New Avengers #7 Wolverine House of M Variant Cover Step by Step

Here's how New Avengers #7 Wolverine House of M Variant Cover Step by Step was created.

This comes out next week,  June 12, 2013from Marvel Comics.

First step, I do cover roughs in my 11 x 14 Canson Sketchbook using Col Erase Light Blue Pencil, Pigma Micron and Copic Warm Grey Pens.

Then I scan these in and clean up and color in Photoshop. These are then sent to my editor at Marvel , George Beliard for approval.

Sketch A was approved so I commence on the cover full size - 13 x 19 Bristol Board - drawing with Col Erase Light Blue and Staedtler HB Lead pencils.

I adjust Scarlet Witch's face angle for more "attitude".

I then go to the next level of filling out the volumes and spotting the shadows.

I'm happy with the drawing so I begin tightening everything up for the inking stage. And began messing around with SW's legs - seem to short.

The final version of the pencils - SW feet are now the same length down the figure but I have made the feet themselves smaller - problem solved.

Rachel Dodson then inks the piece, she always starts by "masking off" the area she isn't inking so it doesn't get rubbed or dirty. She usually starts with the faces, for a similar reason - while the pencil line art is at it's highest point of clarity.

Rachel also moves foreground to background.

Rachel's inks this with a Windsor Newton Series 7 #2 Kolinisky Sable Brush and Higgins Black Magic Ink.

 Final ink art after scanning and cleaning in Photoshop and converting to a Bitmap.

The first step in color is to have the art "flatted" so I can select individual pieces of art at any point in the process - especially useful at later stages if I decide to "change" the background, etc.

I use Photoshop CS3 and a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet.

I lay in my initial colors knowing pretty well what I want (which is always nice). 

I start everything off in a medium value of the color. Then begin rendering by adding darker values first at 100% color.

I did the background on a separate layer and adjust the opacity and color throughout the process.

Begin adding lights and refining and cleaning up the colors I laid in.

 I begin coloring the lineart and special FX.

My final colors.