Vampirella #1 Cover - Step by Step Part THREE - COLOR

Here's a look of how we created the cover to Vampirella 1…

The book is out now written by Nancy A. Collins and drawn by Patrick Berkenkotter.

Final stage, the icing, the COLORS….

Yeah, flats…

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.

At this stage I go and adjust the colors to their medium value or imprimatura - I use this as the starting point.

Knew exactly how I was going to color this so quick stage for me...

My initial rough in of the colors, done in Photoshop CS3 with my temporarily owned (I'll explain later) Wacom Cintiq 21UX. I add darker values first and then the lighter values.

Already happy with how this is going I move right into altering the lineart to color.

Initial pass.

Final pass - changes the pink background to white/yellow/green.

'

Polished the heck out of the metals and face!

Done!

Print version...

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/Vampirella-Vol-2-1-Digital-Exclusive-Edition/digital-comic/104279

Enjoy!

TD

Vampirella #1 Cover - Step by Step Part TWO - Inks

Here's a look of how we created the cover to Vampirella 1 was made…

The book is out now written by Nancy A. Collins and drawn by Patrick Berkenkotter.

Now Rachel Dodson's inks….

Rachel's initial inks on the cover.

Inking the leather boots.

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

Moving to the background. I inked the buildings in the background with a Copic Multiliner 01 pen. That's Seattle's Space Needle on the left and the Vatican on the right.

More detail on boots

The final inks

Detail of inks

Next up  - color!

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/Vampirella-Vol-2-1-Digital-Exclusive-Edition/digital-comic/104279

Enjoy!

TD

NEW COVERS

Lots of covers out recently from Rachel and I.

Out this week-

Catwoman # 32 from DC Comics

Out last week-

X-Men #15 from Marvel

and the week before-

Vampirella #1 from Dynamite 

I should be doing STEP BY STEPS for all of these.

TD

Vampirella #1 Cover - Step by Step Part ONE - Pencils

Here's a look of how we created the cover to Vampirella 1 was made…

The book is out now written by Nancy A. Collins and drawn by Patrick Berkenkotter.

These are my initial cover sketches I sent to Editor Molly Mahan at Dynamite for approval.

Did a wide variety of sketches with the final two being story specific - I was asked to combine the background of D with the character of B sketch.

These 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.

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

The final pencils… 

Darkened up in Photoshop

Detail of pencils - yep, some subtle fangs there...

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/Vampirella-Vol-2-1-Digital-Exclusive-Edition/digital-comic/104279

Enjoy!

TD

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

CATWOMAN #31 Cover - Step by Step PART 3 COLOR

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

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 red and blue of Mirror Master should really be orange and green - see below :-)

At this stage I go and adjust the colors to their medium value or imprimatura - I use this as the starting point.

My initial rough in of the colors, done in Photoshop CS3 with a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet. I add darker values first and then the lighter values.

This one moved along pretty quickly … I add the cast shadow of Catwoman - two reasons - it should be there and it really helps frame the action and composition!

I also begin turning the lineart in to colored lineart...

After I turn in the initial colors - it occured to me to add more mirror elements to pay off/clarify the mirror idea and to complete the composition.

Finally, I blur/brighten the reflection to give a little more reality to the reflection without just simply making the black lines grey or blue.

How it turned out in print!

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