You may have noticed yesterday that Nathan Filliontweeteda very raffish portrayal of himself as Mal Reynolds from Firefly . This artwork is by Dan Dos Santos , who memorialize the Browncoat for Dark Horse ’s forthcoming Serenity comic for Free Comic Book Day . Dan took io9 through the process of drawing the most charming police captain in the ‘ verse .
The first step in any commission is build up ideas . These idea usually get going off as really rough scribblings , and finally develop into loose color survey which I pull in Photoshop ( seen below ) . When creating these sketches , I am bring special upkeep to consider where the type will go over the image , and am certain to keep these areas relatively uncomplicated in design so they do not conflict with the preset layout .
Because this image was to be used for a cover , as well as an ad , I had multiple character layouts to consider , as well as a specific color pallette that I needed to dumbfound to . These restrictions help constringe my alternative , giving me a good place to start , and a better estimation of what compositions will successfully fulfil the customer ’s needs . When I mat up that I had 3 good option , all depicting Mal in unlike mood , I presented them to Scott for consideration .
Having determine on Sketch # 1 , the next footprint is refining the take cartoon . To do this , I acquire mass total of reference material to aid me in making my prototype more realistic .
I get by taking a lot of photos of myself dress as Mal . Using a variety of random props I had place around , I come up with nice costume that although is not refined , would give me the information I needed to paint a convincing icon .
I strike a variety of poses , in dissimilar kindling correct - ups , and scoot several dozen pictures until I find something that I feel operate well . Since I would obviously be using Nathan Fillion ’s face , I was chiefly concerned with the body set .
The next step was to seek out a good snap of Mal ’s face to put onto the body extension . To do this , I watched the entire Firefly series again , as well as Serenity , take hundreds of screencaps whenever I saw a nice shot of Mal I thought I could utilise . I then went through all these human face , paste them on to the body reference I shot with the aid of Photoshop . Eventually , I found one that worked well . By combining screen captures , as well as custom reference , I can make a newfangled image of Mal that is convincing , yet original .
I used a fairly similar method for Serenity herself , conflate an amalgam of screencaps and three-D models to create the affectation I demand .
With all the reference in place , I can at last begin the actual house painting mental process . I start by redrawing my image directly onto my body of work surface , in this case , Strathmore 500 series illustration display board which I have primed with acrylic gesso . I line using a mechanical pencil , a kneaded eraser and a merge stub . I do n’t bother drawing much detail in areas that I get laid will be painted loosely or out of stress . alternatively , I focalise on the important areas , really detail out the look , hands , and costume of the main character reference . Once I confident in my drawing , I spray it with a executable fixative to preclude smudging . ( Step A )
With a dependable draught in place , I can start painting in petroleum . I take up by tone the surface with a gossamer dry wash of color , cautiously continue the Caucasian of the board in the particularly luminous areas . Not only does this give me a good working open for subsequent coats of rouge , but it also allows me to the overall palette of the effigy , helping me to make more precise color choice later on . ( Steps B & C )
Once the initial tone is dry ( usually a day after ) , I start paint more opaquely . I typically start with the background , since it is usually the messy constituent to paint . Soft edges and band of shading makes it very difficult to paint backgrounds ‘ around ’ a public figure , so it ’s much better to start with them . ( Step D )
I gradually work my elbow room forward , painting one chemical element at a time . Most things get a individual coating of paint , except for the fount and hands , which sometimes require 2 or 3 passes before I well-chosen with them . ( footstep E & F )
After everything is paint , and teetotal , I do a final pass of transparent blusher called ‘ glazing ’ . By diluting my blusher with linseed crude , I can make guileless layers of color that qualify fundamental layer , while not obscuring the details . This is a good way to alter colors and buoy up / darken areas as need until the image hire on a more cohesive appearance . ( whole tone G )
Lastly , I give the painting a few days to dry out , and then give it a coat of retouch varnish . The varnish add a nice even sheen to the painting , and allows me to take good picture of the house painting for procreation purposes .
you’re able to see more of Dan ’s art at hiswebsite . The Star Wars / Serenity Free Comic Book Day flip book by Zack Whedon comes out May 5 , 2012 .
ComicsFireflyJoss Whedon
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