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

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Mandripoor #4 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 2 Line Art

Our variant cover  - out now from Marvel Comics!

Check Out how we made it

Part 2 Line Art

Rachel Dodson's initial start on the line art on this cover.

Rachel inks directly over my pencils.

TOOLS

Rachel inks with a Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Royal Talens India Ink.

All done with a brush

I  love how Rachel creates "grey".

FINAL LINE ART

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

COLOR

Next time in

PART 3

And

PART 1

PENCILS

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Mandripoor #4 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 1 Pencils

Our variant cover  - out now from Marvel Comics!

Check out how we made it.

COVER SKETCH

The cover concept I sent into Marvel Comics for approval.

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

INITIAL PENCILS

Drawn on 13" x 19" Strathmore 400 Series 2 Ply Vellum Bristol Board 

TOOLS

Col Erase Light Blue Pencils

Staedtler HB lead.

Pentil Eraser

Kneaded Eraser

Staedtler Pencil Sharpener

Staedtler White Eraser

Here's a quick look at the drawing of this cover, step by step!

So, first one was too stiff so switched up to this!

Much better, so nailing down the figure as I work ... down.

Fixing that leg.

Now I have to make Psylocke fits on the cover after adjusting the first pose...

Detailing and will add more of Pyslocke digitally...

Powers...

FINAL PENCILS

Detail of Final

Next time, 

PART 2

LINE ART

TD

Death of Wolverine #1 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 2 COLOR

This is how we made the variant cover to Death of Wolverine #1 Cover art.

And so the colors…

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

Initial rough in 

of the colors - getting the midtone values/colors of the characters in and the Gradient Tool for the Background

Just using a big pencil and a little lasso and gradient to move to the next layer of color.

As I get closer to getting the coloring where I want it - I begin converting the lineart to color lines.

Final touches include more texture into the Background face.

Detail of Jubilee

Detail of Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey

Print 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/Death-of-Wolverine-1-of-4/digital-comic/135396?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9saXN0L0lzc3Vlcw

TD

Death of Wolverine #1 Variant Cover Step by Step Part 1 LINEART

This is how we made the variant cover to Death of Wolverine #1 Cover art.

The idea behind this cover was "the women of Wolverine" - which ended up featuring Jean Grey, Storm, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde and Mariko - tried to squeeze in a few more but just too busy for me...

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

After getting appr0val from Marvel Editor George Beliard and Mike Marts I moved on to pencils...

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

Detail of Wolverine.

Rachel Dodson inks

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

Detail of Rachel's inks...

Then scan and clean in Photoshop

Next Time...

COLORS!

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/Death-of-Wolverine-1-of-4/digital-comic/135396?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9saXN0L0lzc3Vlcw

TD

INFINITY #6 Hero Cover Step by Step

Here's  a step by step making of the "Hero" Variant cover of Infinity #6, shipping in October from Marvel Comics - for more info -

http://marvel.com/comics/events/315/infinity

http://marvel.com/news/story/21017/take_an_exclusive_first_look_at_the_end_of_infinity

On with the show -

I do cover roughs in my 11 x 14 Canson Sketchbook using Col Erase Light Blue Pencil, Pigma Micron and Copic Warm Grey Pens.

Then I scan these in and clean up and color in Photoshop.

These are the prelim sketches I did for approval by my Marvel editor, Lauren Sankovitch. I needed to show 9 different heroes and so went with a movie poster style cover.

They went with A.

Here's my work in progress pencils - drawn on 12 x 18 Bristol Board with Col Erase Light Blue and HB Pencil.

                                                                                    Final pencils.

Rachel Dodson inks done with Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic ink.

After the inks were scanned and cleaned in Photoshop - I decided to go ahead and color without the use of flats

 (see my previous Step by Steps for more about flats - http://thebombshellter.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-avengers-7-wolverine-house-of-m.html )

just "paint" directly - I use Photoshop CS3 and a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet.

How it looks with the Line Art on.

More refining,

Start getting colors on to all the elements.

Finalizing rendering.

Ends up looking like this with the Line Art on and I begin working on FX on the Lineart itself.

I finish up SFX and smooth out fleshtones and coloring the lineart.

The final art.

TD