Sandman and Thessaly
on August 19th, 2012I don’t take commissions very often, because I am quite slow. I hope they are worth waiting for. Poor dude waited well over a year for this.
I didn’t use any models on this, which might have made the job go faster. The funny backstory here is that Thessaly is based on me a bit, and I guess that makes my job easier when I draw her!
Here’s a detail:
I still have parts of several major commissions to finish, and if I could get a free week, I think I could pull it off. I mean to get them all completed before I go to New York next month.
My pencil technique is exactly the opposite of what they teach now in art school. I do not use the side of the pencil, or graphite. I use the sharp tip of the pencil, and build up everything from hundreds of strokes. This is the way old masters drew back in the day with silverpoint. It’s a look I love, but almost no one does it because it is so laborious. The popular prejudice is for the 1950-ish commercial art drawing style. I like that, but it’s not what I want to do myself.
I am using this technique on the new Neil Gaiman graphic novel I am doing for Dark Horse. You can imagine how happy I am to be doing this project! The drawings will then be colored with thin washes of watercolor, digitally, or both.
The final work will look similar to this piece I did for the cover of Orbiter. The original drawing here:
And the final painting.
And on Tori Amos: Comic Book Tattoo, I layered handmade abstract paintings over my drawings, and then did final colors in Photoshop.
Thanks for visiting my website. Go read my webcomic. I hope you enjoy it.
Also, I did a lively podcast interview here where I talk about a number of my upcoming projects.
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Of course I always love your work, but the recipient of that commission is a VERY LUCKY person – ’cause it’s gorgeous!
“Nice work, Colleen!” is weak, feeble praise. But it’s what I’ve got at the moment.
I’m desperate to finish a couple of other commissions soon, one of all the Endless. I am so close and keep putting it off. I have so much good stuff going on right now I just need to stay focused! Sorry to not be doing much blogging or online activity these days. I really just need to work.
Whew, Neil just tweeted this. So far website resisting Neilwebfail.
“I am using this technique on the new Neil Gaiman graphic novel I am doing for Dark Horse.”
So many questions! But I’ll ask only one… Is it an original story, or an adaptation like his other Dark Horse GNs?
Stop digging.
If we can’t dig, can we fish?
Heh.
That Orbiter cover is still one of my favorite pieces. Anything with old maps on it XD but that shuttle is so beautiful, almost looks like a photograph. If I didn’t see the pencils I would swear it was run through a filter
Silverpoint-style pencil? Man, I hope *you* find it rewarding, for all that effort! I have no fears about the readers. I’m in awe of anyone putting that much work into their art!
But I’m looking at this commission, and the Orbiter cover, and then I spot over there on the left this ad — for Manga Man — and my head starts to spin.
I love the juxtapositions of the old map fragments, shuttle, diagrams, and man looking to the stars.
But I have to ask — how many clones ARE you anyway?
Anyway, best wishes on your new project.
LOL! Bob! That is so funny and flattering. Especialy since a fan, who gave Mangaman a very bad review, said that all my work looks alike and I never do anything but that A Distant Soil type stuff! Mangaman was draw in two distinclty different styles, too. But alas, she didn’t like either one. Can’t win ‘em all! I loved Mangaman, so there it is!
I have a lot to do these days, must get those clones to mush!