The Angel ’s in the detail

Scott reveals his process for a comic book cover, the same process he uses for everything he draws

1 create Thumbnail

This is the rough thumbnail. I create it in the sketching program Alchemy, which forces me to think clearly because there’s no undo command. Thumbnails are really rough, and mostly for my eyes only.

2 submit for approval

Next, I take the Alchemy rough into Photoshop and bang it around until it’s good enough to get my point across to the art director or editor. Likenesses are off, proportions are off and lots will change, but it’s enough for now.

3 Attention to detail

Once I have approval, I pay close attention to the details and hone my drawing. The aim here is to give myself a firm foundation to play on top of. In the next stage, I don’t want to think about how to redraw a hand, I want to be liberated to just paint. So I’m doing my homework here.

4 Taking risks with your art

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with lines and I try to use their energy to lead you around the piece. I’m a texture junkie, and have folders of scanned textures I can throw over an image to dirty it up and avoid the clinical feel that’s often in digital art. I want the viewer to see my hand in the work, to know an artist was there making marks, taking risks. I’m not going to polish all of that out. It just isn’t who I am.