DC Special #29 - Cover Replica

DC Special #29

Here is the original cover by Neal Adams.

Well, I **FINALLY** finished this GIANT cover re-creation for my pal, Jim, from Jimmy Jams.  I've been working on this thing for far too long--it's been yet another albatross around my neck for the past few months.  Mostly, I'm just glad to have this off my easel.  Now I can FINALLY get around to finishing up a few other projects I've had to set aside to get this thing done.  :-)

One reason this cover (which was one of Jim's favorites from his childhood) took so long is that it is just crazy: You've got Hitler, Nazi atom bombs, Valkyrie mounted on flying horses, the Atom punching out one of the horses, and just so much more.  To me, this cover is just a crowded mess.  But, oh, well.  Sometimes, there's no accounting for taste.  :-)

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STEP ONE:  I glued a sheet of (140#) Stonehenge paper, which is 100% cotton, to a 20" x 30" (that's 50.8cm x 76.2cm to those of you who use the Metric System) sheet of hard board/medium density fiberboard.  I then used a mixture of gesso and size (glue) to serve as a ground to the painting.  I then gridded out the drawing and drew in the larger parts of the picture.

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STEP TWO:  Using acrylic paint, I began to lay in large swaths of color.  Trying to match all the various gradients in the background is also a real pain in the butt.

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STEP THREE:  After adding a bit more paint, I began lettering.  Bleh, I **HATE** lettering... it always takes me so long to get it done and it still only looks half-assed.

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STEP FOUR:  Well, after countless hours, here is the finished, ginormous re-creation of the cover.  After I finished all the under-coloring for figures and lettering, I did all the linework over top.  Once done, I sprayed it with a varnish and UV protectant and took it in to Jim.  

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

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