For SDCC this week, I decided to do a new print. It was a last minute decision, and a crazy rush to get the art finished off to the printer, proofed, and ready with copies for the con. But, I managed to pull it off.
To the left you can see the finished 14" x 20" print. And below, I'll go through the steps to create it.
Kenzie standing surveying what's ahead with his lantern staff was clear in my mind as a focal element, but deciding on how many mice, toying with the idea of a mouse structure (or a mouse structure in ruin), and how much/what vegetation was still being discovered in this sketching stage.
So, I went for a walk...
Around my neighborhood I crouched down and took low-perspective photos of various weeks, exposed tree roots, leaves, and weeds. To the left you can see most of the photos I took on that walk, but there were more with other plants I decided not to use for the final art.
A walk like this can be good. It wasn't long, just 20 min or so––long enough to get away from the desk, think about the piece in a more relaxed environment, and gather some reference.
All of these elements were drawn separately on copy paper and then tinted differently in Photoshop as I placed and moved and nudged each character until the layout was right. Then I blocked in some rough color to help me see the forms––what was cloak or leaf or root or feather, etc.
I'll have the original art for sale at SDCC.
At this stage I also added color holds (areas where I want the lineart to be a color other than black) on Rand's shield, Kenzie's lantern, and all of the background (including the sparrow) that is behind the mice.