Question - Do 'flatters' get credit?

[F!]

Flatters aren't entitled to a credit per se, as it's a non-creative role that's viewed more like production work, and one that's at the colorist's instigation and expense. Publishers are often unaware whether the colorist has used a flatter. Since colorists generally ask for their flats in grays so the flatter's color choices don't influence their own, there's usually nothing of the flatter's contribution ends up on the final printed page. However, some colorists are gracious enough to ask that their flatters be credited, often as coloring assistants or some such.

If you're concerned that the artist is exaggerating his resumé, you can only contact the colorists themselves to verify. However, they can use multiple flatters per book. It may be asking a lot of them to go and check back several years just to satisfy your curiosity about this, you know? If they're using flatters to begin with, their time is limited.

[Mase]

Flatters are primarily a time-saving device...everytime I've worked with flatters I've had to redo most of the color choices anyway. I wouldn't bother with trying to verify this guys resume - even if he did do the flats, depending on the color style, very little of the final product can be traced back to him.

[amadarwin]

everytime I've worked with flatters I've had to redo most of the color choices anyway.

Not to derail, but isn't that the point? AFAIK Flatters are only supposed to separate objects to make it easy for the colorist to select, fill and diddle to their hearts content. Flatters don't usually dictate the colors or mood on the page, or else they'd be colorists...

When I dabbled in it, I'd flat with neon like colors (unless otherwise instructed) so that the colorist would be able to see what, if anything, he missed as he worked a page.

[Mase]

What you're describing I would categorize as "Separations" (which might not be right, either). For flats, I expect things to be their actual color under neutral light - the colorist goes in and adds form, shading, mood, lighting, etc.

[Smitty]

Separations compare to Alpha Channels or printing plates where CMYK have been separated from one another. Flats are CMY combined into a single channel.

[Symson]

What you're describing I would categorize as "Separations" (which might not be right, either). For flats, I expect things to be their actual color under neutral light - the colorist goes in and adds form, shading, mood, lighting, etc.

Flatters don't normally make things the actual color.

[amadarwin]

Flatters don't normally make things the actual color.

right, or they should get a bigger chunk of the colorist's cut, imo. After all, if you're going to give them free reign over the palette, they're more of THE colorist in job description than you are...

[Guru_George]

I've known a few colorist that started out as flatters and worked there way up. Flatters do need much more credit then is give to them in these times.

[Dash Martin]

When I flatted for Hi-Fi, we had a specific color palette we used and sometimes book specific palettes. Makes coloring go a lot quicker when they don't have to go through and change all the colors before getting started.

As for flatter credit...sometimes. When I colored some Image books and other indies, I would usually get my flatters a color assist credit. It's only fair for doing the most mundane part.

I'm betting this guy worked on these books, but didn't get credit. I did flats on a few issues of Filth (THE most difficult project I've ever flatted) for Hi-Fi, so it's possible he was also a flatter on that series.