1st up we have the Man With No Name-or Clint Eastwood, as we all know him better.
Westerns are a big love of mine so this was no chore whatsoever...
Then we have a piece that follows a theme for the gent who requested it-Golden Age DC heroes vs Spidey villains-in this case Sandman vs the Vulture-OK, not your usual commission but it proved to be a lot of fun to do.
Here's the thumbnail-one of several-but the one that eventually evolved into the finished piece...
then after a few clean ups and redraws i did the pencils-i haven't finished the backgrounds yet,tho- this scan actually shows me starting on the inkline as well...
here it is with the finished inkline-at this point i usually do the inkwash-then i fill in the blacks...
...until it looks something like this...
There are several other steps in between here and there-most of them include me cursing under my breath-but that's basically the process...;o)
8 comments:
As always, very nice!
ullo, neil. love the little peek at your working process.
both these peices have buckets of atmpsophere, and the composition of the SANDAMAN vs. VULTURE is stunning; the fog and the shape of the wings carry the eye, swooping and swirling - lovely!
tool-geek question; what pens/inks do you use?
thanks,mate!
the swirling smoke is a "trick" i use a lot,along with leaves (a Hammer Film influence,I'm sure ;o),newspapers,etc-Eisner always had these bits of paper swirling about in his SPIRIT stories-it not only adds atmosphere,but it adds a sense of movement (Ade and i talk of this all the time ;o)-something we obviously lack in a comic strip is movement-so a character's hair or coat waving about adds that illusion-these little tricks are part of what gives a 2 dimensional drawing "life".
and i don't use anything special for my drawings-basically pencil,a black ink ballpoint pen (i buy them by the box-Pilot is the brand) and for the brush strokes i use a Japanese refillable cartridge brush called a Kuretake-beautiful bit of work this is too
(http://www.dickblick.com/zz207/46/)
u can get them online-i also buy Japanese black ink-a big ass plastic bottle- because it just looks more black than American inks do- but to me the only tools i need to get the piece done are the ones that will help make it look the way it should to get the point across-if that means using a crayon or a toothbrush or an old bit of chalk,then that's what I'll use-it's not the tool it's the hand wielding it...;o)
'it's not the tool',couldn't agree more, but i just like to know this stuff.like i said, it's the geek in me.
i picked up a lot from eisner; the unusual 'camera' angles, moody lighting, and all those swirling sheets of newspaper. really, anybody wanting to learn owt about dramatic storytelling, and the props to make comics more 'alive', should study THE SPIRIT.
btw, you 'wield' your hand most splendidly. cheers, shane.
I'm a big fan of the western, meself, and your top image.Crackin!
The sandman and vulture pics are nothing to be sneezed at either. Lovely bit of composition Mr Vokes.
I have to agree with Shane in everything he says.It's a visual pleasure to stop here.
Thanks,mate- glad to have you aboard-i'll try to keep the visuals...uhm...pleasurable...;o)
i put your blog's link in the list so others can check out your own stuff...;o)
I purchased ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST on Monday. I'll try and make time to watch it this weekend.
(Neil almost didn't let me take the "Man With No Name" commission when he referenced ONCE UPON —— and I foolishly told that I hadn't seen it!)
HAH- good lad! you will NOT regret it-a true classic...;o)
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