Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 386

X-23. 2018. Gouache on mixed media board, 9 × 12″.

(Claws also made from Strathmore Mixed Media Board)

gouache washes to hone the drawing

decided to add a hand

pencils

Venom: First Host #1 Variant

VENOM: FIRST HOST. 2018.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

Our newest Venom cover has finally been revealed! It will be hitting shelves later this month. I'll be sure to do a Wacky Reference Wednesday when the time comes. Full details here.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 385

DOCTOR STRANGE IMAX TICKET. 2016.
Gouache and Acryla Gouache on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Back in 2016, I was asked to create a limited edition collectible ticket for IMAX screenings of Dr. Strange. Although I wasn't able to see the movie before it came out, I did gain access to Marvel Studios' marketing photography (always with my name plastered across it for reasons of security). It was a fairly quick turnaround (at least for me) clocking in at 52 hours total. Full breakdown below:

— layouts: 7.75 h
— pencils: 2.75 h
— sculpt: 3.25 h
— color study: 1.25 h
— board prep: 2.25 h
(can't remember why this took so long, but I know I had some issues)
— reference: 1.5 h
— painting: 32.75 h
= 52 h

The reference I get from Marvel is always watermarked with my name.

The variant edition of the ticket (bottom of the page) was created using a gradient map in Photoshop. We tried quite a few different versions to get the right psychedelic look. The trick is to preserve most of the value relationships while going nuts with the hue and saturation. I reversed the values in the darkest part of the image, resulting in a "negative" appearance, but in an isolated area.

digital pencils, variant, color study

digital layout variations

digital layouts

DOCTOR STRANGE IMAX TICKET VARIANT. 2016.
Gouache and Acryla Gouache on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

painting over the digital printout

my gouache palette and reference

Almost done!

Details

Murphy

MURPHY. 2018. Photoshop, 8000 × 2000 px.

In case you hadn't heard, I've got a brand new Artist Shop at Threadless. I only have 2 versions of one design at the moment, but it was a fun project that pays tribute to one of my favorite films. There are many colors and styles available — hope you'll take a look!