Merry Christmas, Everybody!

A drawing from a Drink'n'Draw session, which became a commission, which became my season's greetings card. Merry Christmas to all.

Superman, A Mynah Dilemma

Artist Maxime Rossi contacted me because he wanted to relate his own project around a mynah with a Clark Kent story from the 70's: Clark Kent's Mynah Dilemma ( in Superman Family 197). He asked me to create a page which could be inserted inside the story.

We've discussed the story, add a few in-jokes, and here I go. The prelim was very loose, since I was in charge of everything, I didn't have to be explicit for an other person.

On another hand, my pencil was tight, even if I was inking it.

After that experience, Maxime wanted two more pages. So I've come up with an alternate story (same beginning, different ending).

Actually, I've drawn only 2/3 of the page, and resize the remaining part.

For now, the colors are not done yet. Someday....

And the other was a full page, added at the end of the story in the comics: My idea was that Clark Kent was trying to learn again the mynah to say the words that he made him forget. here are the two options that I've had proposed.

 

I've done the colors in a rush, because the page was to be shown at an exhibition in Paris. I wanted an obsessive feel in Clark Kent's inner monologue.

Maxime presented it as a silk screen print on a wall of the art gallery, devoid of some layer and with another text.

The piece is 140cmx90cm, printed directly on the wall. It's trange to see his own art becoming something else. But I've liked the result. (Galerie Alain Gutharc - 7 rue Saint-Claude - 75003 PARIS)

Galactus, Step-by-Step.

A friend of mine gave me some paper board from Marvel Comics, so I've tried them with this character. I love Galactus' design.

I did the pencil on a separate sheet though.

And inked it on the board with my Pitt pens. I think there was a long time that I haven't really inked a piece. At that time, I was mostly cleaning-up with a pencil through a boxlight. Since this one, I don't do it anymore. Here is the result, devoid of the Marvel template.

I've messed up the background a bit while inking (I'm very anal with my inking), so I've done it on computer. I've redone the background on the board since and this one is for sale. Below is the computer version.

I have a monochromatic eye for illustration. I've chosen a violet/purple tonality for the piece.

Nothing fancy, flat colors.

Then I go for the shadows, on a separate layer. Mostly, I use the same color for the whole shadows, using a lot of selections.

And on another separate layer, the lights. Actually, I do shadows and lights at the same time.

Then I add FX, using the different blend of the layers. Some layers are over the lines, some under.

And voilà!

From the Drink'n'Draw

Each week I team up with a bunch of fellow artists to save the universe and...... errr..... no, not quite. We team up in café in Paris to draw around a theme, each week different.

 Sandman Universe.

 Legend of Korra.

 Tribute to Joe Kubert.

Le Grand Pélican, de Cédric Tchao.

Mostly I don't complete them during the session.You can see more by the team at dndparis.blogspot.com

A Walking Dead Sketchcard, Step-by-step.

Cryptozoic Entertainement contacted me to do a set of sketchcards for The Walking Dead, based on the comic book (not the series). Joy oh joy, I love zombis and I love The Walking dead. As usual, I've decided of a pattern which would be the same for every cards, creating my own identity for them. Here it would be dark and red, something very primal, very "punk".

First, the pencil. Since it's a zombi, I let things go loose, I don't do that much constructions. I establish lights from behind him, hiding a lot of the face in shadow.

Then inking with the pitt pens. Same here, for a zombi I go very fast, allowing me to not follow the pencils. Since there's difformity in death, it doesn't bother me.

There we are... Some parts became automatism: thick eyelids (à la Jack Davis), cheekbones, torn ears, bone structures on the cranium....

 Erase and fill the black areas.

I add ghastly background with a dry brush.

Pantone red. Mix of 2 reds actually. I would have like to stop at this stage.

Then the Copic markers do their magic. Usually for a skin tone, I don't use above a grey W5 (even for black people). I really push the dark tones on the face for zombis, around the eyes in particular

And voilà!

Iron Man

Since the Iron Man sketchcards assignment, I'm associated with the man of steel. Ok, he is cool to draw, but he is difficult to draw too. And of course, often requested during conventions... Well, please, if you want a beautiful Iron Man like this one, contact me, I can't provide this quality on such conditions.

This one, like other arts you will see on the blog, is for sale. Pitt pens, Copic markers and white guouache on A3 tainted paper.

Avengers Mugshots

On my first run on sketchcards, Iron Man 2, I've decided to draw a series of black and white portraits of the Avengers to gain some time. It was then that I've begun to feel at ease with markers.

Since then I've mostly done close-up of characters for sketchcards, a good way to draw different facial expressions.

To boldly go.... well, anywhere!

And here I am, little me in the blogosphere. As the princess Irulan said " A beginning is a very delicate time", so be indulgent, this blog will see some changes as I get used to the tools to administrate it. Come often and enjoy.