Making the Count Chocula Box Art

Here's how we made the Box Art for Count Chocula cereal - out in stores now ;-)

I worked with Alex Antone at DC Entertainment in conjuction with General Mills to do this assignment and what an assignment it was, drawing something from my childhood!

The sketches are drawn at 2x3 inches in my sketchbook in pencil and pen and then cleaned up and colored in Photoshop.

Sketch D was chosen.

The rough used to figure out the proportions and lettering done in Photoshop.

I drew the art on two layers so that the background could be placed where best suited.

Pencils drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12 x 18 Bristol Board.

There have been a variety of Count Chocula's throughout the years and I made my own version picking out my favorite bits.

Pencils  drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12 x 18 Bristol Board.

Here's how the pencil art looked combined (in Photoshop).

Rachel Dodson's inks of the background.

This ended up being the background used on the Booberry and Frankenberry Box Art as well.

Rachel's inks on Count Chocula.

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

Combined in Photoshop for reference.

Colors by Dave McCaig

And the final product… mmmmm!

TD

Avengers & X-Men: Axis #5 Preview

Here's some images from our newest work - Axis #5 - by Rick Remender, Rachel and I, and Laura Martin - out November 12.

For a complete preview visit-

http://marvel.com/news/comics/23490/submit_to_inversion_your_first_look_at_avengers_x-men_axis_5

TD

Belle Sketch - Step by Step

Here's a look at how I made this sketch-

The sketch is drawn on 11 x16 Canson Mi-Teinte Paper.  I start off with Col Erase Scarlet Red Pencil for an initial rough in and then use a Pigma 02 Pen to nail down face details.

More drawing with the Pen

Once the drawing is set, I begin using Copic Warm Grey 1 and 2 to nail down the values.

Now Copic Warm Grey 3 and 4 to push the values on Belle and then use Copic Cold Grey 1 and 2 on the metallic elements.

The final touches.

Copic Cool Grey 3 and 5 and White Prismacolor Highlights on the metal.

White Prismacolor Highlights and Col Erase Scarlet Red on the flesh.

Copic Warm Grey 5 to hit the darker values.

Faber Castell Pitt Black F to refine the line art.

The final art.

Detail 1

Detail 2

TD

Wonder Woman #34 SELFIE Variant Making of … PART TWO COLOR

How we made the SELFIE Variant Cover to Wonder Woman #34 (out now from DC Comics by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang).

And so the colors…

I use  Photoshop CS3 and Wacom Cintiq 13HD to color with.

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

Initial rough in color of the colors - just using a big pencil 100% and a little lasso and gradient.

Start adding volumes to the characters and adjust the background colors.

When I'm comfortable with the colors I go in and adjust the lineart - from black to whatever is the appropriate color I want it to be.

The final colors.

Art director Mark Chiarello suggested the outdoor sky for more "pop".

Details

The printed version

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

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

And digitally at 

https://www.comixology.com/Wonder-Woman-2011-34/digital-comic/130411

TD

Wonder Woman #34 SELFIE Variant Making of ...

How we made the SELFIE Variant Cover to Wonder Woman #34 (out now from DC Comics by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang).

As usual we start off with the cover sketches - obviously this is WW taking a selfie of herself. Cover Editor Mark Chiarello suggested the dichotomy of goofy WW with a stoic Statue.

So came up with these, Mark was happy with these but just had me push the "goofy"

et voila, you get WW sticking her tongue out at the camera! A was chosen.

The sketches are drawn at 2x3 inches in my sketchbook in pencil and pen and then cleaned up and colored in Photoshop.

REFERENCE

So before I started in on this I had to draw 2 things I hadn't drawn before, a Dianaesque Statue and the New 52 Wonder Woman so to the web…

I didn't want to copy a statue so I found a bunch of different ones and made a Frankenstein'ed version.

DC sent WW ref.

To keep the proportions right on this, I enlarged my approved sketch and printed it out in blue line on my cover paper.

Pencils  drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12 x 18 Bristol Board.

This went pretty fast so no intermediate steps.

Pencils

Rachel's inks

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

Then scanned and ready for color…

Next Time...

You can find this comic at your local comic book retailer

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

And digitally at 

https://www.comixology.com/Wonder-Woman-2011-34/digital-comic/130411

TD

Elizabeth (BioShock) Sketch Step by Step

Here's a look at how I created my Elizabeth (from the Video Game BioShock) sketch from Comic Con 2014.

The sketch is drawn on 11 x16 Canson Mi-Teinte Paper.  I start off with Col Erase Scarlet Red Pencil for an initial rough in and then use a Pitt XS Pen to nail down face details.

I then begin adding value with Copic Warm Grey 1, 2 and 3.

Continuing down the sketch using the 4 and 6 Copics.

Using a thicker pen, a F and B Pitt and 05 an 08 Pigmas to recapture the drawing. Plus begin using Prismacolor White to add highlights.

I add some background details.

Final scan.

Details.

TD