![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGInuIn7Ph3C7pOkXkK0cZMmm9s4CdHFP8_1LxzUl049M7FdVZ26PEN3_2Qk59ZvqQgIyWYMBNAbZCZmUQQAtUxapznLai7Bkpd2pwo5WvXUjzX4W5jC6G2-csiToXk8cSjMddahGKts6/s200/Stephen.jpg)
*NOTE: THIS WAS WRITTEN PRIOR TO DISNEY CANCELING THE MOVIE AT FOX––WE ARE STILL EXPLORING ALL OPTIONS TO BRING THE MICE OF MOUSE GUARD TO LIFE*
Back when the Mouse Guard Movie was given a full green light from FOX, Stephen Christy and Ross Richie came to Michigan to deliver the good news, deliver the payment, and celebrate with a meal. As a thank you for their work on Mouse Guard as a book series and on the Movie (they are involved both in publishing at BOOM! and producers on the film at the FOX lot) I drew them each as a Guardmouse and gave them the original inked piece.
To the left you can see the finished colored version of 'Stjepan' that I've released as a print available in my online store: mouseguard.bigcartel.com
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpwnZgtcs9J21lF_M4wbOO39Ux20PdwZKbfYuwud68fB9HVao8_637yMNky6_t01pUeQzy9JvNx5eMLQ7NHM78Nz8ayB0C-A-5TvPMCh-YfkvnjjJ3dCU5GeeL1eeJOv5Mhr7BZ4C9uob/s200/Stephen+headshot.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoOVz5Lm4302hWLfsof5vuYn-nBeIAnDmTQDpKahONpUvp2-GCncsrGfbg10mbgVg8-e2vRV0kv57mIgkuGNioXO6GEy9a6HUnzQJfBoeANyIZZkMW4tc1nPqD656cwQmEYEhJem99AOP/s200/stephen+mouse+rough.jpg)
So, how to interpret Stephen as a mouse? Well, I think of Stephen as having an elegance about him. For that reason I kept his fur simple and I wanted his cloak to have detail. Trim and perhaps an insignia. And for a weapon, he's have something more like an epee or saber fencing sword.
I drew the Stephen-mouse on one sheet of copy paper, and the tree-trunk with mushroom fungus on another and then assembled the parts in Photoshop (tinting the background a different color to help me visualize it). The thistle was also inserted digitally from a clip-art sheet of insignias (I suppose that means he's either from or has valiantly served Thistledown--the same town where Gwendolyn is from).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOdPpKwfLirxs5ZQqdIFGjf1W7f0bfApjIdqp7nZV3tgbeWwrSS-wzHGgh4yIt9cljGTMXjOBEeo-LJRH-_txVx5Dux7fz7m7kdo8axDVwzW5Aseof53zCoTRni-JifzU_L0d72dfsYRj/s200/stephen+mouse+inks.jpg)
With the layout assembled and printed on to copy paper, I can start inking it. I taped the printout to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series bristol. On my Huion lightpad, I can see through the surface of the bristol to the printout below and use that as a guide to ink from. For pens I used my trusty Copic Multiliner SPs...primarily the 0.7 nib that I like so much.
To make sure I could separate the background lines of the forest floor, I left a white gap between the foreground inks and the sticks on the ground. That not only helps visually separate them, but also makes it easier in the next step when I have to establish the color holds.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8CN1Eo_DsGPXDTToK4C9dEwb6GEYYDq9jAlNlF-7ke83H8OvMVU3xI3BQc6TiMIFG0W-iy6fmsl8y4AjCNYLvKyF24i5Ks4pbahkHleReDdPC-Tkc_X_HOiMNTML5zTuS5RG9gAwgnCH/s200/stephen+mouse+flats.jpg)
I scanned the inks and started to lay in flat colors as well as establish all the color holds (areas where I want the ink lines to be a color other than black) on the cloak details and the background floor.
Stephen's colors came to me very quickly: Brown fur, and a royal blue cloak. There is an elegance to that color that fits what I was going for, but beyond that I just associate Stephen with the color blue, so it was a natural fit. The mushrooms then get into an orangey-tan to compliment the wardrobe hues.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGInuIn7Ph3C7pOkXkK0cZMmm9s4CdHFP8_1LxzUl049M7FdVZ26PEN3_2Qk59ZvqQgIyWYMBNAbZCZmUQQAtUxapznLai7Bkpd2pwo5WvXUjzX4W5jC6G2-csiToXk8cSjMddahGKts6/s200/Stephen.jpg)
The last step was to render the colors by adding light and shadow as well as texture using the Dodge and Burn tools in Photoshop with a stock textured brush. I did some color adjustments from the flat colors, punching up the fungus color to be a bit more vivid.
I've told Stephen that his mouse 'Stjepan' may make it into the Weasel War as a casualty...and to not take that personally. It doesn't mean there aren't stories to tell about that mouse earlier in his life...
You can buy a print of Stjepan in my online store: mouseguard.bigcartel.com
2019 Appearances
Heroes Con June 14-16
San Diego Comic Con July 17-21
GenCon August 1-4
New York Comic Con October 3-6
Baltimore Comic Con October 18-20
The Fantastic Workshop Nov. 13-18
No comments:
Post a Comment