COLOR US EXCITED FOR 2023
Welcome to 2023 fellow Zestworld subscribers! We hope you got through the holidays and New Year’s celebrations without too much trouble and enjoyed visiting with friends and family as best as possible. We’re looking forward to an amazing year for the Paperfilms team. We’re thrilled to see you joining in with our projects and adventures!
PRESS COVERAGE
Aren’t you happy to be a part of our newsletter and get the scoop on our new projects, content and other items before the press does? That’s right, our last newsletter content was pulled for some PR by Bleeding Cool. It is nice to see we are getting extra set of eyes on our work however we’re happier that you fellow backers, get the first look delivered straight to you!
Bleeding Cool: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/painkiller-jane-returns-in-2023-with-amanda-conner-jimmy-palmiotti/
BOOM POW
Have you been staying up with the amazing series of BOOM POW by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti? While paid membership has been getting access to the strip early, and who wouldn’t want that, others can view the strip after a certain period of time for free, so we hope you’re not missing out on the fun. If you have missed it, head on over to the comic site and check it out!
BOOM POW: https://www.zestworld.com/Paperfilms/boom-pow?ref=trending
This has been one of the top series at Zestworld and with your liking, sharing, and viewing, the support will push BOOM POW to the top of their charts! So, head on over!
HERITAGE AUCTIONS
From time to time, Amanda and Jimmy wish to release some original artwork via auction websites and Heritage Auctions is the premier website to perform these auctions. So, the team has recently sent a small group of original artwork over from their collection to be auctioned off. Right now, there are some amazing prices for those pieces. If you are a fan of original artwork and are interested, head on over. This is anything from Captain Marvel cover artwork, throwback covers from Amanda on GI Joe and Gargoyles to many more. Check out some of these great pieces!
Heritage auctions:
JIMMY PALMIOTTI ON COLORING
If you’ve blinked and have missed it, our last few newsletters we’ve shown some upcoming projects and the colorist on some of those items has been our own Jimmy Palmiotti. Known more for his writing and inking career, Jimmy has dived headfirst into doing some amazing color work on some newer projects and upcoming titles. These pieces have been coming out great and we asked him a few questions related to his work coloring:
We have seen you pick up your digital brush for coloring more projects, why start this now?
When I am editing projects, I’m always giving color notes to colorists and sometimes drive them crazy in the process because I am picky and always want exactly what I am looking for. With this amazing PROCREATE program made for the I-Pad, I was able to learn how to color comics using about 20 YOUTUBE videos going over the basics and how to apply them to comic book art. Over time, I have been coloring Juan Santacruz’s pages for our upcoming TRIGGERGIRL 6 project for a future Kickstarter and learning while I earn. It’s over 60 pages of art that I am going to town on and learning more each day with every new page. With this process, I’m going back and recoloring some of the work I did in the beginning, but that’s the beauty of editing your own work…it is not done till it is at the printer.
I am doing this because I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to the books that we put out under our Paperfilms banner. In the past I have been known to be quite verbal about shitty paper stock, terrible printing and so on and with my own company, it’s time to step up and show people that I know what I am talking about. I am a firm believer in giving people the best quality every time and or Kickstarters reflect just that.
You've started coloring more pages and covers for Amanda and other artists, what is your mindset when coloring a piece?
When coloring a piece, I always want to shoot for clarity and Drama. Dramatic lighting is key as well as being color correct on the characters to start and then building a light source or mood menu of colors for the piece to stay consistent. When the coloring gig is a licensed one, it’s very important to follow this rule, as they have established style guides, like in the case of the Gargoyle covers I’ve been coloring over Amanda and the Harley Covers for the new Frank Tieri mini-series at DC Comics coming this winter.
You've worked with a ton of great colorists over the years on books and projects, what did you try to channel from those artists in your approach to coloring?
I know the work of Alex Sinclair and Paul Mounts by heart and realize those are the two guys I give the least amount of color notes to for a reason. Their initial color choices are always on target. I admire a ton of other artists and am always looking at new work and what the Europeans are up to as well. I love the mix of real life and fantasy pallets in the work, and I am always trying my best to have some fun being inspired by them all. Honestly, another few years and I should get much better at this…then actually drawing the books is next.
What have you learned when coloring pages that you didn't realize was either so fun or frustrating to work on?
Obviously, a ton of characters is tough, like in the Harley cover, but at the same time it is still all new to me, so I am enjoying it all. I’ve found that walking away from work and taking a break is a big deal to do to keep the eyes on the work fresh. With Juan’s work in Triggergirl 6 I’m looking at tone changes and mood colors to show the change of time and scene. I think all my experience in film has taught me just how important continuity is in color and I am doing my best to apply it where I can. In the end, everything about producing comics is about storytelling and clarity.
Since you've got a great eye for coloring, mood, and tone of the book in most cases, has your approach to writing changed knowing you might color something differently?
I do not let it influence my writing at all. As a storyteller, I should not be thinking of anything but stories and not worry about the after process as much. My focus is always an establishing shot for everything, but I like to leave it to the artist to take us where their eye views the story set up best. It’s probably why I stick to my crew of Amanda, Juan Santacruz, Moritat, Piere Brito and others so closely. These artists always bring something extra to the table that I never thought of. If I do indicate color, it’s for the sake of storytelling and the time of day or a mild suggestion. The most fun part of this process is to see what each artist brings to the story.
Helpful links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IukcE3Q-noY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0w3ywlOppg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoZu-gjt38
Have a great week folks!
Thanks,
Amanda and Jimmy