Black and White vs. Grayscale

Rocknjosie · Post by **Rocknjosie** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:21 am

I'm trying to make a decision for my comic and need your help. Do non-Sunday newsprint comics look better in black and white (ala say Calvin and Hobbes) or in grayscale (ala say Boondocks)?

BookOfEwan · Post by **BookOfEwan** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:38 am

As far as I can see it really just depends on how good you are at crosshatching.

Bustertheclown · Post by **Bustertheclown** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:42 am

BookOfEwan wrote:As far as I can see it really just depends on how good you are at crosshatching.

You know what I'd like to see? More comics that utilize stippling.

That guy · Post by **That guy** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:42 am

I've done both, and I'd say pure Black/White can accomplish more impressive images, but it requires greater control to use effectively. Grayscale is less dramatic, but also allows for easier background separation and shading tricks. In the end it really depends on what you want to do with your comic. An awesome example of B/W shading is Sinfest. An excellent Grayscale comic is Wapsi Square. Check 'em out.

Jeffy · Post by **Jeffy** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:59 am

i agree in that pure B/W can be more impressive, IF the style suites it

Glarryg · Post by **Glarryg** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:00 am

Personally, I like the black and white ones because they tend to be more visually striking, but the grayscale ones have their charm, too. It all depends on the effect you want. Black and white definitely looks more "newspaper-y" to me.

Glarryg

Escushion · Post by **Escushion** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:26 am

I agree with what That Guy said.

Col · Post by **Col** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:33 am

bustertheclown wrote:
BookOfEwan wrote:As far as I can see it really just depends on how good you are at crosshatching.
You know what I'd like to see? More comics that utilize stippling.

Oh Lord...

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:27 am

Escushion wrote:I agree with what That Guy said.

Which guy?

Rocknjosie · Post by **Rocknjosie** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:38 pm

Hmm. I want to stick with all pen and ink (black and white) but I have no formal artistic training, so crosshatching scares me, but I agree that the grayscale looks kinda forced, but at least it gives the eye something to rest on, instead of being blinded by all this white.

Ratballista · Post by **Ratballista** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:08 pm

Personally, people that can accomplish such excellent shading in pure black and white astound me, cross hetching was never my thing, and done sucessfully puts grayscale to shame. But doing so is such a pain in the ass, so grayscale makes a quick, good looking image and usually comes out looking pretty nice.

That guy · Post by **That guy** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:10 pm

mcDuffies wrote:
Escushion wrote:I agree with what That Guy said.
Which guy?

Third base!!

Anywherebuthere · Post by **Anywherebuthere** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:13 pm

If you are using greyscale, I strongly reccomend checking out a lot of Film Noir. Check out the lighting, how exactly the faces are illuminated. It can help a LOT.

Escushion · Post by **Escushion** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:54 pm

That guy wrote:
mcDuffies wrote:
Escushion wrote:I agree with what That Guy said.
Which guy?
Third base!!

You stole my joke!

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:18 pm

Rocknjosie wrote:Hmm. I want to stick with all pen and ink (black and white) but I have no formal artistic training, so crosshatching scares me, but I agree that the grayscale looks kinda forced, but at least it gives the eye something to rest on, instead of being blinded by all this white.

Hatching requires practice and is time consuming, but I find it typically looks much better than greyscale. With your comic, I don't think you need a whole lot since simplicity is what you're going for. Give it a shot.

Jackhass · Post by **Jackhass** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:38 pm

I'm a greyscale man myself...

Christwriter · Post by **Christwriter** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:06 pm

That guy wrote:
mcDuffies wrote:
Escushion wrote:I agree with what That Guy said.
Which guy?
Third base!!

No, no, Which doesn't HAVE a base.

Who's on first, What's on second, and I-don't-know's on THIRD.

Naturally.

CW

Sincerely · Post by **Sincerely** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:30 pm

Escushion wrote:
That guy wrote:
mcDuffies wrote: Which guy?
Third base!!
You stole my joke!

It doesn't matter! It's all postwhoring in the end.

Wishmaster · Post by **Wishmaster** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:10 am

I can't say that I really prefer one to the other. Savage Sword of Conan was one of my favorite comic magazines as a kid and the art varried between the two. Sometimes one fits a certain story better than the other. Doc Hyperion is a strictly black and white comic (for now) and I think it helps the retro feel of the strip. Wish In One Hand has lots of grayscale, which is a story conceit as much as anything else, since the real world is meant to be gray and boring.

That guy · Post by **That guy** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:55 pm

Escushion wrote:You stole my joke!

Technically, I stole Abbott and Costello's joke. (innacurately, as christwriter pointed out)

sincerely wrote:It doesn't matter! It's all postwhoring in the end.

Well, that's just mean. I prefer the term "Post-Companion."

Rocknjosie wrote:Hmm. I want to stick with all pen and ink (black and white) but I have no formal artistic training, so crosshatching scares me, but I agree that the grayscale looks kinda forced, but at least it gives the eye something to rest on, instead of being blinded by all this white.

As I said, B/W is my preffered method, but it depends what you want to do with your strip. A lotta people resist B/W because they don't think they can do as much with it very easily, but with practice it's extremely versatile. For example:

Those comics are: Zebra Girl, Sinfest, PVP, and Dangerous Lifestyles.
I highly recommend them all for art inspiration if you do go B/W. {EDIT- or you can read MY comic, ThatGuy...}

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