Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Mandripoor #4 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 3 Color

Our variant cover  - out now from Marvel Comics!

Check Out how we made it

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.

INITIAL COLOR (ROUGH IN)

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

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

Using the Pencil Tool (Hard Round pixel Brush) at 100% to to begin and then switch to lower 30-50% to get the right value of color for the next stages of rendering.

COLORING THE LINE ART

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

RIM

I added the yellow rim light to Betsy using the Pencils tool at 30%

I colored a lot of the black lines -

notice the lips, flesh outline clothes.

FINAL

Just a lot more rendering and lighting up the background a bit.

Compare this to the previous one to see the final polishing I did!

PART 1

PENCILS

PART 2

LINE ART

TD

Cyclops Inhumans Vs X-Men #4 Cover Step by Step Part 3 Color

Inhumans Vs X-Men #4 Variant Covers featuring Scott Summers Cyclops.

By Rachel Dodson and Me.

Out now from Marvel Comics.

Now for Part 3 of the Step by Step -

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. 

BACKGROUND

First thing I did was to get the background figured out - notice the right side is not completely done but the PATTERN is figured out.

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.

 

Now, that background is looking better, I used this pattern to do it.

Adding the RED from his beam.

COLORING LINE ART

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

Fun stuff!

Almost done...

 nailing down the SFX.

FINAL COLOR

And to review-

 PART 1

PENCILS

PART 2

LINE ART

 TD

Star Wars #20 Cover "Sandtrooper" Step by Step

Here's a look at how we made the Sandtroopers Variant for the Mile High Comics Star Wars #20 cover.

The cover concepts 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.

I've alway loved these guys in Star Wars so it was a real treat to draw a cover with them!

PENCILS

Worked really fast on this one...

Wasn't happy with the gun going off screen but I really wanted it to be the big gun the main trooper carries and it is REALLY long...

so, I made it work!

Drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12" x 18" Bristol Board .

INKS

I adjusted the height of the thigh pads digitally...

Rachel Dosdson inks over my pencils with a Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic Ink.

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.

Not much mystery what I was going to do here so quick stage...

COLOR

Initial color rough in - using the main light source and the reflective source to form the trooper...

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

Starting to add detail to backgrounds....

Used a custom "cloud" brush for the clouds...

Adding darker values to Trooper to really establish him in space.

Also started rendering the shoulder pad and adding a secondary light value to the white areas.

Began converting line art to colors...

which is really effective on the suns and the detail on the white armor...

All polished and ready for show....

almost, something missing...

Dirt!

Used my custom "cloud" brush to add the dirt...

FINAL 

And the printed cover...

Very happy with how this turned out. 

It's interesting with a lot of my work now, I know how it looks in color in my head so sometimes the line art isn't really impressive because I leave things for the color stage...

Working on a series of these - so another one next month!

TD

Batman #50 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 2 Color

Here's a look at how we made the cover to Batman #50 guest starring Supergirl - this time dealing with the colors!

This was done for Midtown Comics and my DC editor was Mark Chiarello!

The book is out in stores now.

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.

Generally, I hire someone to do this for me - a "flatter".

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

I've already colored the adding Superman cover on the  left so I knew to add some more clouds and to grab some colors from that cover.

Initial color rough in

I colored this on my Cintiq 13 HD using Photoshop CS3 after I scanned the original line art.

I use a Pencil to rough in at 100% of color then use lower % to add lighter and darker values.

Detail

Next level of rendering, using the pencil tool plus the gradient tool to smooth out anything that looks odd.

 Use a Custom "Cloud" brush to rough in the background. Plus the Gradient tool to break up some of the flatter areas. 

Detail

Begin converting Lineart to Color.

Detail

Just about done...

Add some "glow" to the moon and clouds with the Gradient tool.

Here's a detail look at the colored line art.

Final colors.

The Printed cover.

TD