Moreno Dinisio, the colorist of the Skybound miniseries DEAD BODY ROAD, walked us through the stages of coloring two pages of DBR. These are the four steps he follows to bring Matteo Scalera’s inks to life!
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Step 1
I start with flat colors. On a grey uniform base, I spread the colors without too many shades, giving each thing its own colors without light or shadow. I give tone to the background and the characters, and take confidence with the page, looking for the three-dimensionality of the lineart without adding any other information.
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Step 2
At this point, I add information I visualized while working on the first step. I refine the cuts of light and start to get an idea of the atmosphere of the scene. Based on the inks, I extol and define volumes and add one or more shadow tones. In the same way, I balance the shadows with a strong first spot of light, which gives either environmental characterization or a focus on a particular part of the scene.
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Step 3
Here I add a secondary lights to the scene. These are useful to customize the desired atmosphere and highlight some objects more than others. At this stage, I start to work on a chromatic balance between the figures, trying to boost colors from step 2 and emphasize certain parts of the inks.
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Step 4
Now I adjust the tints and shades to try to add depth to each level of the frame. Lastly, I add the final details to balance the scene and the page in its entirety.
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Thanks Moreno! Check out his amazing coloring work in DEAD BODY ROAD #3, out this Wednesday 2/26!
