By Zack Quaintance — We’re now two weeks away from the end date for our campaign, and to commemorate how far we’ve come, the blog is taking a break from candid lessons learned to feature one of my collaborators on Next Door, colorist Ellie Wright. I recently told this story on the Watching Comics Podcast, but when artist Pat Skott and I decided to expand this project from the black-and-white 5-page short that it started out as, we separately made lists of colorists whose work we thought would best fit our tone and aesthetic.

When we shared these lists, we both had Ellie right at the top. Her work on a wide range of books — from Bettie Paige to Cult Classic — does such a great job of bringing people to life, whether it be in kinetic, action-heavy scenes or more grounded settings like our book. Ellie also has a warmth to her coloring that was perfect for both the domesticity in our story as well as the sense of impending chaos we were aiming to achieve. Simply put, we’re thrilled to be working with Ellie on Next Door.

Ellie and I recently chatted about the path she took to coloring comics, her work on Next Door, and more…check it out!

Kickstarter Comics Tips - Ellie Wright Interview

ZACK QUAINTANCE: So, can I start by asking how you got into coloring comics?

ELLIE WRIGHT: I used to read comics when I was younger, I loved Beano and Dandy. I stopped reading comics as the years went on, but went back to college to study graphic design in my mid twenties. It's here when my love for comics returned. I learned aspects of coloring/digital painting and special effects, and I was hooked!

QUAINTANCE: What was the process of learning the craft within comics like for you?

WRIGHT: Honestly it was trial and error. I would spend hours and hours learning form books/Internet videos. Jordie Bellaire was teaching a coloring workshop back in 2016 in Dublin, and you had to submit your coloring portfolio of work to try to get a place in the workshop. I was lucky enough to be selected and was taught different methods of coloring. I learned so many aspects about the comics industry, not just coloring, which helped and motivated me tremendously to learn and improve more!

QUAINTANCE: I’ve been a fan of your work for a few years, and I’ve been impressed with the range of books you’ve worked on, from James Bond to The Black Ghost to Vault Comics’ titles like Cult Classic. What do you look for in a project and what kind of stories do you like to work on?

WRIGHT: I love good charterer development, and I really enjoy seeing a unique story being told. I also love to feel the atmosphere when I read a script. We all love switching off when we read, so the story has to bring you to a different place. When I first read some of the Next Door script I needed to read more. I could feel I was living next door to these neighbors, and I was in the same world with them.

QUAINTANCE: One thing I’ve really been enjoying is seeing Pat’s pages come back with your color work over them. Can you talk about how you’ve approached those pages? They’re sooo good!

WRIGHT: Pat’s art is simply wonderful. To be honest, I didn't want to overload the page with color and textures. I wanted the art to really tell the story. I've used a retro style color palette and focused on that suburban living feeling in which the story is being told in.

QUAINTANCE: Finally, I’m asking the whole team this one...have you ever had a really bad experience with moving or with a neighbor?

WRIGHT: Absolutely! Who hasn't! I've been renting places for the past decade! and have had noisy neighbors and too nosey neighbors! :)

Back Next Door on Kickstarter now!

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.