How to Digitally Color Comics

Learn how to make your own comic: proko.com/comi...
Pro comic colorist Alex Sinclair shares his digital coloring process and gives you tips on how to make your portfolio. Alex is taking the lineart digitally inked and drawn by Ryan Benjamin in previous episodes link in the description!
RELATED LINKS:
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Coloring some OG X-Men cards with Alex Sinclair (LIVESTREAM) - • Coloring some OG X-Men...
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ABOUT PROKO:
Instructional How to Draw videos for artists. My drawing lessons are approachable enough for beginners and detailed enough for advanced artists. My philosophy is to teach timeless concepts in an entertaining way. I believe that when you are having fun, you learn better. I take pride in producing high quality videos that you will enjoy watching and re-watching.
CREDITS:
Artist | Instructor - Alex Sinclair ( / sinccolor )
Producer - Stan Prokopenko (www.stanprokope...), Sean Ramsey (www.peoplewhodr...),
Production Assistance - Sean Ramsey, Kristian Nee (www.kristianne..., Stephen Clark (www.peppermintgentleman.com), Lauren Hines (www.lauren-hin...)
Editing - Lauren Hines, Sierra Tillman ( / sierra.j.tillman , Sean Ramsey,
Publishing - John Birchall, Alex Otis, Ellie Polk
Music Used with Permission
Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra
Additional music by Epidemic Sound

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks for the demonstration, Alex! Learn how to make your own comic - proko.com/comicpage

[@techeye1114]

Hey man . I really really love your vidoes . A lot of things I know about art and the processes which I try to implement in my works is because of you . But recently it seems like proko has just become a promotional KZbin channel for your Proko Courses . I know they are excellent courses but you have to understand that not everyone can afford them , especially people in the Indian subcontinent . It's a treat to watch Alex work and to learn from him but I think a lot of people , including me , would like to see some basics about digital painting in detail . Like how you taught us how to draw face / hair / hands etc . Thankyou for all your help to aspiring artists like me . ❤️

[@whittledraws]

I’m a professional flatter so hearing him talk about how important it is I’m like “haha, I do that”

[@ProkoTV]

You're out there doing the hard work! Thanks for making comics possible!

[@whittledraws]

@@ProkoTV thank YOU for the love!! :D keep up the great vids!

[@Cyranowan]

Same.

[@enricociotola6929]

How would like to be a flatter as well, what's the process to get a job like it?

[@reddevil211287]

I wanna be a flatter 🤓😇 where do I sign up?

[@jeaf7]

He nailed it when he said that alot of great artist decide not to be colorist. I did it for a while and the tight timelines was way to stressful and took the fun out it. If I'm not having fun then I don't want to do it. If I ever started doing colors again it would be just be for covers or pinups.

[@taraishot100]

Colourist and inkers don’t get enough love in the public eye so it’s awesome to see Alex give us his expertise

[@RarebitFiends]

Wow, Awesome! He's one of my favorite colorists, he REALLY knows how to focus a page using color. Thank you for posting this, and thank you Alex for taking the time and sharing your knowledge!

[@jamespiodos8594]

I'm a cartoonist and learning from a master is a gold find.

[@aitoralvarez]

This practice example and all the details showed in the process make this video a master class.

[@restoras11]

I rewatched this and still don't know how he do it using so few layers! 👏

[@Jayjee762]

This is such an incredible video. Really shows how vital colours and colourists are to comics

[@mudiametokunboh2370]

Facts

[@benedictusbriaan]

woahh, this really open my eyes how to coloring a comic! i've been little bit struggling with my own style of coloring, but this helped me a lot to see another persepective! thank you, Alex!

[@Kobaford]

I just finished watching "Super Techniques for Aspiring Comic Artists" and I didn't expect the Batman pencil sketch to return in another Proko video, let alone one uploaded exactly a year after it was first sketched. Really cool to see it fully coloured

[@gauthierguillard]

It's so much cleaner than working with paint and smear yourself all over. It's the next step for me. Thank you for opening my eyes and have a glimpse of the future of painting.

[@brianng8350]

Love his stuff on Instagram. Great to see a "live" coloring process here as well as background to how he got into the business. Beautiful coloring.

[@KayLead]

Im trying to make my own comic books so being able to learn from the not only pros but goats as well at a young age is very helpful, thanks Proko

[@mad_hatt]

Him saying he doesn’t use layers confuses me on a deep level as someone who adds a new layer every two seconds when working digitally😂 but everyone has their own process. It’s cool to see his!

[@kennethchandler87]

ALEX SINCLAIR IS A LIVING LEGEND

[@venomtang]

Sinclair is a LEGEND. My favorite superman work has Sinclair colors

[@ByGraceThroughFaith777]

What a wonderful artwork!

[@vandals4873]

Fantastic episode I want to see more of this

[@WifeWantsAWizard]

(1:11) For those of you who were wondering, the first version of Photoshop to have layers was 3.0 in 1994.

[@salvatoreocello]

1:01 I had a roommate in college that new this guy said he was awesome and always gave him dc stuff

[@robinvaauli]

WOW! The information I didn’t know I needed. Thank you

[@scmillard]

I love this. I have always loved the way Hush was colored. However, like most fan boy artists, I concentrate my praise on Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Watching this video has helped me to realize that some respect, needs to be thrown on colorists, and especially, due to this, Alex Sinclair. An unsung hero, that made the comics I most love, burst off the page with color. Wow! Don't worry. I am aware of how much FAN BOY I just puked into this comment, and I gotta tell you,... I'm OK with it.

[@magnus9839]

Incredible colorist, so cool to learn from such a genius

[@beaumorris5289]

I've really learned a lot from watching this thank you Alex.

[@versatile-sk8]

a mixture between Ryan Benjamin and Alex sinclair is beautiful

[@DUPO22]

Thank you very much for this!

[@mo_sams9137]

fun fact about batman : he got 6 fingers on his left hand 😂

[@ProkoTV]

I think that's a line meant to indicate core shadow but good job with the eagle eye!

[@santoshadsul56]

​@@ProkoTV how can I make that triangle brush

[@Peepeemaker]

The art is so beautiful and so amazingly made, but it's sad that comics aren't as big as they once were

[@seallustrator]

The ear cleaner ad was actually pretty good.

[@jamespiodos8594]

Thanks for the awesome content.

[@NazgulGamer1]

I just found this but I love your story. So many artists have a story and it’s great to see some of your come out in what is some great teaching moments and techniques.

[@EdgarAndara-creativo]

Simply awesome!

[@OrderOfTheGash]

There are lots of videos about coloring but I think most of us want to know how to make them 'Print Ready'

[@lindazonemagazine9630]

hace algunos años coonoci al maestro Alex en una expo en México, espero algun dia puedas hacer algunos video en español

[@salvatoreocello]

13:33 legendary

[@MangoSmoothieYumYum]

For the win!!🎉

[@Jareth21]

Does anyone know if the ComicPage course is complete or are there still upcoming lessons? I purchased the course but it seems like it's unfinished and there hasn't been any updated for quite a while.

[@darioscomicschool1111]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@ai-man212]

This with Ryan Benjamin's segment is blowing my mind. 4:18 is already WOW.

[@JimmyFlame]

Super paint… wow!!

[@Nelsonanimation1]

It's really helpful 👍❤️

[@crazypopcorn4939]

The best trilogy.

[@peres7370]

Fire work

[@code6843]

Is no one gonna acknowledge that batman has six fingers on his left hand

[@ProkoTV]

That line looks like it's communicating a core shadow but definitely catches the eye!

[@Metaphix]

I tried painting fire and smoke once it was a nightmare lol so many shades and shadows and tiny details

[@eamononyoutube]

great video!

[@JPlante]

Pretty sure he misinterpreted the obliques on the left side of the drawing as part of the background (and maybe even some cape as part of his ribs).

[@edmundobaca3498]

Awesome

[@hotsauce7124]

Awesome

[@northenheitgameandart]

I didn't know Tuco Salamanca is a color artist.

[@rodrigohurtado3011]

Thank you for the content of today Proko, it's a very interesting topic to talk about. - 5th coment

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

GREAT!!!!!!!

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

Do you all have a Patreon or educational site?????

[@ProkoTV]

We do! We sell courses that most of the videos seen on this channel are just a part of. AND we're in the middle of our month-long Black Friday sale where everything's 20% off! 😉 www.proko.com

[@bubbleboy3448]

How do you find work in this industry?? Ive always wanted to be apart of something like this but i never understood how you even get in

[@ProkoTV]

It depends on what part of the industry you'd like to be in. But if it's the art or writing side, make comics of your own first! Do the entry level jobs doing color flats or other things and build up into higher level work, if you can't find a way to make your own works on your own. Fan comics, fan art and more are great paths as well. Having a body of work that serves as a portfolio is key. Then do digital networking or go to conventions that have artist/writer/editor meetings like most comic conventions do now.

[@fzidx]

Still not understand.. Hows that chanel works without separated to the other layers. How does he selected the smoke? If i do that using magic wand, it will select the entire similar color.. Can you make more tutorial about this colorimg techniques proko? Thanks

[@ProkoTV]

When he chose to color the smoke, he used the lasso tool to select the area he wanted colored. That's what he's doing as he's slowing clicking around that part of the lines.

[@asimian8500]

There's another way to do it without using channels: separating the page into panels, background, foreground, and flats. It's not a lot of work as you're going to be doing all of this work for the flats anyways. What it does do is allow you to make easy selections using the magic wand in intersection mode. This way you can select specific elements and render or change color or whatever easily. Professional comic colorist (Color with Kurt) has a YT channel which goes into detail. The other recommendation is to use Clip Studio Paint as it's designed for every element of the comic book/manga creation pipeline including coloring.

[@kool4209]

very similar to masking by keyframes in editing software

[@rumgum8935]

What the heck is that little triangle colour tool he is using.. how is it filling shapes that fit without moving?

[@RogerioPereiradaSilva77]

Probably artifact of the video capture software that didn't catch part of his movements. And the little triangle is just a custom brush he created due to, as he stated on the video interview, it allows him to create interesting shapes easily compared to the default round brushes.

[@rumgum8935]

@@RogerioPereiradaSilva77 ok that explains the none movement?

[@carlosfrostygreen6855]

Batman🦇

[@hiddeneaf404]

Alex made this with very few layers! I'd be using up to 30+ layers if I was this lol. Amazing.

[@labest4746]

can someone please give me the name of that fantastic triangle brush ? 😊

[@ReneArreolaArt]

Do you bitmap the line art before you color it?

[@liberatoreZ]

Isn't the part of the cape, right under BM's right biceps supposed to be darker? A dark blue/grey, like the rest of the cape. The reflections are part of the cape, not the body, or...?

[@samankucher5117]

awesome :)

[@jervyroylao1355]

I already had the talent to do the colors on comics but don't know how to start or apply as a colorist. Any tip?

[@ProkoTV]

Make connections with people you see doing line work on the Internet or at conventions. Ask them if it's okay for you to color some of their work that they've posted publicly or just go for it and post that online saying that you colored it and who the original lines were by. Once you build up that body of work you can show off, that makes a colorist portfolio that you can share when you see people who work in comics post that they're looking for someone who does colors. There are other ways but that's a solid start!

[@seanvolk4202]

Cool

[@zhengistasbolatov8480]

Wow, he does 20 pages a week? TF.

[@ProkoTV]

Him and the person who did the original ink drawing are both incredibly fast.

[@Jammy922]

How do you get the physical art to look good when you transfer it digitally for coloring

[@dmend2978]

Hi quick question! I’m looking for a rotating brush like the one being used in the smoke detail. It looks like a smoke edgy blob and it rotates every time it’s put down. What is it? How can I get it for procreate? Thank you in advance!! Love all your videos!

[@ProkoTV]

Those kinds of settings can be changed in your brush properties. You'll be looking for the area where you can see things like "jitter" and other settings of that nature. I don't have any recommendations for specific brushes you can buy for it but hope that playing with your brush settings helps give you what you need.

[@dmend2978]

@@ProkoTV awesome thank you!!

[@ice_siberia1546]

What software is he using?

[@jasonmatthewart]

I’m confused why they would use the selector tool to slowly select shaped to fill in. In procreate I will just grab a color on a new layer, outline the shapes/ section with my Apple Pencil, then color fill the inside of the shape. It’s a lot faster than how this guy is doing it

[@ProkoTV]

Depending on the program you use, there are different ways to do the same task and different reasons to use each of them. The way he does it here has some downsides, just as yours does. Something to look out for when you do outline and fill like you're saying is that the edge of your filled area takes on the characteristics of the brush you use to make the outline. This can leave you with a soft or even overly jagged edge. Using the lasso as he does gives him a pixel perfect edge with no unwanted feathering or anything like that. For his role as one part of a comics-making pipeline, this is important.

[@jasonmatthewart]

@@ProkoTV I suppose that's true, but the edge shouldn't even be visible considering that there is linework covering that part on a separate layer

[@ProkoTV]

@@jasonmatthewart Lost edges that imply blown out lights or that are used to connect and ground objects won't have lineart where there will be a color division. You can see these often in the work of artists like James Harden and Daniel Warren Johnson. This all isn't to say there's only one way to do something. If you have a process that works for you while working on art for yourself, keep doing it!

[@jasonmatthewart]

@@ProkoTV that's true, would you not be able to just use the eraser on the parts where the line art doesn't connect though? I'm not trying to be contrarian, just trying to learn the whys and why nots

[@ProkoTV]

@@jasonmatthewart Like anything else in art and digital art, there are a million different ways to approach tackling any task. That's what's great about it! The way he works in this video is a pretty standard practice for making comics but isn't the only way. Making clean selections, filling them, operating with smart laters and more often comes down to it being something that's handed off to someone else for the next step in a process. Standardization is pretty important in that situation. The person doing flats won't know what the person doing the more painterly style coloring next will/won't need. So, they'll do it all as clean as possible. Working as an individual or even just with one or two other people on a project means you can be more flexible and know each other's quirks and workflow. Art is meant to be done differently by different people. We just approach it trying to understand why others work the way they do and don't make a value judgement one way or another often.

[@vonvon7396]

do you take commissions for freelance work?

[@ProkoTV]

If that's a request for Alex Sinclair, you can find him online as Sinccolor

[@babuhayagreeva5891]

iam intermediate artist i want to learn coloring in photoshop details please.

[@LazyFanFics]

how do you make those brushes?

[@junoonvlogs1030]

Hi

[@hawraaalasady7964]

Hi

[@charlemaigneescabarte6487]

When you realized this was not speed up

[@miershirull]

Early apparently

[@pripritz]

Where do I get those brushes?

[@luxuriousmindset1906]

You don't he make them he said it in the video

[@neilpneilp]

He’s so fast …. 😮

[@ProkoTV]

Right?? It's crazy! Those comic artists!

[@keixsy]

Could somebody help explain rgb vs cmyk please? from my understanding, rgb is best for digital, but cmyk is best best for printing? I'm still new to this, apologies~

[@colin2715]

That's right. RGB is for digital work and contains a larger selection of colours than CMYK. You should only convert your file to CMYK if it's intending to be put on a printing press or screen printed.

[@rrooddmmaan]

@@colin2715 hi, if im drawing a comission to be printed once... I should convert it yo Cmyk?

[@colin2715]

@@rrooddmmaan no, you should keep it in RGB. If it's not being printed in a mass quantity (hundreds or thousands), then it will likely be printed digitally on an inkjet or copier. Keep it in RGB still, the colours will print better. In fact, even if it were to go to a printing press, you should leave it up to the print shop to handle colour conversion, unless you really know what you're doing

[@mysketchbook3402]

Sorry I dipped out early. This is way over complicated. Not mad or anything but this is not streamlined. Maybe I'll come back to it when I got time.

[@shirleyshirl5883]

Am i the only who noticed hes got 6 fingers on his right hand 😭

[@ProkoTV]

He doesn't. It's an unintended consequence of an indicated fold in the base of the hand. We gotta keep an eye out for how a shape reads! Even the pros can still have something like that slip by.

[@kevinkreator1766]

4 th comment

[@YoSmoked]

"" one of the best things about dude is that he never takes credit for himself when he achieves something . he always respect us, the audience, and his team, and he is always polite in all of his video. we congratulate ourselves on this achievement more to come and everything to come""❤💛🧡💙 Let's we all just appreciate the content this man and his crew makes it's just a masterpiece imagine what's he's gonna doing the future ❤ I hope this channel never ends and keeps spreading happiness.❤😊

[@HK416ct]

Bro gets paid to do coloring books

[@ProkoTV]

It's a little deeper than that but sure! lol

[@667hodge]

Drawing on a computer isn't drawing

[@kinjura]

What are you talking about? Of course it is.

[@sgtpepper91]

western comics 🤡