Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 Cover Step by Step Part 3 Color

Our variant cover for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 from Marvel Comics

Check out how we made it.

COLOR

FLATS

The first stage of color is called flats - flatting allows me to choose an area to color at any point throughout the coloring process.

I try to adjust the colors to their medium value or imprimatura - I use this as the starting point for the piece. 

INITIAL COLOR (ROUGH IN)

I colored this on my Cintiq 22 HD using Photoshop CS3 .

Here I rough in quickly all the medium lights and darks on the figures and cast initial shadows.

Using the Pencil Tool at 100% to knock those in.

I also used the Gradient tool to give the light to dark orange glow.

And a Custom Cloud Brush to rough in shapes in the background.

ADDITIONAL ROUGH IN

I went on the rest of the figure and face and knocked the next lights and darks using the pencils tooling at 70-80%.

I go to the next level of darker darks and lighter lights

COLORING THE LINE ART

This is the icing on the cake step of the process.

I turn the black lines in select places to color line - note Jyn's face and the buildings in the background.

FINAL COLOR

And done!

And for PART 1

PENCILS

PART 2

LINE ART

TD

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 Cover Step by Step Part 2 Line Art

Our variant cover for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 from Marvel Comics

Check out how we made it.

RACHEL'S INKS

Rachel Dodson inks directly over my original pencil drawing.

Rachel inks with a Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Dr. Martens Hi Carb Ink.

At this point, I grabbed the art and finished up the pencils for Rachel...

And then...

Rachel's finished the inks.

K-2SO Detail 

Yay!

Check out the variety of grey Rachel creates -

 this is why I haven't gone fully digital!

Jyn Details 

All Brush

Artwork is scanned into Photoshop at 800dpi Gray full size. I then go in and convert to Bitmap and clean to prepare for....

Next time, 

PART 3

COLOR 

And for PART 1

PENCILS

TD

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live April 21-23, Kansas City Convention Center

SPECTRUM FANTASTIC ART LIVE

I will be at SFAL this weekend, April 21-23.

There is an unbelievable guest list - just at the Flesk Publications booth where I'm sitting -

Brom 

Lauri Lee Brom

Frank Cho

JAW Cooper

Gary Gianni

James Gurney

Aaron Lopresti

Ian McCaig

Richard & Wendi Pini

Terry Whitlach

WHERE/WHEN

I will be seated at the Flesk Booth.

I will be at the table at most of the show but I will update via Twitter more exact schedule.

twitter.com/TerryDodsonArt

@TerryDodsonArt

SIGNING

I will be signing books/comics/statues/etc at my table the whole show and for free for the first 10 items. Then $1 a signature after that.

Guest Signing Flesk Booth Saturday 3:00pm-3:50pm

PANEL

Comics: Choices Sunday 10:30am-11:20am

COMMISSION SKETCHES

I will take sketch requests all day Friday.

I will write down all names however I will be choosing myself who's sketch I'm drawing and if you had a sketch recently I won't be doing you a sketch so I can try to get sketches down for fans who I haven't done sketches for.

Sketches are $300 for 9" x 12" and $200 for Blank Sketch Covers. 

For more info visit -

SPECTRUM

See you there!

TD

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 Cover Step by Step Part 1 Pencils

Our variant cover for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1 from Marvel Comics

I had been pestering my Star Wars editor, Heather Antos, about doing a Rogue One ever since the trailer came out last April - and so, in December, I was offered this!

Check out how we made it.

COVER SKETCH

The cover concept I sent into Marvel Comics Editors Heather Antos and Jordan White and Lucasfilm for approval.

Roughs were drawn at 2" x 3" in my sketchbook using Warm Grey Copics then colored in Photoshop CS3.

INITIAL PENCILS

Drawn in Light Blue on 12" x 18" Bristol Board 

Quickly roughed in the drawing making sure the composition still help.

I printed out my rough in light blue on the paper to ensure the composition was positioned correctly.

Detail of Jyn Erso as portrayed by actress Felicity Jones. 

I was familiar with Felicity from previous work so I knew what her face looked like, which is always a big help doing likenesses!

Believe it or not, I was pretty happy with everything in the drawing and so I just began to finish the pencils.

Detail 

Not exactly typical way of working but as I wasn't familiar with the costume details of any of these characters.  I basically just worked my way down the character solving problems as I went.

I was happy with the Jyn's face from the start so really didn't do much more with it...

Still finalizing all the correct costume details...

I widened Jyn's stance a bit for a more Marvel Superhero-y look for the cover.

Added shadows.

Now with the Jyn done, I could really cruise on the finishes of the blocked in version of the other characters - "objects" - as everything is so mechanical for the rest of the cover...

FINAL PENCILS

...I had models of Stormtroopers, the Gun, and K2SO I used to reference to get depth/perspective/volumes correct and then used photos to get the color, accuracy and feel right.

And this is what Rachel was handed off - the backgrounds would be completed by me later...

And the scan of the pencils....

Next time, 

PART 2

INKS 

TD

Storm Inhumans Vs X-Men #6 Cover Step by Step Part 3 Colors

Here's the Inhumans Vs X-Men #6 Variant Cover featuring everyone's favorite Mohawked Goddess, Ororo Munroe ..... STORM!

By Rachel Dodson and Me.

Out now from Marvel Comics.

Now for Part 3 of the Step by Step making of the cover art -

FLATS

The first stage of color is called flats - flatting allows me to choose an area to color at any point throughout the coloring process.

I try to adjust the colors to their medium value or imprimatura - I use this as the starting point for the piece. 

BACKGROUND 

Creating the background with 7 different colors in 6 color rows...

INITIAL COLOR (ROUGH IN)

I colored this on my Cintiq 22 HD using Photoshop CS3 .

Here I rough in quickly all the medium lights and darks on the figures and cast initial shadows.

Using the Pencil Tool at 100% to knock those in.

ADDITIONAL ROUGH IN

I went on the rest of the figure and face and knocked the next lights and darks using the pencils tooling at 70-80%.

I go to the next level of darker darks and lighter lights

COLORING THE LINE ART

FINAL ART

And DONE!

And for PART 1

PENCILS

And PART 2

LINE ART

TD

Rogue One #1 Variant Cover Out Tomorrow

Out in stores tomorrow, our variant cover for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #1, by Rachel and me, from Marvel comics.

Detail.

Step by Step making of coming soon!

TD