This week’s Questionable Comics spotlights two of comics’ best colorists, Marissa Louise and Dee Cunniffe. Marissa Louise is up first, and has colored projects for publishers as diverse as Boom, Monkeybrain, Dark Horse and beyond.
What current projects are you working on?
Escape From New York, Mystery Girl, Merry Men and more to come out in 2016.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Painterly.
What’s your workspace like?
I just switched up my workspace. I was working on a Cintiq 18xs which was lovely and a loan from a friend. I really liked it because it was heavy and I could control my arm movements with pressure. But the resolution was not great and it was difficult to get the dual monitor set up. That took months, honestly.
I just got a refurb 13 HD. This is nice because it hooked up so easily and has great resolution. I can put it on a stand to make a standing desk. My only trouble is the screen is extremely slick & the stand slides around. It’s hard to get good pressure.
I have a Hanns G Hi221d as my second monitor. The second monitor gets all reference & business stuff. Emails, Twitter, accounting, etc.
I started using Pinterest a lot to organize my images. I have a little bust I use for reference and my dayplanner to help keep me organized.
A panel from Mystery Girl, a Dark Horse series Marissa Louise is currently coloring
What do you listen to when you work?
I listen to a lot of podcasts. My work days are between 10-16 hours. So I blow through stuff pretty fast. I listen to Sawbones, The Dollop, The Best Show, The Adventure Zone, These Are The People, Knifepoint Horror, Monster Talk, Stop Podcasting Yourself, Oh No Ross and Carrie, Skeptoid, Dead Authors Podcast, Do or DIY with People Like Us, Downtown Soulville with Mister Finewine and Sinners Crossroads. But I’ve already listened to all of them. So if you have recommendations please send them to me! When it’s not podcasts it is usually Google Hangouts. Which is nice because it gives that studio feeling again and you can trouble shoot things with your friends.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Get a portfolio review from Brian Stelfreeze.
How do you get into colouring mode?
I don’t do anything else in my office space. So it keeps it like a psychic office. But if for some reason it’s just not going then I will copy a painting I like.
What’s your favourite colour?
No color exists with out context! But I really would be over the moon if I could find a reason to spot print nickle yellow. Or Egyptian Violet. Or if I wanted to spend a small fortune, real Naples Yellow. It’s as heavy as lead white, very expensive & profoundly gorgeous. It’s not like that serviceable but phony Naples Yellow mixed out of three other pigments. Don’t bother looking these colors up, the charm of the colors doesn’t convey digitally. Go to an art store & ask for Williamsburg Oil paint chart.
A page from Boom’s Escape from New York series, colored by Marissa Louise
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
Efficiency.
When’s the best time to work?
All the time. But I really love in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee. Hopefully I’ve done a run. Birds are chirping. It’s just heavenly.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
This is a very cruel question because I don’t want to snub anyone. Everyone has their extra special focus. For instance Marte Gracia and Shari Chankhamma are brilliant geniuses with their cuts. Bill Crabtree does these amazing controlled gradients with cuts. Nolan Woodward and Tamra Bonvillian really make the pages light up. Jordan Boyd and Jordie Bellaire both have brilliant palettes. Lynn Varley has so much control and emotional setting in her work. And there are so many more I can talk about– Kelly Fitzpatrick, Justin Ponsor, Lark Pien, Christina Strain, so many more that I know I am forgetting some.
Dee Cunniffe is a veteran colorist who has worked on a number of projects for Heavy Metal, 451 and Image, including sequences in the hit series The Wicked & The Divine.
What current projects are you working on?
The S6x; 451 Media Interceptor; Heavy Metal Comics; Reality, self-published by Curt Pires. Flatting for Matt Wilson, Lee Loughridge, Nathan Faibairn, Dave McCaig, Christian Ward, Michael Walsh and many more.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Ad infinitum.
What’s your workspace like?
Standing desk with 13 inch CIntiq in a room full of books and toys.
What do you listen to when you work?
I mostly listen to programs on Netflix, but I rarely look at them.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t be a dick!
How do you get into colouring mode?
I try to loosen up with a quick color over a random sketch I spot on Twitter.
A sequence from The S6x, as colored by Dee Cunniffe
What’s your favourite colour?
I love pinks and purples, rarely actually get to use them.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I’m always trying to improve all areas of my work.
When’s the best time to work?
I start early and work dawn ’til dusk, with a few breaks for dog walking and time with the kids.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
I constantly study how Matt Wilson, Lee Loughridge and Dave Stewart do what they do.
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