Ryan Cody is a comic book artist, most recently turning heads with his colors on Family Tree. He also colors Hero Code for Jamie Gambell, an indie superhero comic, as well as an unannounced project coloring over artist, David Hahn.
Ryan, how did you get into comics and what led you to making comics?
When I was 10 or 11 my dad would take me to a barber that had comics on the tables while you waited. I'd read old issues of Iron Man and Spider-Man, and that led to picking up random issues at the convenience store whenever my parent's would buy them for me. When I discovered my first comic shop, House of Armands, in Oceanside, CA, I really just fell fully in love with them at that point. Uncanny X-Men and Excalibur were the first series I followed monthly.
I always wanted to draw comics, but life got in the way and I eventually stopped reading them altogether in the late 90's. Around 2004 I saw an issue of Powers and something about that book hooked me and got me back into wanting to make comics again. My first book, Villains, was published a couple years later by a small publisher called Viper Comics. I was very green, and it shows in the work. It was the first long form sequential work I had ever done but it still felt great to be published.
Did you always want to become a colorist?
Not until recently. I've always been a line artist who has colored his own work for the most part. A few years ago I started realizing that coloring was my favorite part of the process and began to explore that direction the best I could. I started by coloring pin-ups of my friends work and then an occasional short project or pitch pages for small indie books. Eventually, Phil Hester gave me chance on an anthology book called Shock Vol.2. for Aftershock Comics. Those 5 pages led to working on Family Tree.
How do you approach coloring a comic? Do you have the same method for every book? Please feel free to get into the nuts and bolts a bit!
My process as far as page set-up and lighting is very much the same on most projects. I flat color the pages in basic colors, no different than how we all colored when were 6, or sometimes I pay someone to flat them for me. Then I lay in my shadows and highlights and any special effects lighting. At that point, my main focus becomes the overall color palette of the page. The most important thing that changes between each project is the color and “mood” the creators want it to have. For Family Tree it's supposed to be desaturated and gloomy, except when there are scenes that need to pop and be lush and green. I try to give every scene its own color mood.
For example, a calm scene set outside at night will have blue and purple hues as the main color focus. Conversely, an action or tense scene set at night might have more of a purple and red color focus, to highlight the tension or aggression. Once colorists saw red skies for night used on Batman: The Animated Series, we all filed that one away for future use.
A scene set in a doctor’s office or an office building, places where people generally don’t like to be I’ll color in yellowish greens, almost a sickly pale color. In my opinion environment and mood should dictate color, not necessarily realistic and typical colors.
Do your roles as artist and colorist ever conflict? I know from my own experiences that lettering and coloring tend to have some very tight deadlines, and I can attest to how fast you can color a book, but do you ever have a lineart gig and a coloring gig with the same deadline? If so, how do you make that work?
Most of my projects that I have done all the artwork on have had flexible deadlines so it’s never really been a problem. Much like my coloring style, my line art style is pretty simple as well, so I can work fairly fast if I need to and can usually pencil, ink and color a page in a day, unless it’s very detailed.
Time for some tough questions! Do you have any favorite horror movies you like to watch this time of year? Do you put on spooky music when you’re coloring Family Tree?
I’m not really a big horror fan honestly. Usually this time of year I’m gearing up for my annual re-watch of Band of Brothers in November. I’m a big podcast and sports guy, so I usually have a soccer game on, or a comedy podcast going when I’m working. I’m not super deep into soccer, but I find the pace and commentary very soothing.
I ask everyone I interview…If you could only give one piece of advice, be it for lettering, or life, what would it be?
Creating comics is work. If you get into this business thinking it's all fun and working from home and being your own boss, and having insane creative freedom, you're going to be sorely mistaken. If your goal is to pay your bills making comics in any form, the sooner you treat it like a job and understand the hardships that come with it, the better.
https://super75studios.com/
www.instagram.com/ryancody75 (@ryancody75)