I got a lot of input on my last post pointing out the problems with the image (especially the nighttime one) and they were all spot on. I really appreciate all the advice people have given and the critiques people have taken the time to make. So many people are afraid of hurting someone's feelings so they won't say anything. Honesty is very valuable to me and it has helped me far more than a pat on the back.
I am finally happy with the process from line art to finished color. I still have mountains to learn, but I'm starting off in the right place.

Having finalized the process of page creation I figured it was time for a stress test. I gave myself a page with several characters and a fairly detailed background with a 6 hour time limit and simulated surprise editorial changes. From start to finish this page was 45 minutes of thumbnails, 2 1/2 hours from layouts to final inks (I used Sketchup to do the background line work) as a time saver), and 3 1/2 hours colors. I flatted this myself which added 2 hours to the process. That's something I won't usually do. Once I completed the colors, I acted as if I the script forgot to mention the scene took place at night and I had to do a hasty revision. The changes I made took about 45 minutes.

Not entirely happy with the first version. The main reason for that is I decided to go for a daytime shot and those tend to bore me. I like a little more drama.

This is very close now to what I'm going for. I need to punch up the line work a bit and be careful about simplification in the wrong places. I switched to rendering the backgrounds by hand rather than relying on 3D renders. It's more time consuming, but much better looking. 

Page sample.

I've been out of town for the past week (which is why I haven't updated in several days). While I was gone I tried pushing things by producing an entire full color page in one day. I achieved my goal, but it really highlighted a couple of issues I have. First and foremost is dealing with value (the progression from light to dark) and using it to bring things forward and dropping things back. I think this can be addressed by abandoning Sketchup for full color backgrounds and by reversing the working process. I like to flat in darker colors and then throw light over the top, cutting away areas for shadow. While this method feels natural for me I don't have the chops to pull it off effectively yet. What I need to do is work shadows in in gray tones and overlay them over the flat colors. This will enable me to familiarize myself with value. Once I have some work under my belt and can recognize what works then perhaps I can switch to the light over dark method.
The layout for this page is taken from an issue of Avengers Assemble I did and reworked with new characters and backgrounds.

This is a really quick panel. I  wanted to see realistically how quickly I could work. Also I was fiddling with the idea of not varying line weight. While the lack of line weight works fine for animation, it looks scratchy and unrefined for a comic. Also I'm not really feeling these Sketchup based backgrounds. They look cold and stiff. I will be using them now and again for detailed background work and reference, but not for everything.
So once again I've got an image I'm not happy with, but I've learned a lot from. While I hate posting these I do appreciate the input people have given. Hopefully it encourages others to try new things and share them as well!

Practice piece 4. This is the most successful piece so far. Line work, color, and background all combine in a way that I like. Still not there, but definitely better than the last 3. 

Practice piece number 3. A very simple drawing because I simply wanted to try a little more line weight variation and see how things looked trying 2 levels of light. While I think this works for what it is, it's still not where I want to go. Adding a second layer of lighting makes things look overdone to me and also would take precious time that I cannot afford to squander if I want to meet deadlines. 

This is my second practice piece fiddling with color and style. It's hard to post this because there is almost nothing I like about it. I learned quite a bit from my errors however so while I'm not happy with the work I can look at it for reminders on what not to do.

New Direction

I'm currently transitioning into new and entirely different projects. As this happens I am trying to approach the work in a new way. Color has always made me nervous and doing full color work in a timely manner has been an intimidating prospect. I've found the best way to learn something is to just start doing it. This is the first practice piece I did trying to discover a new style and working method. I will continue to post these learning pieces daily. Sometimes they'll suck and sometimes they'll be okay, but each one will be a step further down the road. I wonder where it will lead.

Lunchtime Sketch- Agent Smith

One Hour. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Gonna try a different take on these. Working toward a very simple style that brings animated films to mind.

Lunchtime Sketch- Catwoman 2035

Lines Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

I spent all my time on the drawing so I had to rush out the color. It was an experiment in lighting. For a rush job I'm fairly happy with it. I'd like to revisit a Batman 2035 univers. Expect more with this theme.

Lunchtime Sketch- Big Barda

2 hours. Line Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Work- The Dangerous World of a Man Who Does Not Exist

So I haven't been posting Lunchtime Sketches as much this past weekend because I've been using the time to work on a side project. Here's a bit of detail from it...

Lunchtime Sketch- Spidey

1 hour. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Bit of a quickie. Took a few days off from these. Can I tell you how much I'd love to do a Spider-Man book in this style?

Lunchtime Sketch- The Best There Is

45 minutes. Line Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

This was a quickie. Thinking that starting February I need to push the boundaries of these. Time to learn more.

Lunchtime Sketch- Wild Monk

Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

I ran out of time on this one. I'm going to revisit it and refine it later.

Lunchtime Sketch- I Hate Your Whimper

1 1/2 Hours. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Doctor Strange

One hour. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- I'm not saying it's Giorgio Tsoukalos, but...

1 hour. Line Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop

Daily Sketch- Classic Cyberman

1 Hour 15 Minutes. Lines Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- NO CAPES!

This is what I think of every time I draw a Superman story. 
I had to rush through this one. It's a bit sloppy :(

1 hour 15 minutes. Line Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Skydoll

1 hour. Photoshop.

If you're not familiar with Barbara Canepa and Alessandro Barbucci's Skydoll then I encourage you to seek it out! Marvel Comics did an English translation available in the States. Beautiful book.

Lunchtime Sketch- The Ever Lovin' Blue Eyed Thing

45 minutes. Line Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Deadline Looms. Missed yesterday. :( 

Lunchtime Sketch- Six Two Six

1 1/2 hours. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

My favorite Disney flick.

Lunchtime Sketch- Potions Master

1 1/2 Hours. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop

I know he doesn't look like Alan Rickman, but when I first read Snape's description this is what I pictured. This is how he'll always look in my min's eye.

Lunchtime Sketch- Xenomorph

Busy day today so this is a quickie. Line Manga Studio. Color Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Catwoman

2 hours. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

I took some extra time today to fiddle with the Smudge Tool.

Lunchtime Sketch- Great Scott!

One Hour. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Two, with noodles.

Line work- Ball point pen on paper. Colors Photoshop

50 minutes. I had to get this one done in pieces and in a hurry. Today was a busy day. The drawing is a doodle I made in a sketchbook in between doing other things. As a result it's not quite up to the standards of my previous sketches. I'll do better tomorrow!

Working...

On the drawing table toinght...

Lunchtime Sketch- The Joker

1 1/2 hours. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Bee and Puppycat

2 hours (there were a lot of interruptions!) Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

If you haven't seen the wonderful Bee and Puppycat you can watch it here!

Bee and Puppycat on YouTube

Lunchtime Sketch- Loki

1 1/2 hours. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- KIDNEYS!

1 1/2 hours. Line Work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Lunchtime Sketch- Hellboy One Hour. Line Work Manga Studio. Color Photoshop. See the step by step process here-

Hellboy Sketch Process

Lunchtime Sketch- Vampirella

One nour. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

Daily Sketching

These daily sketches have been a really great thing. I know they're not always the best, but they've kept my momentum up and helped me learn new things. I give myself up to an hour and a half to finish them although I try to keep it down to an hour or less. It helps keep me from over thinking things and get to the essence of what I want to communicate. As an added bonus (and a counterintuitive one) it's actually sped up my regular work.

If you're an artist of any sort- writing, music, painting, whatever- I recommend challenging yourself in this way. Use your lunch break to try to produce a complete piece. The results may surprise you. 

Alien: Isolation GAMEPLAY Debut Trailer

Lunchtime Sketch- Mojo Jojo

1 1/2 hours. Line work Manga Studio. Colors Photoshop.

They're Baaaaack

Post by The Powerpuff Girls.

Lunchtime Sketch- Darth Vader
1 hour. Photoshop.

Thundarr The Barbarian Intro & Closing Credits *Best Quality*

How could you not instantly love this? 

Lunchtime Sketch- Spidey and Venom
1 hour. Photoshop

Late night color doodle

Lunchtime Sketch- Thundarr

If true then this is awesome news!

Agent Carter Series is a Go!

Page process. Letters/Inks/Colors.

Colors by Matt Wilson. Letters by Nate Piekos.

Lunchtime Sketch- Mister Freeze

New Art Tumblr

Inspired by it being a new year and all I've decided to finally dust off an old, unused Tumblr account and start a sketch blog. It'll be updated fairly regularly with sketches, layouts, doodles, notes, and other odds and ends that people don't generally get to see. Keep in mind there's a bit of NSFW content there so if nipples offend you the stick with what I share here where the content is sanitized.

 In the past I've spent most of my social media time on Facebook. I intend to change that this year by focusing more on this blog and the art Tumblr. If you're already following me on Facebook or Twitter and don't want to switch, fear not. Everything that I post here will hit Facebook and Twitter as well! The new Tumblr can be found here--

SHUT UP AND DRAW