CATWOMAN #31 Cover - Step by Step PART 2 INKS

Here's a look of how the cover to Catwoman 31 was made…

Inks by Rachel Dodson

Rachel's initial inks on the cover.

Rachel started with eyes and faces of all the characters so the pencils wouldn't smear.

She then moved onto the figures.

Rachel uses Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic Ink to ink the covers with.

Final inks

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Next up  - COLORS!

Cover is out in stores now...

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

And digitally at Comixology 

https://www.comixology.com/Catwoman-2011-31/digital-comic/100532

Enjoy!

TD

CATWOMAN #31 Cover - Step by Step PART 1 Pencils

Here's a look of how the cover to Catwoman 31 was made…

The ideas for this cover was to continue the  "Race of Thieves" - something that plays up Glider and Mirror Master against Catwoman.

These are my initial cover sketches I sent to Editor Rachel Gluckstern at DC Comics for approval.

They 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.

Rachel liked these but felt we needed something with more tension not so playful so...

I came up with these and "D" was chosen.

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

Tightening things up... 

The final pencils… I added some paper to the top as there was concern whether Catwoman's face would be seen because  of the logo but we keep with the initial composition.

Detail

Next up  - Rachel Dodson inks!

The cover is out now!

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

And digitally at Comixology 

https://www.comixology.com/Catwoman-2011-31/digital-comic/100532

Enjoy!

TD

3 X-Men books out this week!

Wow, must be a movie coming out or something … 2 covers and 1 X-Men collection coming out this week from Rachel and I.

X-MEN MUERTAS

X-MEN 14 Cover

UNCANNY X-MEN 21 Variant Cover

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

And digitally at Comixology 

https://www.comixology.com/X-Men-2013-14/digital-comic/100173

https://www.comixology.com/Uncanny-X-Men-2013-21/digital-comic/100158

TD

Uncanny X-Men 21 Variant Cover - Step by Step - PART 2 Color

Here's a look behind the making of the Variant Cover to Uncanny X-Men #21 featuring Emma Frost, Magik, and Cyclops

(out in stores now from Marvel Comics by Brian Bendis and Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend).

After scanning and cleaning Rachel Dodson's inks in Photoshop - we move on to 

THE COLORS

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 - which is really helpful when you've almost finished coloring the art and realize the sky is supposed to blue not green etc.

I go in and adjust and correct the flats - especially for things like amount of blacks in color and a lot of the time I just lay a flat color over the whole thing like an orange or a blue to make it a harmonized color palette.

My initial rough in of the colors, done in Photoshop CS3 with a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet. 

Revising colors and add in the red "X"

I begin turning the black lineart into color lineart and special fx.

 

Finally I redden up the X.

Detail fo Magik.

And the actual printed comic...

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

And digitally at Comixology 

https://www.comixology.com/Uncanny-X-Men-2013-21/digital-comic/100158

Enjoy!

TD

Uncanny X-Men 21 Variant Cover - Step by Step - PART 1 Lineart

Here's a look behind the making of the Variant Cover to Uncanny X-Men #21 featuring Emma Frost, Magik, and Cyclops

(out in stores now from Marvel Comics by Brian Bendis and Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend).

This is the creation of the lineart stage.

The first step is the cover sketch,

As this is a variant cover, I was given the simple dictate of drawing Emma Frost, Magik, and Cyclops.

SO I came up with a couple different ideas in my sketchbook - they 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.

I sent in the cover sketches to the George Beliard and Mike Marts at Marvel. 

Sketch A was chosen..

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

After roughing in the characters, I drew from the top left to the bottom right to avoid smearing the art.

The final pencils then given to...

Rachel Dodson's initial inks on the cover.

Moving along on Magik...

Rachel uses Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic ink to ink the covers with.

Detail on Magik's face

Working on Cyclops

Detail on Cyclops

Finished inks

Next step, color!

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

And digitally at Comixology 

https://www.comixology.com/Uncanny-X-Men-2013-21/digital-comic/100158

Enjoy!

TD

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live Kansas City May 2014 RECAP 2 Harley Quinn

Kinda fun thing to show - I did a quick Harley Quinn sketch on a jam piece and I had one of the guys at the table just take some photos while I did it - ended up being a cool little time lapse (thanks for that!).

Rough in with a Col Erase Scarlet Red Pencil.

That's an amazing Steve Rude Batman I'm messing up...

Roughing in values with Copic Warm Grey 2 Marker.

Defining the drawing with a ZIG Mangaka Flexible Pen.

I like the fistful of drawing implements...

Pigma Graphics 1 Pen

Harley!

More to come…

TD

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live Kansas City May 2014 RECAP 1 Wonder Woman

Had a great time at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live Kansas City May 2014.

Here's a look at how I made one of the few sketches I actually had time to do there!

Rough in of sketch.

Light Blue and HB Lead on 11 x 14 Strathmore Bristol.

Using Copic Warm Greys 1-4 to rough in the values.

I rarely work on white paper for my con sketches so it always takes a second to remember how the grey Copics will act...

Used Copic Warm Greys 6 and 8 for the darker values. .8 Micron for outline plus  CWG 8.

Used a little Pro White for the highlights.

Black was Copic Black.

Details of sketch.

More to come!

TD