Old Man Jack, Uncanny Avengers, Generation X and Bombshells United all out today! Woof!

A bunch of our new covers are out in stores today!

For the person who has everything on you shopping list ;-)

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1 COVER Step by Step PART THREE Final Color

Here's a look of how I made the cover for Big Trouble in Little China #1 -

out now from Boom! Studios!

Here's how I wrapped up the colors…

I knew all along I wanted some stylized imagery in the piece and I pictured dragons. So I made this image of a dragon (based off a photo I took of the dragon statues at Chinatown, SF) and manipulated it into this pattern.

I then turned that dragon pattern into a horizontal and vertical pattern and layer into the composition and alter the color appropriately.

This is how it looks with the lineart layer turned on.

and with the colors layers turned on.

The solicited version - not exactly what I wanted but time was up!

Now that I have a little more time I begin adding more reds to the background buildings to help separate. I also start working a little more on the silhouetted fighting men at the bottom.

I add in the famous tank top!

Finally, cast some more shadows from Jack onto Wildman for depth for the final art.

That's it - the final printed version looks just like this as they printed sans text - which had I known that I would have composed it slightly different…

TD

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1 COVER Step by Step PART TWO Initial Color

Here's a look of how I made the cover for Big Trouble in Little China #1 -

out now from Boom! Studios!

Now the color...

The first stage of coloring is to have the art "flatted".

Flatting allows me to choose an area to color at any point throughout the coloring process.

My initial flats very simple this as ...

I'm going for a different approach then normal. I'm coloring my pencils instead of a

 traditional inked black and white piece.

I'm going for a Drew Struzan movie poster look so I do a quick airbrush lay in of colors not 

worrying about the colors bleeding - in fact this gives the art the look I'm going for.

This also sets up the imprimatura halftones for the art.

This is done in Photoshop CS3 with a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet. 

Next I start doing some rendering of form on Jack Burton using the Pencil tool at 100% to hit the shadows.

Crusing right along and add greens to the sky and begin more rending on Jack, the Wildman, the lights and the foggy background. Still mostly using the Pencil tool here at varying opacities and the Lasso/Gradient on the sky and the fog.

  

Starting adding more red's to the BG and really rendering the Wildman more.

I also begin to colorize the lineart - note the lines on Jack's right arm…

Detail of this stage...

Next time - the final coloring including some screen shots of how I set up my layers…

TD

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1 COVER Step by Step PART ONE Lineart

Here's a look of how I made the cover for Big Trouble in Little China #1 -

out now from Boom! Studios!

I'm a big fan of this film so was thrilled to do the covers.

This story takes place RIGHT after the movie so there are a lot of similar elements involved.

My initial cover sketches I sent to Editor Bryce Carlson at Boom! for approval.

Sketches were 

drawn at 2x3 inches in my sketchbook in pencil and Pitt/Pigma pens and Copic Grey Markers and then cleaned up and colored in Photoshop.

A was chosen...

 My  initial pencils, drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12 x 18 Bristol Board.

Tweaked Jack's expression.

Tweaked Jack's face a little more and started added "blacks" to the WILDMAN.

Found photo ref for Chinatown and the Pork Chop Express.

Nailing down the BG details.

Added in the fighting men element.

Final pencils cleaned and darkened a bit in Photoshop.

All prepared for color …

Yep, shooting this directly from pencils to keep a bit more in the spirit of the DREW movie poster as opposed to the comic book art.

This is a technique I used for coloring SONGES/MUSE.

Next time…

COLOR

TD