Should a colourist (or "colour artist") get royalties?

[samurainoir]

An interesting discussion currently in the comics community given the fact that many colour artists are practically digitally painting a great deal of work these days (not just filling in solid four-colour fields between the inked lines as they did twenty years ago).

Where do you think a Colourist fits in the contemporary comics creative ladder, and does their contribution entitle them to royalties on work alongside the writer and artists (penciller/inker)?

Keeping in mind as well, many Colourist these days take up the role of "digital inker" as well when working straight from an artists pencils.

[Riffster]

if the computer is doing the work then no, just paid what they get now, nobody buys a book cause of who's coloring. however I'll buy a book due to who's writing or drawing

[toys2cool]

naw no way

[Meule]

if the computer is doing the work then no, just paid what they get now, nobody buys a book cause of who's coloring. however I'll buy a book due to who's writing or drawing

What he said

[The Toyroom]

What he said

And what he said....

[The Toyroom]

Taking this one step further, what about letterers? Where does it end?

[supes]

Nope, I agree with the above

[BlackKnight]

If the Colourist did infact invent the Color of the characters, or say ..., make a Mood a Hit, like something like Sin City or 300 ..., lets just say, and it some sorta Hit with sales based on what he came up with,.. and if lets say the whatever sucked before, or was lackluster ..., perhaps he/she should to a certain degree, maybe. Just my Opinion,.. would just be more so based on the whole act of whats going on.

[kingdom warrior]

No. Any trained (monkey) can color a book with a computer. Do it old school when you had to lay the color on copies that's different much more difficult to do.

[kingdom warrior]

If the Colourist did infact invent the Color of the characters, or say ..., make a Mood a Hit, like something like Sin City or 300 ..., lets just say, and it some sorta Hit with sales based on what he came up with,.. and if lets say the whatever sucked before, or was lackluster ..., perhaps he/she should to a certain degree, maybe. I just my Opinion would just be more so based on the whole act of whats going on.

Lynn Varley was Frank Miller's main colorist she's one of the Few that would deserve this type of pay.

[The Toyroom]

^ Right, in fact I think Lynn was one of the first colorists I remember getting billing on the cover of a book....

[megoscott]

Frankly, some pretty ignorant comments here. First--the computer doesn't color the comics. That's just plain stupid. The computer is a tool for the artist and nothing more. They are drawing and painting with their hands and using the basic techniques artists have always used--value, color and form. The computer does allow them to work faster and achieve results that would be impossible with a brush and paint in any kind of reasonable schedule, but don't dismiss their artistic skill. Nowadays they are doing so much of the work that the pencil and ink used to do. They are rendering LOTS of the anatomy now, especially in the faces, but really on everything, so it's more than just COLOR. The old school colorists did color, these people are rendering full paintings and at a brutal, brutal pace. I've sat in on a few panels at conventions and it's astonishing to me what they do in such a short amount of time.

[megoscott]

And for the record, I prefer old school comic book coloring, but that's an aesthetic/retro thing for me.

[BlackKnight]

I can't stand Old school coloring ..., or lack there of, compaired to today's best stuff ...., I like it so much.

[The Toyroom]

^ BAH! I prefer old-school as well....lots of today's colorists have a tendency to overdo things and rely too much on filters and tech where it's unnecessary...IMO.