Why Use Black and White?

I've posted quite a few times about my debut comic 'Chicken Grit & The Mutant Furies' so I'm sure you'll have spotted that I've opted for black and white. It isn't a low-budget, cost-saving decision as in my genius I decided to add splashes of red! No, the reason is much deeper than that - I'm colourblind.

This presents its own challenges when it comes to art and don't worry if you are a colourblind artist as I'll be writing about tools and apps that will help with that process soon.

I also grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the TV and reading the comics. The original comic was in black and white and I loved it all the same (In fact when I did eventually see it in colour I thought Michaelangelo's bandana was green!) By giving Chicken Grit & The Mutant Furies a similar colour palette, it's me tipping my hat to that great work. We're getting closer to the release of Chicken Grit and I couldn't be happier with the progress so far, if you'd like to stay updated with news of the comic as we near its launch you can sign up for our newsletter below.

The biggest problem with being colourblind is that you can't trust your eyes. I've ruined many great drawings only to learn that the colours are not what I intended. Want a character with a good tan? I've often coloured what I wanted to be orange-green. Want a nice sky blue? Well, numerous times I've coloured the sky purple. The list goes on... Pinks instead of grey, brown instead of reds, bright yellows confused with lime greens.

What should be a relaxing, enjoyable hobby becomes a complex puzzle that you'll eventually get wrong. My choice to go black and white was to remove this complication so that it would be enjoyable to create, but also so I could ensure it was consistent.

The only other colour you will see is red which usually signifies something dramatic (or if you look at the picture - violent!) Again this was a nod to being colourblind and the misconceptions surrounding it. Lots of people assume you either see totally in black and white or if you see one colour correctly you're not colourblind "See you can see colours - you're not colourblind!" has been the cry of many people who have wanted me to do an impromptu colour test.