Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Captain Universe

Captain Universe

Here's the original entry from "The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe".

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My next submission to the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: REDUX EDITION is Captain Universe.  I always thought Captain Universe was visually interesting; I never saw him in a comic, but his entry in the OHotMU looked pretty cool.  This time, I decided to do a more straight forward drawing, rather than a painting.

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 STEP ONE:  I drew out the picture in the same general pose, but decided to go with a pose which was looking upward.  I did several versions where the pose was nearly the same as Dikto's, looking at Captain Universe nearly straight on and eye level, but they all looked boring when I did it that way.  This pose seemed to work a little better. 

I pencilled it out on 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock, inked it with a few different brushes (mostly various No. 4 size synthetic brushes), then scanned it into PhotoShop.  Hmmmm, I suppose I should have scanned in the pencils before I inked 'em.  Oh, well.  Maybe next time.  :-)

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STEP TWO:  I colored all black lines dark cyan, except for the face.  I grabbed a picture of a starfield from the NASA site and added it to a OVERLAY layer.  All the dark cyan areas were filled with blue-colored stars.  I erased the starfield over the body, just leaving the stars on the upper body/head region with stars.

I then added a MULTIPLY layer and colored the flesh-tone over the face.  I also thought the original line for the chin was distracting and out of proportion, so I erased that out.

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 STEP THREE:  I did the shading on his face and added/touched up some of the white highlights on his upper body.  I considered doing all sorts of shading on the body and legs to make everything look more reflective, and additional white air-brush effects on the upper body/starfield (and did a little, too--see below).  After noodling around with it for a while, I decided I liked it better without all the extra visual bells and whistles.  So, in this case I left it as a more "clean" drawing.

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This is a somewhat alternate version of the picture.  I spent far too long trying to decide if I liked it better with some white, air-brush type effects along the edges of highlights on the upper body.  In the end, I decided "less-is-more" and went with the more plain version.  But, I thought I'd post this one, too.

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 This was done with brush and ink on 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock and digitally colored.

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Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Nightmare

NIGHTMARE

Here's the original entry from "The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe".

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My next submission to the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: REDUX EDITION is Nightmare.  I went with a vaguely manga-esque appearance for Nightmare this time around.  I tried to think of a few things which would be creepy enough to be the embodiment of someone called "Nightmare", hence all the extra eyes and teeth, and sharp things.  :-)  This time around, I decided to go with a painted submission, rather than with a more pen-and-ink, cartoony style.

For Nightmare, it was very tempting to just do a picture of Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN as a submission.  ;-)  I did a two-page comic strip in the early 90's of Nightmare complaining about how popular that other white-faced manipulator of dreams is, when he's been around for a much longer time.  You know, "What's he got that I ain't got?" complaints.  

 

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STEP ONE:  Here is the light pencil drawing which I scanned in.  For some reason, the scanned image was a little dark. 

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STEP TWO:  Next, I put in an initial wash of color.

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STEP THREE:  Then I started tightening up some of the shapes and putting in some darks.

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STEP FOUR:  I started to go back in and paint the space around the tentacular cape and work on a few more details.  I also fixed the left leg, which was sticking out a little weirdly.

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STEP FIVE:   Here's the finished painting.  Unfortunately, a lot of the paper's texture scanned in for the background, which is  little distracting.  I'll take care of that in PhotoShop.  :-)

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STEP SIX:  In PhotoShop, I blurred the background out a bit, since so much of the paper's texture was showing through.  I added  a starfield I got from the NASA on a new layer and deleted it around Nightmare's body.  For the honeycomb in the background, I took a picture of a wasp's nest I had found a while back; I put them in a new layer and set the layer to OVERLAY.  I then softened the honeycomb pattern with the ERASER brush set to 25% Opacity.  Finally, I used the PhotoShop paint brush to push some whites in the various teeth on Nightmare.  I'll call it DONE!

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 This was done with watercolor/gouache on 6" x 10" Stonehenge paper, which I had glued to some hardboard to prevent warping.

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Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Karkas

KARKAS

Here's the original entry from "The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe".

* * *

This was done for a new Blog: Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: REDUX EDITION, which is dedicated to redrawing each entry of "The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe".  How could I resist something like that, when it was practically created for me?  ;-)

I used to buy every issue as they came out and I can't tell you how many hours of my (misspent) youth I spent pouring over both the "Handbook of the Marvel Universe", as well as the DC version, "Who's Who".   Both are encyclopedias of comic book characters, included backstories of the characters, detailed their powers, and generally had an entire batch of nerdly goodness I mainlined into my teenage brain.  Good times!

Unfortunately, some of the ones I really wanted (Annihilus, Galactus, Kang, Phoenix, etc.) were already taken (of course), but I was able to grab some more obscure characters I always found oddly compelling and/or visually interesting: High Evolutionary, Celestials, Captain Universe, Aquarian, Nightmare, Moon Dragon, Supreme Intelligence, and Karkas.  So, look forward to some of those in the near future, as well.

I debated what style I wanted to use: Watercolor?  Acrylic?  Pen-and-Ink?  Something more realistic or cartoony?  Well, it is now obvious which way I went with Karkas.  His head is so big in proportion to his body, it is almost impossible NOT to draw him as a sort of big-headed caricature--so I went with it as such.  :-)

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STEP ONE:  I drew Karkas with brush and ink on 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock. 

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STEP TWO:  I scanned the drawing into PhotoShop, set the layer above to "Multiply", and colored the drawing.  As I colored it, I sort of liked the retro feel of the coloring/pen-and-ink, and dropped the whole intricate shading I had started and went with the flat colors.

* * *

This was done with pen-and-ink on 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock, colored digitally.

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Detective Comics #31 - Cover Recreation

DETECTIVE COMICS #31

Here's the original by Bob Kane:

And here's my version:

I did this as a (belated) birthday present for a friend of mine, as he is a fan of Batman.  Come to think of it, I send him some drawing/painting that is Batman-related EVERY birthday... I wonder if he is getting sick of them, yet?  Well, if he is, he can just use 'em for starting his fireplace, or to keep himself warm on those cold, winter nights in Ohio.  :-)

For some reason, the blue in the sky kept shooting a little brighter than the finished painting.  I'm gonna blame my camera for that one.  :-)

Here's the process, for those even mildly interested...

* * * * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the pencils.  This time around, I used a sheet of 140# Arches Cold-Press watercolor paper.  Cold Press paper is a little more rough than I normally use, as I prefer a smoother drawing and painting surface.  But, I bought a few sheets to see if I liked it or not.  I generally like Arches, but I think I will generally stick more often with the Hot Press surface.

* * * * *

 STEP TWO:  I painted over the pencils in a light wash (darkened here so you can actually see 'em) so I could erase the pencils out.  I usually don't like the pencils showing through if I can help it, and they can blend in with the painting and make the colors a little muddy.

* * * * *

 STEP THREE:  I did a light wash to start laying in some basic color.

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 STEP FOUR:  More painting...  Starting to work on the forms and modeling a bit more, adding some shading. 

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 STEP FIVE:  Even more watercolor painting...

* * * * *

 STEP SIX:  This is where I was last week "On the Easel".

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 STEP SEVEN:  Here is the finished painting.  First, I added a little more texture to the grassy areas with a fan brush and some light green and dark green gouache.  I also tried--with moderate success--to fix the graduation of color in the sky.  It is still a little streaky, but every time I would try to fix it, it would still look streaky.  Ah, well, one of the problems with watercolor/gouache, sometimes.  I'll just have to call it good, for now.

I pushed some darks/shadows and went back in with some white gouache to the clouds/fog/mist to break up the edges so they didn't seem so "cut out".  I also had finally gotten around to adding the bats in the air; I'm still "iffy" on that part.  I may either remove a few, or add some more.  I also moved the robed guy's right hand a little bit.  It was really weird, before; now it is just a little weird.

I also decided to leave stars out of the picture, as I think it would have been a little too distracting.

* * * * *

 Watercolor and gouache on 12" x 16" Arches Cold Press (140#) watercolor paper.

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On The Easel - June 8, 2012 - Batman

On the Easel - Detective Comics #31 Cover Recreation

I know, this is a bit of a cheat, but here's something on the easel at the moment!  It is a (belated) birthday present for a friend (Sorry, Dave!).  I have at least one more pass for most of the painting and put some finishing touches here and there, but I am hoping to have it finished next week and will post the process steps then.  

It is a recreation of Detective Comic #31 in watercolor/gouache on 12" x 16" Arches Cold Press (140#).

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Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks!

This time around, I thought it would be amusing to do a portrait of a martian from "Mars Attacks!".  It is more based on the card series, rather than the movie.  But, both are malevolently amusing in their own twisted ways.

* * * * *

STEP ONE:  I used a mixture of size (glue) and gesso and primed a 8-1/2" x 10" piece of hardboard which I had cut down.  I then penciled the image of the martian from "Mars Attacks!" as if he were sitting for a typical portrait pose.

* * * * *

STEP TWO:  I did a quick under-painting of the penciled image in Burnt Sienna.  I almost wanted to leave the painting in sepia-tone, giving it that old-tymey, daguerreotype feel to it.  Maybe I'll revisit this idea in the future...

* * * * *

STEP THREE:  I began laying in some color over the underpainting.

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STEP FOUR:  I added finishing touches, highlights, etc...

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This was done with Acrylic paint on 8" x 10" sized and gessoed hardboard panel.

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The Breakfast Club (Fruit Brute)

Fruit Brute

Well, I **FINALLY** got around to finishing the last of the Monster Cereals.  For Fruit Brute, I decided to go in an opposite direction.  Rather than a monstrous werewolf, I figured having him as an effete and cultured character would be more amusing.

I hope Limpey isn't too disappointed... :-)

* * * * *

STEP ONE:  To try and keep everything somewhat consistent, I used a mixture of size and gesso on a 5" x 7-1/2" Crescent illustration board.  I drew everything out with vine charcoal, charcoal pencil, and carbon pencil, and used my kneaded eraser to lift out highlights and sharpen any areas which got a bit smudgey (one of the dangers of charcoal, after all).  When I was finished with the drawing, I scanned it into PhotoShop.

* * * * *

STEP TWO:  In PhotoShop, I created a new layer set to "Multiply" and did a gradient from orange to purple.

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STEP THREE:  I added the flat colors on the same Layer, which was still set to "Multiply".

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STEP FOUR:  Within the flat colors, I pushed some highlights and shadows, flattened the layers, and called it "Done!". 

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This was done with charcoal and carbon pencil on a 5" x 7-1/2" Crescent 215 illustration board, then colored digitally in PhotoShop.

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The Breakfast Club (Yummy Mummy)

Yummy Mummy

Well, time to get back to work on finishing up The Breakfast Club for the Monster Cereals.  Here's Yummy Mummy! 

Here's the process...

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STEP ONE:  As usual, I started with a piece of gessoed and sized (glue) Crescent Illustration Board.  I used vine charcoal to lay out the drawing and place some general shading.  Vine charcoal is very soft and can be blended easily, as well as lifted off for highlights.  Then I would darken areas using a soft carbon pencil.  When it was finished, I scanned it into PhotoShop and began the process of adding color the drawing.

* * *

STEP TWO:  In PhotoShop, I added a Layer set to MULTIPLY and did a gradient from Orange on the bottom, to Purple on the top.  The previous drawings for The Breakfast Club were all monochromatic (one color), so coloring them was relatively simple.  Yummy Mummy, on the other hand, is a near-rainbow--so lots and LOTS of color on this one!

* * * * *

STEP THREE:  I added more color to the background with orange, red, and purple, trying to keep in line with the multi-color design of Yummy Mummy.  I then laid out flat colors for Yummy Mummy's bandages.

* * *

STEP FOUR:  Within the MULTIPLY Layer, I added the highlights and shadows.  I also added another layer for few, extra white highlights.

* * *

This was done with charcoal and carbon pencil on a 5" x 7-1/2" Crescent Illustration Board, then colored digitally in PhotoShop. 

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Harley Quinn & The Joker

This is my submission to the SuperPunch Blog, which I visit regularly.  They are having a contest to create a mock-up of a movie poster based on a DC character and win a DC Chess Set, so here it is.

 

Here's the process:

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STEP ONE:  As usual, I used a mixture of gesso and size (glue) to prime a 10" x 15" Crescent Illustration Board (#215).  I then drew out the image with a blue pencil, as it seems to smear a little less when I'm working with it.  I didn't have a reference for Harley Quinn at the time I sketched it, so the head dress is a little off character.  I also didn't bother to use picture references for the painting, either, so I suppose that is fitting.  I also wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with Harley Quinn's hand, so I left that sort of vague at that moment.

* * * * *

STEP TWO:  I did some black-and-white wash underpainting, trying to determine some vague modeling for the figure.  For complaining about the concept of underpainting in some previous posts, I sure seem to use it a lot.  Anyway, I then started laying some acrylic color over top the black-and-white washes.  Also, I didn't feel the Joker's eyes were quite "crazy" enough in the pencil drawing, so I tried to correct that a bit.  And I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with Harley's other hand not holding the giant hammer.

* * * * *

STEP THREE:  Here's the finished painting.  When I took the picture, there was a bit of glare on large chunks of the background of the painting from the lighting (you can sort of see it in the previous picture in STEP TWO).  So, I decided to use the Dodge-and-Burn tool in PhotoShop to darken and burn-out highlights for the background, rather than just use the paintbrush to give it a single color.  That seemed to work.  And, I **FINALLY** decided to give Harley Quinn one of those guns with a "Bang!" flag in it.  It seemed in character.

* * * * *

STEP FOUR:  I added the lettering in PhotoShop for the faux poster and submitted it to SuperPunch.

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Speaking of the SuperPunch Blog, I was in one of their Illustration Roundups for February 21, 2012 with my "Watchmen: The Squid" cover.  It was very surreal seeing my stuff on someone else's blog (with credit AND a link to my blog--that's especially nice).  Especially as it is a blog I read every week or so and I wasn't expecting it at all...  Cool!

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This was done with acrylic paint on 10" x 15" gessoed Crescent Illustration Board

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ROM: Spaceknight #1: Page Recreation

ROM: Spaceknight #1, Page 1

Here is the original 

And here is my recreation of the page:

I have very fond memories of ROM: Spaceknight--a comic from my misspent youth in the early 1980's, so I wanted to do another ROM painting.  The "Arrival" scene was always one of my favorites.

For those who are interested, here is the usual process...

* * *

Step One:  First, I primed a 15" x 20" piece of #215 Crescent Board with a mixture of size (glue) and gesso.  Then, I measured off the 12" x 16" painting area, doing the panel lines in Sharpie.  For the series of three panels at top, I extended the panel lines outside the painting area, as I was pretty sure the panel lines would be painted over (I was right, and the panel edges were, indeed, painted over.)  :-)

I then used a blue-lead pencil to draw out the page. I used to do a lot of drawings with blue-line for pen-and-ink work and always liked it.  I recently found one of my blue pencils and decided to use it.

* * *

Step Two:  I begin by laying down some color with acrylic paints...

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Step Three:  More painting...

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Step Four:  I taped off the panel series at the top of the screen.  I painted the edges with some clear acrylic medium to keep the edge as sharp as possible and to prevent paint from bleeding under it.  For the space nebula effect, I used a spray bottle of water and white paint and built up several layers of wet-on-wet paint.  When it was dried, I went over top of it with some watered down blue paint to color it.  Lastly, I took some black paint and reworked some of the edges.

Also, I wasn't paying attention and somehow got it in my head that the second panel was showing ROM entering the Earth's atmosphere, but after I read the caption again, I realized it should be much closer to the ground.  Of course, I didn't realize this until I was finished painting the panel with Earth from space (including clouds and everything) and had to redo the whole thing.  Sigh...

* * *

Step Five:  Finished painting!  I repainted the second panel, finished up some of the fire effects (well, some of them could be better, IMHO), and pushed some of the shadows and highlights.

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Step Six:  I added lettering in PhotoShop and called it DONE!  I also sent a copy of the last panel on to Anthony with the Re-Paneled Blog.

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This was painted with Acrylic on 12" x 16" sized and gessoed #215 Crescent Board

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