Interview with Ghost Machine Colorist Brad Anderson

Our Creator Interview series continues with a set of amazing and insightful interviews with multiple creators of the Ghost Machine team. Our next interview is with colorist Brad Anderson, a self-described illustrator, and painter, who enjoys adding color to wicked art.

GlobalComix: For those new to your work, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your favorite
projects you’ve been a part of over your career?

Brad Anderson: So, I’m from Canada, I attended the Kubert school in the mid 90’s, then when I returned to Canada, I started working at Digital Chameleon, where most of the comics at the time were digitally separated, and some colored. We would get color guides form artists all over the world then we would manually transfer those colors to digital files, basically what colorist do now a days. We also did color guides in house with markers over photocopies, that’s where I started doing color.

GlobalComix: Working with other creators in a shared universe like Ghost Machine is a different experience than most creators are probably used to. What are some pros and cons that you’ve experienced or seen so far?

Brad: There are no cons, when you work with such professionals that have been in the business so long, we all know our roll and trust one another. I love the fact that we all have easy contact with one another, which helps when you need something work-related. I also love the fact that I can set a consistent work sched as I get to see the art that is coming down the line well before I get my hands on it. Being under one umbrella, everyone involved knows what books I’m working on, this really helps preventing any log jam situations or deadline headaches.

GlobalComix: Is there any advice that you would give to others that are looking to start a similar collaborative or shared universe?

Brad: Choose professionals you love to work with. Period. If you don’t work with good people, it will make your job much more difficult.

GlobalComix: You’re currently working on multiple titles for Ghost Machine as a colorist. How do you manage all the different titles you are working on, as well as different characters, and keep the accuracy of their designs and designated color schemes?

Brad: Keeping track of all the titles is sometimes overwhelming, but we have a great team that sets up a realistic schedule for me to get stuff done. That includes the artists getting pages to me well ahead of time.

I find the transition, when I finish one book then jump into a different one, there is always a slight period where it takes more time. The first few pages always take longer than usual. That is basically, getting familiar with the script and shifting, slightly, rendering technique. Choosing the scene colors and figuring out what I want to do in assisting with the story using color is different in each book. Each title has a different mood, so I need to keep that in mind when starting a new book. I’ve been working on these characters for some time now, so being comfortable with the colors, individually is no problem, it’s just fitting their colors into the scene and settings of the story.

GlobalComix: What are some tools and technologies you use in being a colorist, and have any of them changed significantly over your career? Do you find that certain techniques or tools are faster or more efficient than others that aspiring colorists could try as well?

Brad: When I first started, I was doing color guides with markers, as I said earlier. From there I started using Photoshop, like 1.0, so it was really slow. I still use Photoshop as I am super familiar with it. The tech has come a long way, so doing complicated pages loaded with effects is no problem now.

There are many tablets and paint programs to choose from now, I do like to mess around with different ones, when time permits, Procreate on the iPad has some amazing features, but teaching an old dog new tricks takes time.

I like sticking with what I’m comfortable with so I can keep on track with deadlines. I really think it’s up to the individual and what they started with, you just need to put the time in to get more efficient with whatever application you are using. There are a million different ways to get the same result, so it comes down to your comfort.

GlobalComix: What defines a good colorist from an excellent colorist? Was there a tip or bit of advice you got from someone else that has been helpful to you over the years?

Brad: Ya, I was told to keep a color wheel next to you at all time, I think that’s really true. There are times where you get stuck looking at something for a long time but just can’t figure out what will work, the color wheel has it right there for you.

There is a fine line when doing color, you don’t want to do too much, but you don’t want to do too little. You never want to over render or do something with color that is going to take away from what the story is trying to do. You want to help tell the story with color.

You also do not want to compete with what the artist is doing, take their lead and try to understand what they are indicating with art. Light sources, edge lighting, back light, try and play that up if the artist puts it in, it’s a great trick to push the form of the image.

Try and push yourself to choose colors that help in the story telling, grass may not be
green, water may not need to be blue, all depends on what the story calls for.

GlobalComix: Is there a dream project or character you've always wanted to work on but haven't had the chance to yet?

Brad: I think over my, almost 30 years of doing this, I’ve worked on almost every character, and Geoff put most of them in Doomsday Clock, hehe. I’ve worked on Marvel characters, DC, Darkhorse Star Wars stuff, G.I. Joe with Skybound, titles with IDW, had a chance to work on Deadpool, some Spawn covers, worked with the legendary Frank Miller on DKIII, some before the Watchman titles and then Doomsday Clock with the awesome Whatchmen characters.

I don’t know, that’s tough one.

GlobalComix: Will you be adding more creators to the Ghost Machine roster? What do you want to see from aspiring creators who are interested in working with you?

Brad: Yes, as things progress, we have a few other creators lined up. The important thing is that everyone is onboard with the idea that the story is paramount. Ghost Machine books are to read, not to look at. The way that the company is set up doesn’t lend itself to throwing the doors wide and inviting everyone to the party, so new additions will be carefully curated, but this is definitely just the beginning.

GlobalComix: Have there been, or are currently, any other artists or colorists that you take inspiration from?

Brad: Too many to mention, to be honest. I look at so many different artist / painters for things. With social media so prominent now, you are exposed to a ton of different art and artists, it’s so awesome. You can stumble upon watercolor artist to sculptures to photographers and pick stuff you like from all of those, I love social media for that.

I do like to follow current comic colorists just as a fan too.

GlobalComix: Collaboration is a huge part of creating comics. Can you talk about how you collaborate with writers and other artists in your projects and make sure your unique voices work together and don’t impose on each other?

Brad: When I first started working with these guy’s, there were notes and emails going back and forth, now it’s pretty easy. We talk about what’s coming up and if there are specific things I need to be aware of, such as energy color, planet color etc. but otherwise I can go ahead and follow the script. Geoff does an incredible job as a writer, he has so much info in his scripts, ref, time of day, you name it, so I can just move right along.

If I do have any questions, getting the answer is just an email or text away.

GlobalComix: How do you stay motivated and creatively fresh after working on so many projects? Working on so many titles in a short period sounds like it would be draining. What’s your secret?

Brad: This may sound corny, but, it’s the fans. When I go to a convention and talk to fans who are so passionate about books I am working on, that keeps me motivated to put out good, consistent work. People spend good money on stuff we are working on, I want to make sure they are not disappointed. Seeing their faces when we get to meet and talk to them, they are why we are doing this, I can’t thank them enough.

Plus, when I see the effort and the stunning work Gary, Bryan, Jay, Ivan, and Geoff are putting out, I just want to add to that, it’s just amazing stuff, no way I’m mailing it in.

GlobalComix: If there are colorists who are wanting to join the Ghost Machine collaborative, what are some things they should consider when submitting work? What can they do to prepare for working on something like Ghost Machine?

Brad: I would definitely have a variety of sequences in there, city, day, night, jungle, for instance. And also, if possible a few different art styles, pencil, simple animated style, traditional superhero, some of your favorite stuff. If you can show different rendering styles, that is always a bonus.

Keep in mind you are submitting color, so sequences that really show off the storytelling using the color is best. An example may be a night scene with a light in a distant building, then when you enter the building you can really separate the settings. Not sure you can prepare yourself for the GM work specifically, but you need to be reliable,
good and fast, haha.

Thank you so much Brad Anderson for sitting down with is today! It's been amazing getting to chat with all of you and see some of what's behind the curtain at Ghost Machine.

If you want to keep up with all the amazing work Ghost Machine is putting out, we've got a list of pages and profile links right here for you:

• Follow Image Comics to get updates on all the latest titles and releases
• Find titles from the Ghost Machine collection here
• View and purchase the latest PDFs from Image Comics, including the newest Ghost Machine titles here
• Follow Ghost Machine on Instagram
• Keep up with Brad Anderson on Twitter
• See more of Brad's work on Instagram!