Songes Tome 2 Célia Cover Step by Step Part 3 Color

The final art for the Songes T2 Cover. 

Part 3 

COLOR

So this is the line art ready for color

INITIAL ROUGH IN

Coloring is done in Photoshop CS3 using an Intous Tablet.

Figures nailed down

I created a Klimt-esque background for the Arabian scene that I dropped in at the bottom...

Polishing

-reflection of sky on water

-lilies

-more depth on selecting figures

Final Color

- add light coming through the umbrella


-more detail to background brush

--next level of detail on the water reflection

-refine lily pads

 

- mostly the sky reflecting over the figures

-drew in more "grasses" in  foreground and background

PART 1

FALSE START

PART 2

REVISED LINE ART

TD

Songes Tome 2 Célia Cover Step by Step Part 2 Revised Line Art

The final art for the Songes T2 Cover. And here's a look at how I made the line art for it!

So, after rejecting the first version of the cover as discussed in PART ONE, I decided to make some changes and corrections to the line art.

The first thing I did was to firm up the characters in the reflection.

Next, I redrew the boy.

Then I redrew Coraline's face/hair and corrected bits of the drawing overall.

Most importantly, making sure she caught YOUR eye!

The art was then scanned and cleaned in Photoshop.

So, now I reassembled it all in Photoshop and added in the background digitally - just to give myself something to work off of.

And upside down without all the lilies and background.

The art is converted from Grayscale to Bitmap  (I discuss how I scan and prepare my art for Photoshop ...)

HERE

Next time in Part 3, 

COLORS!

PART 1

FALSE START

TD

Songes Tome 2 Célia Cover Step by Step Part 1 False Start

So, this is the final art for the Songes T2 Cover. And here's a look at the cover that wasn't.

So, sometimes you draw a cover and know all along it isn't right - here's a look at how that happened!

Here's my initial rough pencils for the Songes T2 cover - I tested the art in the cover template to see how we were doing...

Next, I nailed down the reflection....

Line Art

The lily pads were drawn on a separate piece of paper and dropped in digitally.

Artwork was drawn on 13" x 19" bristol board with HB Lead pencil.

Flats

Coloring is done in Photoshop CS3 using an Intous Tablet.

Something is nagging at me about this piece at this point...

Initial colors

One note, this was needed really quickly for solicitation and I think at this point I realized I was going to need a HECK of a lot more time to do this properly.

That nagging is getting stronger and stronger...

Final colors

At this point, I find the nagging problem -   the main figure is NOT looking at the camera... and what I drew is not necessarily wrong but it's just not pulling the viewer in.

Oh, well, the commercial world waits and I will have to fix this problem down the road, as in Bande Dessinée world, it takes a LONGTEMPS before the books ship.

C'est la vie!

Next time, a look at how I made the ACTUAL cover...

Part Two

LINE ART

TD

Coraline Sketch Step by Step

Here's a look at how I made this Coraline sketch....

Drawn on 14 x 17 Strathmore 2ply Vellum Bristol Board.

Roughed in very quickly with a Col Erase Light Blue Pencil.

THIS is 90% done...

If it isn't happening here, it isn't happening.

Since I'm happy with the composition and the proportions I go ahead and nail down the face.

Next, I work on the rest of the figure.

Next, I work on the hands.

Clothing gets figured out...

Working out background

Happy with this now, just need to clean up and do final touches..

The final touches via video

Detail of the Final

TD

Rose City Step by Step

A little behind the scenes look at how I made the Rose City artwork.

My initial sketches - knew in general EXACTLY what I was going for - but not SPECIFICS. I would let the drawing dictate!

 

I started off working full-size, 12 x 18 2 ply Bristol Board, using Light Blue and HB Lead. Nailed the figure and personality, knowing everything was there to set her up.

I roughed in the roses for compositon and design puroposed then found tons of Rose pics to make sure they were accurate. Went for a Heavy Mucha Dead Line on the roses with a thin interior line so they are more decorative than realistic.

Roughed in the rest of the BG details then found reference for the iconic Portland images that existed in the early 20th century - Mt Hood, the Steel Bridge, and Union Station.

The final pencil art

Face detail.

Rachel Dodson's inked the art using #2 Windsor Newton Series 7 Sable Brush and Higgins Black Magic ink. Rachel always starts with face when it is at it's highest level of clarity/.

Face detail.

She then works backwards in depth - all brush.

Detail

Know the flowers.

Final inked line art.

First step in color is to create a flat layer - this is saved as a separate channel that I can select any area later on that I want to recolor or change.

Quick first stab at coloring - went with a muted old travel poster look. Used simple tools in Photoshop at this point just Pencil tool and a few gradients on the sky and foreground for a variety.

Next layer of depth in coloring and I begin to alter the lineart into color.

Face detail.

Final colors!

Here's my hand lettering I did on tracing paper... print size with a B pitt pen.

and then scan and drop over the print template.

I color and clean the lettering and then drop on top of the art and adjust as necessary.

This print debuts at Rose City Comic Con, Portland, OR, September 21 and 22.

 I will be at Flesk Publications Booth 733 both Saturday and Sunday.

TD