SS Cover - Breakdown

This is the first time I've ever actually kept all elements of a piece I was working on so I thought I'd show how my process normally works.

1) Quick digital sketch, in Photoshop, based off what I know either the writer wants or what I want to try to convey in the piece.

2) Pencil sketch to get all the little things worked out...anatomy, folds in clothing, positioning and lighting. The pencil sketch is also later scanned in, increased in size by 155%, printed out, and used to lightbox a faint guideline onto my final paper.

3) This is a first for me but I did an ink wash here. Normally I would go into inking with hard blacks and spattering but in this case I wanted to try something new and wanted the cover to have more of an organic feel. I used 300 Series Bristol and painted a Gesso Primer on the paper first. The Gesso was used to help create a surface that could handle ink wash better. I've tried some simple ink washes directly on the paper and it's really hard to work with. This was a new experiment for me but I have to say the Gesso Primer works nicely to seal the paper so you can work the wash a lot more. I suggest probably going with the 400 Series Bristol if you do not want to use a primer. Once the Gesso had set up I started painting. I started light and built up the darker areas. I'm new to wash so right now my technique consist of short strokes and I dab them with a paper towel as I'm working. It seems to work fairly good for the look I'm going for. Once I'm happy with the piece I normally throw in a few highlights using Pro White ink.

4) Final coloring. Here I did flat colors on the figure first as well as a flat color in the background. Once those were in place I started working in the textures. The textures come from pieces I have done and scanned in as well as some brushes I've made over the years. I use a lot of mask so I can freely paint back and forth with a particular texture. Gradients on the mask work well to create some glow effects and just to break up your figure or background so it does not become too heavy looking. And that's it. Thanks for reading.