Friday, September 23, 2011

Green Lantern #76 - Cover Replica

Green Lantern #76 

Here's the original by Neal Adams:


Well, I've been extra-busy the past month, so sorry for the delays in posts.  I **FINALLY** finished the latest cover recreation for my pal, Jim, for his comic shop here in Winona, MN (Jimmy Jams).  Here's the process for those who are interested.  For those who aren't interested... well, I guess you don't have to read any further.  :-)



STEP ONE:  I glued down a sheet of 140 lb. Stonehenge paper (it is 100% cotton rag) to a 20" x 30" hardboard.  I then used a mixture of size (glue) and gesso to prepare the painting surface.  I drew out a grid and started drawing the picture.  I did some outlines in black acrylic along some of the edges so I could still see it after I started laying in colors.  Speaking of which, I then started laying in flat colors for the painting.  




STEP TWO:  I started painting in more of the flat colors areas...




STEP THREE:  And then I went back over those flat areas with line work.  



STEP FOUR:  I continued with more line work, started working on the shattered lantern, and did the lettering (I believe I have mentioned once or twice in my blog that I HATE LETTERING... It is painfully slow for me to letter).  ;-)  I also drew out the radiating lines from the lantern with a ruler and Sharpie Marker.



STEP FIVE:  I finished up the last bits of lettering (I don't think I've mentioned how much I hate lettering for a paragraph or so), Green Lantern and Green Arrow, and various bits and pieces and called it DONE.  I then treated it with a varnish for acrylic paint and delivered it to Jim.  

This was done with acrylic paint on 20" x 30" gessoed Stonehenge paper glued to hardboard.
  

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Yummy Fur #18: Cover Recreation

Here's the original cover to "Yummy Fur" #18:


Hey, Kids!  Another submission to the excellent and entertaining Covered Blog which Robert was kind enough to post today!

See?  This blog isn't all superheroes and such.  I also read some alternative comics here-and-there... and they don't get too much more alternative than the late 80's comic, "Yummy Fur".  It featured surreal adventures of Ed the Happy Clown--who generally wasn't all that happy, space aliens, vampires, serial killers, punks, an alternate universe version of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and a bevy of out there characters.

Ed the Happy Clown was probably the most well-known character from the series for one of the most outrageous reasons: through a series of accidents, Ed winds up with a talking penis--the head of his penis is replaced by the head of Ronald Reagan from an alternate dimension.

After that story arc was finished with #18, the series mostly turned to more autobiographical vignettes, and featured backup features throughout the run from the New Testament (books of Mark and Matthew if I remember right--it's been a while since I last re-read it).

The cover to issue #18 really stuck in my head and when I saw the Covered Blog, I knew this would have to be one of the covers I would do.  The fact "Yummy Fur" was mentioned in the Submission Guides for the site sealed the deal for me.

And here's the process:




STEP ONE:  For this one, I shot a couple reference pictures of myself in roughly the same position and had it on the computer monitor next to my easel.  I taped down a 12" x 18" sheet of 80 lb. Dick Blick sulphite paper onto a drawing board I made from a cut down 1/4" sheet of hardboard.  I then used soft vine charcoal to layout where I vaguely want everything to go.  Then, moments later, I smear the whole thing to a soft, blurry mess on the paper and then begin the task of building up shadows, highlights, and mid-tones on the face.



STEP TWO:  I began tightening the drawing of the face by layered shading with vine charcoal, a 4B and 6B charcoal pencil, and using a kneaded eraser to lift out highlights and carve around shapes.  Also, for some reason I had it stuck in my head that Ed was wearing a fez.  I also notice the hand/arm is way too large and correct it to match the pose of the cover.

I guess that's what I get when I just glance quickly at the source material before trying to recreate it.  :-)



STEP THREE:  I fixed Ed's hat and made it into a derby, and finished work on the face and shirt.  Ed is wearing an ill-fitting wig, so I tried to make the hair seem as fake as possible.  Although, to be honest, it wasn't all that difficult, as hair tends to be something I have some trouble with and need to work on a LOT.  :-)  Next up, the hand holding the paintbrush.



STEP FOUR:  The hand is now done, too.  On the left-hand side, you can even see some of the very low-tack tape I used to tape it to the board.  (Manco "Perfect Release" Duck Tape, if you're wondering.  It was in a multi-color pack: Purple, Blue, and Green.)




STEP FIVE:  I imported the picture above into PhotoShop.    On a separate sheet of paper, I filled in an area about 8" square with charcoal and took a picture of that, too, rather than just using a flat black in PhotoShop.  The pattern was more interesting that way.  I used it as the dark background pattern in PhotoShop using the Clone tool.  I used the Multiply Layer to colorize the picture, added the logos and lettering, and called it "Done!"


This was done with charcoal and digital color on 12" x 18" Dick Blick 80 lb. sulphite paper.


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