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Post by rowdyrjp on May 18, 2006 17:21:23 GMT -5
I would like to suggest ... if any of you creators have the time. The creation of a 'crash course' type thread.
What I mean is some of us would be very interested with a step by step look into the creation of a cover.
Do you begin with pencils and scan them in? Do you do the entire thing digitally? What software do you use fore the colour and shading effects? and what software do you use for the layouts?
The title graphics .. letterring etc. etc. very interested in this stuff for my own future forays into web-comics.
Thanx for your time all. I know not everyone has the exact same method... but a thread like this could allow different artists to let us in on their methods as well as the staff here !
What do you say guys?
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The Anti-Tupper
Staff
Secret Assistant to the Art Director
Because robots have feelings too!
Posts: 370
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Post by The Anti-Tupper on May 18, 2006 21:33:26 GMT -5
Well, I don't know what kind of insight I can give, but I'm always willing to help. Now this will be just how I come up with and put together an image. I don't do the lettering or anything so someone else (Borize?) can answer that. So how does a drawing come together? Well, when I think of something I want to draw, or get an assignment here, the first method is to come up with the layout of the image. The last thing you want is to draw something great that only fills up half the page, or cuts off limbs (unless necessary for the image, never cut off any limbs at the joints. Who taught me that? I forget. Moving on...) I usually roughly sketch out several different versions of the image in a rudementary form in a sketchpad. Sometimes the image comes to me right away and I just start right away on the drawing. That's what happened with my example work, the JSA cover Unfortunately I do not have the pencilled version, since I just inked it right away. I don't usually get requests for the original pencils. In the case of the JSA image, what I did first was the photo drawing in the middle. I knew this had to be done seperately due to the necessary details found within the image. I studied the old JSA uniforms to make sure the designs were right and sketched out their positioning in the image. I then finished pencils and inks on the whole team before moving on the background. I reserched Eiffel tower images online before finding the right one and then pencilled it into the image. I added background elements like trees and buildings and inked it all up. This was the finished result. After that, I had Ramon (one of the staff here) color the image while I worked on the rest of the cover. The writer (Scott - a stand up guy and heck of an auteur) had wanted an old photo of the JSA on a table surrounded with artifacts. The photo was done, so now came the table. I again researched the artifacts in question which are Dr. Fate's amulet and the Spear of Destiny. The ring came from my lovely imagination. I pencilled and inked the table and was then ready to scan the image in to be merged with the JSA photo. Ramon had finished coloring and then grayscaling the image. I wanted it to look just like a photograph done in black and white. Using the awesome and powerful Photoshop CS, I merged the two images together, getting this... Now comes the color. I am still new to color so I used some tutorials found online and here to add effects. I color everything first and then do the effects. Gradients, dodge and lighten helped to make the image look more realistic. I also added a sepia effect to the photo to give it that weathered look. This was the final image completed by me. One of the artists here, Borize, added some further lighting effects and more grain to the photo and the table. The final image is available in the Elseworlds thread. Check it out and read the gripping tale! I hope this has been insightful and by all means, let me know if it helped and I'll be happy to do it again for an upcoming cover. Adam
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on May 18, 2006 22:46:59 GMT -5
How to do them drawins in three easy steps... Dread style!First rough out your pose using a basic skeleton drawing. This will make sure the whole drawing fits on the page, and it'll help find any big anatomical errors. Basic skeletal frameNext start adding some weight to the basic skeleton. I use bubbles, some use cylinders. Whatever. The drawing should now start basically looking like a human form... or a complete mess. Whatever. adding weightLastly, add details and finish the piece. Wave your hand, and you're done!Good luck!
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Post by brigante133 on May 19, 2006 0:57:46 GMT -5
cool, i will try and come up with something soon.
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Post by goldk on May 19, 2006 11:02:21 GMT -5
Ok. Here's what I do. I start with some loose pencils sketches, usually on just 8"x11" printer paper. After talking with the writer and making sure that the scene works for them, I use a non-photo blue pencil to rough out the drawing on 11"x17". I've tried drawing it smaller, but I just feel cramped on anything smaller. If I'm comfortable with how it turns out at this stage I just start inking over the blue. You don't have to worry about erasing or stray lines because the blue will not photo copy or scan on black and white setting. If I want to see how it will look inked or I want to give the writer another chance to change anything then I do some tight pencils over that. Then I use a copier and reduce the 11"x14" to 8.5"x11" (just because my scanner is not big enough.) Then I scan it usually at around 300dpi and use photoshop to color. Then I reduce the image to 544dpi width keeping the same aspect ratio and save it as a jpg. And that's how I produce a cover. Since you metioned doing your own web comic I would like to add. . . Sequential art is technically the same way, althought I would add the three C's Clarity Clarity Clarity Make sure that you can follow the gist of what's going on page by page without the captions or word balloons. When doing sequential art, think of your self as the director. You have to make it exciting and dynamic, without losing the reader. Every picture should tell a story. (sorry if I got a little long winded. Lousy story telling is a pet peeve of mine)
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Post by HoM on May 19, 2006 12:59:14 GMT -5
First off I do a little doodle on MSpaint showing what I want to do... And then I add a bit of detail, bit of colour, and I'm done: Hope this helps!
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Post by rowdyrjp on May 19, 2006 13:31:29 GMT -5
First off I do a little doodle on MSpaint showing what I want to do... And then I add a bit of detail, bit of colour, and I'm done: Hope this helps! LMAO... ya tons... sheesh...
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Post by HoM on May 19, 2006 13:33:46 GMT -5
You're just jealous because I can do all that on MSpaint
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Post by starlord on May 19, 2006 13:36:39 GMT -5
Charlie, you constantly amaze me! ;D
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Post by HoM on May 19, 2006 13:39:14 GMT -5
I use the spraybrust tool
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on May 19, 2006 14:23:58 GMT -5
I don't even know what a spraybrust tool is! I bow to your uber skillz.
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Post by HoM on May 19, 2006 14:35:22 GMT -5
It's cos I iz experimenting with ma tools, ya dig?
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Post by chris on May 23, 2006 19:53:46 GMT -5
Well this isn't related to the art , but I can offer a litlle behind the scenes to the writing process for an issue of Powers, Inc. in three steps.
1).....................................................................
2)should we be writing yet? ........................................................
3)HOLY CRAP WHAT DO YOU MEAN WER'E POSTING TOMORROW?
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