Justice League vs Suicide Squad #2 Cover Step by Step Part 3 Color

Our variant cover - out in stores now!

Now Part 3, 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 go through and adjust over the colors to the correct palette and midtones.

Initial Rough In

I colored this on my Cintiq 13 HD using Photoshop CS3 .

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

Coloring Line Art

At this point I like to color the line art... especially the interior edges and the edges facing the strongest light. 

Add lighter lights to Enchantress's green (from her green glows)

Superman up close!

Final Color

Worked on Supes cape, cleaning the rendering on it - using Lasso and dropping in a flat color at a lower %.

Adding some Leyendecker-esque rendering to smooth out highlights.

See Part 1

Pencils

And Part 2

Line Art

TD

Justice League vs Suicide Squad #2 Cover Step by Step Part 2 Line Art

Our variant cover - out in stores now!

                              Here's a look at how we made it!

                                                   Part 2 Line Art

Rachel Dodson started with Superman's face first.

I love how she treated his hair!

Next she moved on to Enchantress' face.

Rachel inks over my pencils with a Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Dr. Martens Hi Carb Ink to ink the covers with.

She then inked the mass of the main figures.

Detail

No white out just drawing with blacks...

Here's video of Rachel inking the cape and Superman!

Final Inks

Detail of Supe and check out the grey in the capes shadows...

Final detail of Enchantress

I then clean up the scan in Photoshop to prep for coloring...

Next time-

Part 3

Color

And to see Part 1

Pencils

TD

Justice League vs Suicide Squad #2 Cover Step by Step Part 1 Pencils

Our variant cover - out in stores now!

Here's a look at how we made it!

Part 1 

Pencils

Cover Sketch

My initial sketches for the cover submitted to DC Comics.

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

Initial Pencils

Quick rough in drawn in Light Blue and HB lead on 12" x 18" Bristol Board .

Initial Detail

Initial Detail

Intermediate Stage Pencils

Refining drawing.

Finishing Superman

Detail Enchantress

Almost done.

Detail

Final Pencils

Super Detail

Enchantress Detail

Next time-

Part 2 

Line Art

TD

X-MEN #9 Cover Step by Step

Here's a look behind how the cover of X-MEN #9 was created - out in stores this week from MARVEL COMICS - written by Brian Wood with art by me, Rachel Dodson, Jason Keith .

The first step is to send in cover sketches to X-MEN Editor Jeanine Schaeffer. Here we have X-Men's Psylocke versus THE SISTERHOOD.

C2 was the winner.

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

Detail of my pencils…

Rachel Dodson's inks with  a Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic ink, plus a little tech pen and croquille for the straight lines.

Details of Rachel's inks.

The art is then scanned and cleaned in Photoshop and then we go to color...

My initial colors...

and my final - can you see the differences? Enlarge and compare…

Detail of my colors...

 I use Photoshop CS3 with a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet to color.

TD

Enchantress Big Wow 2013

Not sure if I have drawn a sketch of the Enchantress before -this is from this past weekend's Big Wow! Comics Fest in San Jose, California (May 18-19). 

Actually drew this in the Marriott Hotel lobby with Aaron Lopresti and Rachel.

Drawn on 11" x 17 " Canson Bristol Board with Scarlet Red Col Erase, Pigma Pens, Warm Grey Copic Pens.

TD