and see where it goes, since it may trigger some fundamentals you already have (kinda going back to basics, since you draw with blue pencil and whatnots.)
ok, i'll say it, the sepia's not doing it for me, haha.
seriously...
the black and gray is awesome. i love it. i think it's the obvious choice, and you know how to follow your gut, so...
personally... i'm more curious about the blue...

Unknown said...
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Matthew Sparks said...
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Matthew Sparks said...

Have to say Tom, the Grays have a better tone and mood than the sepia does.. The sepia being warm itself kinda takes away the sense of heat. At least for this panel.

Dr. Kara said...

I have to the black and grey too but the sepia is definitely a close second.

The Purple Grackle said...

You know, it kinda sorta depends on the mood you are attempting to impart. The black is very clean. However, I, too, like the sepia. But then, I am a nostalgia type, and the sepia makes me think of treasured family photos.

The black is more contemporary. Blue is a bit robin's-egg, and maybe delicate for the story.

Have you thought of a darker, more versatile brownish-sepia? Could almost stand in for black in the deep shadows, and when light add a tad bit more warmth.

I'd love to hear you thoughts back.
Your pal, Raye

Needs Loomis said...

Have you considered less of a wash and more of a duotone? Might help keep some of the drama. http://davidpilles.com/duo.jpg

Jeremy said...

I prefer the black and white right now.

The sepia tone can work but the ink blacks clash with it right now. Maybe change those lines to a deeper brown to fit better with that nostalgic feel. There's enough white that you wouldn't lose contrast.

That duotone example above me is really close to what I was thinking.

futant_DNA said...

Definitely on board with the newer inking style as it gives dynamic energy to the composition. The black and white are what most people are accustomed to but I think this needs to be out and away from what people expect so I'm going to have to go with the sepia tone.

I feel it would add a nice element of vibrancy and frankly it's "edgier". I've seen sepia that's a little more of a red tint or more saturated that may be worth exploring as well.

Don't play it safe! Push the boundaries!

Tom Lyle said...

The sepia I use will definitely be darker than the color on the samples. I've been exploring the idea of using the sepia on the present day stuff and the blue (a different shade as well from what's here) for the flashback stuff so that there's an even more clear definition of present/past than before.

futant-Murf or Jay? Can't tell from the photo.Same attitude for both!
:-)

Ryan said...

Tom, all three look good. They all throw off different moods. The Black and grey throws off just regular night time, Sepia gives off a warm night, and the blue a cool night scene. Just depends on what you want the mood to be. They all look great though.

James Kilgore said...

Normal Black and white - looks fine for a comic book panel

Sepia - The first page you posted with the sepia had an interesting effect. It made things seem to glow a little. The panel you just recently posted not so much. The big difference is the lack of any contrast. The sepia tone you chose is not dark enough to replace your flat blacks. It loses all contrast. If you do use Sepia, I highly suggest using it as a mid-tone value only.

Blue - I wouldn't. The color while pleasing, doesn't really fit well for a night scene, unless you really darken it up.

Cashbattattoos said...
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Cashbattattoos said...
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Cashbattattoos said...

Let the new digital art pencils do digital inks, and let theTRADITIONAL PENCILS N INKS stay the way they are. No reason to be 80% a good digital artist, when you can be 100% traditional and yourself. If it aint broke dont fix it.

Leave the digital creating to the digital media, & pen n ink to the comic tradition.

Tom Lyle said...

Cashbatwhatever:

Have you not read my blog?
I'm drawing digitally BECAUSE I HAVE TO!
I can't see well enough to draw in the traditional manner any more.
So ... it is broken. It DOES need fixing.
That's what I'm working on.
Who are you, by the way?
Read better before you reply.

Tom

Dewback13 said...

Love the idea of different tones for different time periods. The regular grey tone (as already pointed out) seems to busy with your line work.

Not only is the color tone "en vogue" but it is a great way to add some more depth, lighting and mood without having to go full color.

I am playing with 2 different color washes for my Woody Guthrie project.