Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
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20 KEYFRAME T H E L O C A L Today's Color Stylists have worked as character designers, background painters and more. They are an essential part of every production. Though the position has changed drastically from its beginnings, color styling has remained a difficult job with great expertise required. As schedules are choked and budgets stretched thin, it will require an effort by artists in all departments of animation to ensure that Color Styling is no longer singled out as a lesser design position in the Ink and Paint category of the Contract. Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation gives some insight into the history of the color department. When animation was handmade, paint was applied to each cel by carefully trained women. They were tasked with not only adding flat swaths of color but creating airbrush and paint splatter effects to bring magic to the drawings. This role was designated to women, and because of gender bias, it was neither paid well nor respected. Concept art, design, and story positions were held almost exclusively by men. Many misconceptions about the role continue today. Color Stylists provide flat color, primarily by selections and fills, which may sound simple by comparison to other positions, but it's not the entire picture. Color Stylists design and create the color palettes for all animated assets in a production. They design shapes and colors of surface shadows and additional lighting palettes. The lights may suddenly switch off, submerging the characters in darkness but still allowing enough color for them to be visible. There could be a flash of lightning, momentarily casting an eerie rim light. A school dance with strobe lights presents new color schemes over a short time. As the last artists in the pipeline before animation, color stylists often have the least amount of time to complete their work. This can mean coloring hundreds of assets with only weeks between delivery dates. They work with the Art Director and the Background Paint Department to create a cohesive color story. They composite color models with painted backgrounds in order to harmonize palettes, apply lighting and color effects, and determine the final look of each scene. Today, with the industry's adaption of computer technology, the role has expanded to include more responsibilities. While each production is managed differently, we can paint a picture of the modern Color Stylist by sharing the collective experiences of three artists— who met while working on Rick and Morty. Carol Wyatt, with 30 years of experience, has worked as a Color Stylist, Art Director, Production Designer, BG Designer and Painter, and Animator. She carries the unique perspective of the role's evolution from traditional to digital pipelines. "I started out inking and painting cels then began doing color key on Saturday morning cartoons in the 80's. I came from graphic design and illustration and knew how im- portant color was in commercials and logo design. However, I was regularly reminded of how unimportant my contributions were through sexist comments and low pay. Things changed when I was the color super- visor at the beginning of The Simpsons' TV series. The writers and directors took color seriously. We worked on scenes that paro- died iconic films and they taught me how to use color to emphasize personalities and stories. Now that computers have replaced paper and cels, color has become more complicated and detailed yet the pay re- mains the lowest in animation design. There are more jobs to do within the color styling title, including writing lead sheets or route sheets. I have to stay updated on special FX and trends. Color on characters and props must be creative, current, yet stand the test of time so they can be used in any story situation, then later merchandised. Color design is separated from character and BG design, and BG paint. This is necessary for production purposes to get the work done faster. However, all of these positions are equal and require the same training." Having previously worked as a Background Painter, Jack Cusumano was surprised when he was offered a Color Stylist position on Rick and Morty after taking a general color test. Aside from color work, Jack has also been a Background Painter, a Director, and created an original short for Nickelodeon. BART SIMPSON. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS. THE POWERPUFF GIRLS. THE AVERAGE VIEWER CAN'T DRAW THESE CHARACTERS FROM MEMORY BUT THEY PROBABLY CAN TELL YOU THE COLORS OF THE CHARACTERS. These palettes hold our attention as we follow them through ever changing environments and stories. How much work goes into the design of these palettes, and who is tasked with their creation? Allow me to introduce you to the Color Stylist. LIFE IN COLOR By Elisa Phillips