Welcome back to Under the Shell! For week two, I have something really special! An in-depth interview with dare-I-say legendary comic colorist Ronda Pattison. She was very generous and gave some awesome answers, so whether you are just a fan of comics or are trying to make your own or maybe you want to better appreciate the work of a colorist– there’s something here for you.
Ronda’s career has spanned multiple decades and she’s worked with just about every comic company you can think of. Most notably, she has colored every issue of the IDW ongoing TMNT series, that’s nearly 150 issues! Without further adieu, let’s get on with the interview!
Gatecrashers: Here at GateCrashers, we fancy ourselves to be hard hitting journalists and we start every interview with the heaviest of questions. What is your favorite sandwich?
Ronda Pattison: That’s like being asked to choose your favorite child! But my go-to is the grilled ham and cheese. It’s kept me fed during many a tight deadline when I don’t want to take time to cook.
Gatecrashers: How much prep goes into your work? Do you have any rituals?
Ronda Pattison: Regarding the work itself, really just basic stuff. If it’s something new, I’ll check in with editorial or the artist/creators to see if they have any direction they want to give. I might need to collect reference for any characters etc. that are new to me.
Personally, I always have some media playing to entertain me while I’m working — usually an audiobook. Sometimes I’ll put on a movie or show — preferably something I’ve seen before because I can’t look up very often! And drinks and snacks are essential.
Gatecrashers: Over the course of your time with TMNT, you’ve colored a lot of different artists. Does this require differences in approaches to your work?
Ronda Pattison: Yes, but it’s small adjustments. Because there have been so many artists on TMNT, I feel like a huge part of my job is maintaining continuity, so all the basic colors — characters, common environments, etc.– stay pretty much the same, though they may change slightly in tone or saturation. Like when Sophie came onboard as the ongoing writer and artist for #101, I lightened my palette – even for the regular characters — to be more in keeping with the somber mood and lighter line weight of those early issues. I feel like I have more room for variety in the rendering style, and it does get harder or softer depending on the art style, but again, for the sake of continuity I don’t make radical changes. I frequently lean towards a simple cut film/cell shaded style because it reads clearly, and it’s efficient during those tight deadlines.
Gatecrashers: It’s the 40th anniversary of TMNT, what is your history with the franchise as a fan? Do you have a favorite character?
Ronda Pattison: I don’t have much more than an anecdotal history with the franchise prior to coming onboard for the IDW run. When TMNT hit big for the first time in the late ‘80s, I was already a teenager who had left behind comics and cartoons, and hadn’t found my way back to them yet as an adult. I first heard of them in a printmaking class when one of my much-cooler-than-me classmates was making a TMNT lithograph. When I asked her about it she basically asked if I had been living under a rock because I’d never heard of it! Then I found out my little cousin, who was 4 or 5 at the time, was a huge fan of the cartoon. I think she even had coloring books I worked on with her, with no thought of what the future would bring!
My favorite character is probably Michelangelo. I love that he’s optimistic and good–natured and fun — things I aspire to be.
Gatecrashers: What is the biggest misconception about what you do? Or what do you wish more comic fans knew about the process of coloring?
Ronda Pattison: Biggest misconception: that anyone with a copy of Photoshop can do it! Yes, the technical skills are easy enough to learn, but there is more to it than that. It takes longer to learn visual storytelling; how to use color to lead the eye to what’s important, how to create a mood, etc. And you have to be fast! It’s not uncommon to only get a week or so to turn a book around.
Gatecrashers: With four decades and various interpretations of the characters and world, what do you think makes TMNT so lasting and adaptable?
Ronda Pattison: Maybe that it has humor and heart and action, and that it can lean into any of those directions for different audiences? And that it has four distinct personalities or archetypes to relate to, so everyone finds their favorite.
Gatecrashers: If TMNT was a close friend turning 40 and they were asking for some life advice, what would you tell them?
Ronda Pattison: Well I don’t have any turtle specific advice! In general, it’s mostly cliched stuff, but I guess cliches exist for a reason! Look after your health, physical and mental. Nurture your relationships with the ones you care about. Don’t wait for “someday”. Getting old sucks. Getting old with regrets is worse.
Gatecrashers: For the last few questions, I’d like to go a little bit deeper into craft. Is there something you like to see in scripts? Anything that makes your job easier?
Ronda Pattison: A simple but universal colorist complaint: please tell us what time of day it is! Sometimes it’s obvious from the art, but not always. Really anything regarding the passage of time if it’s relevant. Is it the same day? Next day? A specific season?
Gatecrashers: For issues 106 through 108, you are credited as writing the scripts. What was that process for you like?
Ronda Pattison: Terrifying and exhilarating, and when I go back and read them, it’s like someone wrote them! My memory of the process is so fuzzy now. I know I wrote them in my car — parked of course — because it was the perfect quiet place with no distractions. Writing requires so much more focus than coloring. Sophie Campbell gave me an outline of the plot points I needed to include, and from there I tried to visualize it like a movie in my head. I wrote the dialogue first because that came easiest, then worked on the structure: how many pages per scene, how many panels per page, etc. And finally I wrote the panel descriptions for the artist. Luckily I had already read hundreds and hundreds of scripts as a colorist, so I like to think I know how to give an artist enough information, but also let them use their knowledge and skill to make the best choices.
Gatecrashers: You’ve been working on TMNT since issue 1 of the IDW era, what has kept you on the book and the franchise?
Ronda Pattison: Pragmatically, its a source of stability in the chaos that is a comic career, and freelance life in general. But it’s more than that too. I sought out this job because I knew it was going to be an important book to a lot of people. I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with people who make me feel like I’m doing something really meaningful and important to them, and that’s a great feeling. It’s become a source of pride to be associated with TMNT, and after 13 years, part of how I identify myself.
That’s all folks! Tune in next week for another interview. And if you haven’t already, be sure to check in with your comic shop and add the newly announced TMNT books to your pull list:
-TMNT Black White and Green
-TMNT Alpha one shot (the lead in to the Jason Aaron penned relaunch this summer!)
And be sure to tell us in the comments below which one you’re most excited for!
