Adobe Illustrator CS2I really enjoy the look of super-tight comic book inking, say, along the lines of The Art of Comic Book Inking volumes 1 and 2 by Gary Martin. Some of the examples in those books stagger my mind as far as tightness, getting the perfect balance of light and dark, and making all the lines work so the image comes alive, not just putting down lines however you feel like it. Another awesome book about inking is Rendering in Pen and Ink by Arthur L. Guptill; a big tome of a book that's worth every hour to read it.
The figure came first; the background and text came later. First I sketched the figure in pencil, scanned it into Illustrator, then traced it with the pen tool. I did all the blacks first, working out shadows and forms until it stood alone as a solid black and white illustration. I then started applying flat colors: 4 shades for the armor, 3 shades for the gold-lighted glass (I didn't know how many layers of color I would use originally, that's just how it worked out).
All the little tapered lines are, for the most part, blended triangles, shaped to fit whatever form I needed. I'm not a big fan of outlines. I do wind up using them here and there, but I'm trying to get out of the habit. I try to think more in terms of light, shadow, and dimension, trying to figure out how to make 2D pop out like 3D. :)
18 comments:
Wow, this is not the typical illustration of The Armor of God but I like it. I have done my own illustration of these verses for my own prayer journal pages, but I used a more traditional, Roman -era suit of armor. This is really neat and I bet people at your church really liked it. And, tonight I really need to be reminded about putting on my armor and not trying to win the battle by myself, so thank you. :-)
Nice work, Andrew! Great graphic design and layout. :)
Hi Andrew, great work! So stylish!
Linda: I'm glad you like it, and glad I could help through Jesus Christ. :) Do you have your version posted somewhere? My personality leans towards comic-booky sci-fi, and laziness, hence this no-research version. I originally created this to spruce up my post of the study on another blog. Nearly every word flows with rich meaning, reminding Christians God's provided everything needed for this life and life hereafter.
Edward: Thank you very much! Your style is awesome! Makes me wish I did way more painterly art.
Cally: You have a very strong style and lots of great work! Your blog header alone makes me smile. :D
Fantastic again. I think it´s a great idea here the use of comic style.
THIS IS ABOUT THE COOLEST ILLUSTRATION OF THIS VERSE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! Totally out of the box wonderful and so powerful. I love it!!! Every Sunday school class in America should have this poster posted. Actually all of us need to have it posted to remind us of who we are! It's an all out war!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this piece of much needed art. Thanks so much for your very encouraging word as well left at my blog. They touched my heart in so many ways to bring healing. Thanks so much. I will keep moving towards my purpose!
Amazing work!!! Fantastic :)
Great design and love the way you did the words. Very original! Do you do this for every Sunday? I am impressed.
Lovely, graphic image - and that's a really nice bit of inking!
I absolutely love this illo. It is very powerful. I can't wait to show my grandfather, who at 96 still preaches this message. I am also going to work on my ink skills. Inspiration!
Tomas and Vanessa: I follow both your blogs, so obviously your fantastic art inspires me! Thank you for your kind comments. :)
ValGal and Lauren: Your designs and styles are eye-catching and exciting! Makes me wish I did some decorative-type work like yours. :)
Dave and Kim: Thank you for your comments. :) I didn't actually "ink" it though; it's done in Adobe Illustrator, although I did originally sketch it out in pencil and scan it. The man I mention in the description, though, Gary Martin, his inks are probably as tight as what I need Illustrator to do. My actual inks aren't terrible, but nowhere near this tight. :)
beautiful image-you have a very powerful style.
Wow! I love your blog and this image! Thanks for your kind comments. I really like how you describe how you work. A digital tutorial!
BTW LaurenF: Not every Sunday, just one time to advertise a Bible study I led (didn't actually get printed). I like a steady job doing something like that though.
Michael and Krista: Thank you very much for your generous comments. You both are incredible artists. :)
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