Darker than Noir Cover

06/19/2011

Howdy all!! Long time no see. I decided to write a quick blog post pertaining to how the book cover for Grand Mal Press' upcoming novella "Darker than Noir" was created. The book is not set to be released anytime soon; however a preview, featuring the cover, is available to the public. As promised to a couple of fans, here is my process for creating the illustration. First off let me start by saying that this piece was created using Corel Painter XI, using a Cintiq 21 WX Tablet, and took a total of 22 hours.

In the first image we have the composition drawn using a pen and then scanned. Once the image was loaded, I was having a hard time determining how the face of the detective should look, so I shaded in an overall tone to help my painting which was also done on the hand. Since it is digital, drawing on the sketch does not hinder the painting, as we can just delete that layer once it no longer has a purpose. Now we can move on to the painting!!

Due to my eyesight, I start all my paintings in Black & White. I lay in my pure blacks, which has become something I love in illustrations. A sense of contrast between the pure black and white has sort of become of my thing. I know that many say there are no pure blacks and whites in the real world. I really dont care, it looks slick.

Once most of my tones are in place I start to work on the details, focusing on the shirt, glass, pistol, and the shades in the background. I still have not spent a tone of time blending or anything, just big simple blocks of tone.

After about 10 hours we have the final black and white version of the painting. The edges have been cleaned, horizontal slices have been added to give a classic noir feel, and we ghouled up the female character. I originally painted her as a clean upstanding woman who was supposed to consol our detective. Once it was in place it threw off the concept, so I gave her some scars. Originally there were mere drying mascara tracks, however it turned into skin peeling off and cracking. Allowing for teeth to be shown in their full glory.

Now that the Black and White painting is in place and everything looks tight, we went ahead and placed some color over the top just to get a sense of the color direction. I always have an idea in my head of what the final image will look like, but you can always surprise yourself with a color that you never thought would work.

After hours of laying colors and blending the blocked tones with a custom natural brush to give a slightly more realistic look, we have our final painted illustration. I hope you enjoyed this post and if you would like more details on the process, let me know. I will be sure to go into more detail on the next post!!

If you would like ask Stephen a question, contact him at: stephenbryant@srbproductions.net

How did you break into the comic book industry?

04/11/2011

How did you break into the comic book industry?

I received this question a couple of weeks ago and had to stop, sit back, and actually ponder regarding how I was capable to compose a carbon footprint on the comic vine.

It all started in senior year of art school. One afternoon, I was working on a project in the corner of the area with my headset on, as customary, trying to acquire as much quality as one could into a painting until the deadline, when one of my friends and fantastic artist Jen Brazas approached me. Tapping my shoulder and point at her recent comic purchase, she wanted to tell me, “Your style really looks like this guys. Do you do comic stuff?”

This hit like a sack of potatoes, I have never done anything directly connected to comics, in fact, till this second of time my main focus for art was going to be en route for magazines and newspapers. Curious, I went around asking people if they believed my style could transfer over toward comic books. The masses responded with a resounding yes!

Well, now comes the tricky part, getting my foot in the door. Not knowing what to do first, I contacted Douglas Klabua, who I had met previously at an event I volunteered for. I asked Doug if we could setup an interview. This was the turning point in my quest, as one day Doug would allow me to have my biggest break.

We discussed everything and anything from digital vs. traditional, time constraints, contracts, and comic styles. This was nothing but sensational, as he gave me so much vital information and a general idea of what a freelance comic illustrator must do to be profitable. He also mentioned that I should attend Comic Con that year.

It was a big investment for a college kid to partake in but I was able to scrounge up enough for a half table and a couple of prints. In order to draw some more attention, a painting was created to have something relevant to the show and the comic community. I painted a Watchman inspired image. It was a huge hit, selling out of prints the first day.

While there I was able to walk around and introduce myself to people, and as I was talking to someone who should stop by and see me, no other than Douglas Klabua. He was checking out the show and was to see myself take the initiative toward the convention. Doug took me around and introduced me to some of his friends and art directors. One being Joe Gentile, Art Director of Moonstone Publishing.

Joe loved my stuff and asked if I was interested in doing cover work sometime. Of course I said yes and the rest was history. So, how did I break into the comic industry? Networking and Exposure. It is simple thing but, in this impersonal world, sometimes a little face to face time can do wonders.

If you would like ask Stephen a question, contact him at: stephenbryant@srbproductions.net