From this month in 2008, Arlo receives a revelation. I said we were going to talk about colorization of the Arlo & Janis comic strip. Contrary to not long ago, newspapers can print color comics seven days a week if they so choose, not just the traditional Sunday funnies. Many papers still publish the Monday through Saturday strips in black and white, as God intended, but many print comic strips in color every day. I personally color the Sunday A&J comics. The original is drawn on white paper with India ink, as in olden days, but then I scan it and color a digital version in Photoshop. Easy peasy. The technical process is the same for the daily strips (Monday through Saturday), except I do not actually color them. Black and white digital copies of the daily originals are sent to the syndicate offices in Kansas City where someone else colors them, presumably in Photoshop, or something like it. I do not send any instructions; I leave it to the poor minion upon whom the task falls to choose colors. I guess this got started, because I am so old-school. There was a time when colorization of the dailies simply did not seem important. (“Oh, it’s a fad! It’ll pass! Who colors dailies!?”) I’m telling you all this for a reason, but I’m not going to tell you the reason just yet.
47 responses to “Dollars and Sense”
Am I first?? That never happened before!! Good morning, Village.
The worst crime Ted Turner ever committed was to colorize many of the old, classic, black and white movies. Some things are just meant to be in shades of grey. The daily comics is (are?) one of them.
“Many papers still publish the Monday through Saturday strips in black and white, as God intended.”
AMEN!
Exactly as God intended!
I just remembered. Back in the good old days, the Milwaukee Journal printed the comics in what they called the “Green Sheet.” It was a separate, 4 page, section with comics and other light entertainment and it was done on green paper. So you would have had a colorized A&J and not even known it.
Strip colorization used to be dominated by Reed-Brennan (located in Florida) and the frequency of silly and obvious color errors was legendary. Things do seem to have improved over the years. There’s still a problem when the artist, working in black and white, fills a region with black that, when the rest of the strip is colorized, really should be red or some other color.
My favorite pet peeve with colorization of B&W orginal strips is when the original uses solid black for obviously red objects. Nothing the colorist can do, but in the final product those red hearts designating love or infatuation now look like black hearts of hate or ill will.
This is the original color press operation that did most comic inserts and comic books for decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldcolor
Colorization — no opinion here. Previous thread has lots of interesting stuff. I’m with Debbe, hating cold weather with a Capital H. I am fairly warm in the house but am anxiously waiting for a fuel oil delivery promised for today. I carelessly almost ran out of it! And although the awful storm is over, power stayed on, and sun is shining brightly, the thermometer at my back steps reads 2 degrees above zero!
Jackie and Ghost, I hope you feel much better soon. What a bummer to get sick; the last thing you need. Is your appetite back, Jackie? At all?
Must eat lunch now; will let you know when the oil truck gets here.
Thanks for answering my question about coloring the strips. I suspected that you did the Sunday as the gag was really sold by the backgrounds being the same on the small and large. I have seen some papers with color weekdays, which I am in favor of – anything to keep (or hopefully grow) circulation is welcome. Given the number of papers shrinking physical size and number of pages, I think the color helps attract readers to a medium they are less familiar with.
sandcastler™
on 05 Jan 2018 at 8:39 am #
Old Bear, thanks for the ‘wisdom highlights.’ I may use it, giving you full credit.
Don’t blame me – I stole it.(Uh – borrowed) credit “A. Nonny Mouse”
Growing Old:
Of course I talk to myself; sometimes I need expert advice.
Old Bear,
I will just attribute ‘wisdom highlights’ to the mumblings of an ole grizzly. 😉
My thought on color. Black and white are colors.
Anybody who calls black and white “monochrome” is wrong, because black and white are two separate colors. The correct term is “bichrome.”
So you didn’t get that assistant afterall?
http://arloandjanis.com/catting-around
Do you believe in hugs?
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46230921&nid=1017&title=have-you-seen-this-quadruplet-toddlers-cant-stop-hugging-in-adorable-viral-video
TR – I believe…
Sideburns, the finished print may be in two colors, but the artist makes his effort in only one. Whether it is ink, charcoal, or oil, the artist applies only one hue in varying tone on a surface that may be plain or could be unprepared and not uniform. Black-and-white monochrome photography of course is only a single medium with various levels photochemically reduced, often to zero value.
If you drew with both ends of a markup pencil blue/red, that could be bichrome. Or an oil work where black shapes are overlaid with zinc, without blending, could be bichrome in black-and-white, without reference to the tone of wash applied beforehand.
Hugs can be magical in lending strength to someone who is temporarily weak. And should be used freely in this regard.
Hmmmm
If you love what you are doing you will never work a day in your life.
(even if you are paid for it)
Freaky, man!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/encryption-lava-lamps
Sorry my mind just wandered off — now it’s back. The truck did come with the fuel and I am so relieved! I didn’t get to speak to the driver; I feel so sorry for him being outdoors in this awful cold and blowing snow, too.
Black and white/color, I don’t care so long as I get to read my comics!
http://www.gocomics.com/shoe/2018/01/06
Mark – Shoe is one of my favorites!
Wind chill factor got up to 0 F about noon today. It had not been that high since late afternoon on December 26th! Clearly, we are better off than those in the far north, but 11.75 complete days in a row with negative wind chill gets unpleasant quickly here in IL.
c ex-p, I’d think it get unpleasant quickly anywhere!