Colorist: Chris Summers
Name: Chris Summers
Occupation: Comic Color Artist
Skill/Contribution: Digital Colors
Location: Texas
Website: (still under construction)
DeviantArt: inkblotzart.deviantart.com
Twitter: @Chris_Summers
Facebook: Chris Summers
What got you into comics? As a kid my dad really liked the old “War” comics like Sgt. Rock, Fury and his Howling Commandos and also Thor and Conan comics as well, so those were always lying around. Later on I started discovering comics on my own, I found our local comic shop (man was it a hole in the wall, kind of a scary place) and got into stuff like Judge Dread, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Elfquest. From there I just kept getting more and more books went through the 90’s boom and bust and still reading them today.
How did you learn your skill/trade? I have always loved to Draw and Color but I went to College for a Graphic Design Degree thinking I would probably go into advertising. I started learning Photoshop there along with lots of skills with various art classes. After I left school I started teaching myself how to use the Computer and Photoshop to color comics. I found a few online tutorials and a couple of books and away I went. After I started getting some basics down I stared meeting other colorists online and they offered help and critiques that have taught me more than any class I could have taken.
What tools/equipment do you use? I work on a PC (Quad Core AMD, 8 gig of Ram, 2x 500 gig HD’s) I am using Photoshop CS4 and a Wacom Cintiq 12wx
What was your favorite comic as a kid? I would say Elfquest, it is the Comic that really got me interested, and I have read the compiled editions over and over. I still re-read them about every 1-2 years.
Who is your greatest comic influence? Wow, that is a tough one. Well, I started out, as a kid, wanting to draw comics and it was Wendy Pini and Jim Lee that really inspired me at the time. Now I still get inspired and influenced by creators, Jim Lee is still a big one for me but I also look to Creators like John Rauch, Laura Martin, Dave McCaig, Snakebite, Christiana Strain and Steve Firchow.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in comics? To explore and decide what part of the comic process it is that you really like. Is it penciling, inking, coloring, writing? Then really pour all your effort into that, practice every day, find professionals out there doing what you are wanting to and ask for their advice, critiques etc… And always understand that if someone tells you something is wrong with your work; don’t take it personal, they are trying to help you to become better at what you want to do, not to help themselves but to help you.
Other projects you’ve worked on:
World of Dungeons & Dragons #1-2 , GI Joe: Americas Elite #19-20, Dreadnoks: Declassified #2, Warhammer: Condemned by Fire, Various DC books with Hi-Fi Design including Nightwing #150, Superman: New Krypton Special and others.
