Star Wars Shattered Empire #1 Variant Cover Step 1 LINEART

Here's a look at how we created the Variant Cover  for Star Wars Shattered Empire #1  out now from Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm.

My initial sketches sent to Lucasfilm and Editor Heather Antos at Marvel.

I was actually happy with all these...

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

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

Changed Leia's face and started working on Lando and Nien.

Ewoks!

Finishing up 

Pencils ready for Rachel and me to ink

Detail

Detail

Inks

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

I inked the ships with a Pigma Micron 01 and 03 Pen.

Detail

Detail

Detail

Next time

 COLOR

TD

Superman Wonder Woman #20 Bombshells Variant Cover Step by Step Part 2 COLOR

Here's the 2nd part - COLOR - of how we created the Bombshells Cover for Superman and Wonder Woman #20 out now from DC Comics.

Flats

The first stage of coloring is to have the art "flatted".

Flatting allows me to choose an area to color at any point throughout the coloring process.

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.

Initial Rough In

This went pretty quick- just used the basic Pencil tool between 100% to 50% at Normal to break the initial rendering and then a little Lasso with Gradient tool to clean up.

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

Cleaning up and refinig the colors.

Coloring

Starting to turn the lineart to color lines and more value to the Fleshes to "beef up" the drawings.

Final colors with SFX

And how the cover looked when "Bombshell"-ed by DC Creative for publication.

PART 1

LINEART

TD

Superman Wonder Woman #20 Bombshells Variant Cover Step by Step Part 1 LINEART

Here's a look at how we created the Bombshells Cover for Superman and Wonder Woman #20 out now from DC Comics.

My initial sketches sent to DC Comics.

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

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

Final pencils

Inks

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

PART 2

COLOR 

TD

New York Comic Con Oct 8-11, 2015

We will be at Artist Alley Table D-18 at NYCC in October. I'll be posting more specifics later but it will be a pretty normal appearance for us - please refer to my older convention posts to see what we usually do.

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

See you there!

TD

Wake Up and Draw Sue and Reed for Jack Kirby's Birthday

The Hero Initiative had artists "Wake Up and Draw" to commemorate Jack Kirby's birthday today.

I drew Sue and Reed Richards.

Hi Rez

On 6.5 x 10" backing board with Col Erase Light Blue Pencil, Pigma and Pitt Black Pens, and Copic Warm Grey 1, 2, 3, and 4 Pens.

Drawings will go up for auction in the next few weeks - details at

http://www.heroinitiative.org/

TD

JLA #3 Wonder Woman Bombshells Cover Step by Step

Here's a look at how we created the Bombshells Cover for JLA #3 from DC Comics.

Here's my initial sketches sent to DC Comics. The sketches are drawn at 2x3 inches in my sketchbook in pencil and pen and then cleaned up and colored in Photoshop.

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

Did some minor tweaks to hand and legs.

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

Here's the final art delivered to DC.

Colored in Photoshop CS3 with a Cintiq 13 HD.

Detail of the image.

And how the cover looked when "Bombshell"-ed by DC Creative for publication.

Out now from DC Comics.

TD

Wonder Woman #46 Looney Tunes Variant Cover Detail

Here's a little closer look at the cover I penciled and colored - idea by Mark Chiarello with Elmer Sketch by Warner Animation and inks by Rachel Dodson.

Some of the ref I found for this cover - had a blast doing research for this cover!

The book ships in November from DC Comics.

I will post a detailed look at the making of this cover closer to publication.

TD

Step by Step RED ONE Hardcover - Part 3 Colors and Design

Flats

The first stage of coloring is to have the art "flatted".

Flatting allows me to choose an area to color at any point throughout the coloring process.

Typically 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 - however this piece was pretty simple so...

Initial Rough In on Vera's face

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

Starting to turn the lineart to color

 Working on the motorcycle

Final colors

Face Detail

More Detail

I had to figure out the template for the Wraparound cover as there is the "side" of the book plus this is the "squarer" Euorpean format and so needed to add a little extra lineart for the bleed for the book "wraps" around the hardcover itself.

And also this is the Cover design rough I sent in to IMAGE Production Designer Jonathan Chan.

and this is what we got back!

RED ONE BOOK 1 is available everywhere now-

Find your local comic retailer 

You can have your local retailer order you a copy through Diamond also 

Plus through major online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Find out more about RED ONE at

RED ONE 

and

IMAGE

Star Wars: Shattered Empire #1 Variant Cover Detail

Detail of  Leia and Luke from the Books-A-Million Variant Cover cover Rachel and I did.

Out September 2 from Marvel Comics!

Find your local comic retailer 

http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575

Online at

https://www.comixology.com/Journey-to-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens-Shattered-Empire-1-of-4/digital-comic/262876

TD

On my desk - RED ONE Book 2

On my desk today 

Working away on Red One Book 2 (issue 3 and 4) right now. 

On schedule to ship Spring 2016 from IMAGE Comics.

Keep up to date at 

http://www.redonecomic.com/

TD

Sabrina the Teenage Witch from SDCC 2015

This is the recreation of an actual Sabrina cover I did at San Diego Comic Con July 2015. 

Drawn on 12 x 16 Canson Mi-Teintes Paper with Col Erase Scarlet Red Pencil, Pigma Micron 1, Pitt Pens S and F Black Pen, Copic Warm Grey 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and White Prismacolor Pencil

Detail 

This is the Sabrina cover the sketch is based off...

TD