Leinil Francis Yu is one of my favorite comic book artist and I was psyched to hear he would be joining Mark Wade on the Marvel Now book, Indestructible Hulk. Not since Paul Pelletier took over the book several years ago have I been so excited about oncoming Hulk artist. And let me say, Yu has not disappointed with his detailed, hyper-kinetic style.
Pen & Ink/Watercolor on 140lbs paper 10x7
This swipe is from the inaugural issue and really set the stage for the book thus far. I loved this splash page and had to try it. I simplified the background quite a bite because I was more interested in trying out my watercolor pans.
My previous watercolors on top of pen & ink were done using watercolor pencils. While I liked the final results, I was never able to manage the blended colors that I so wanted to achieve. For this picture I employed the cotman watercolor pan set, and the result was much more freer and loose. I really enjoyed the process.
Here is the picture in black and white after I inked it. I used micron 05, 08 and brush to ink the drawing.
Well, they all cannot be winners. It started out by putting too much water on the paper and then choosing two blues that were far too similar for the contrast I wanted. It went down hill from there. Not having a clear idea of what colors I wanted to use for the polar bear did not help either. I did the initial pencil sketch of the bear back in 2006.
Watercolor on 140lbs paper 14x11
I think if I had not decided to use stipple on the bear, I might like this better. That said, I am happy to have finally finished this one. All in all, it did not come out too badly.
A friend of mine has been showing me photos of the magnificent view from their house at sunrise. Not a bad way to start the day. I am very happy with how this turned out, especially the wet on wet look of the water (something I have been struggling to master).
Watercolor on 140lbs paper 9x12
This was the first painting where I used a masque pen to block out shapes. Technically, since the clouds were darker than the morning sky, I could have painted on top of it once the paint dried. I had been meaning to try the pen and this was as good an opportunity as any. Below is the painting when I pulled off the latex.
I had the
incredible opportunity to spend the week of New Years Eve in Key West.
While staying at our friends time share, I took advantage of the
wonderful weather to do some sketching. With these three sketches, I am
now past the halfway point of my goal of actually finishing a sketch
book.
Watercolor on paper 9x7 There was an
enchanting swing by the pool that overlooked the ocean. I never did
take advantage of the swing, but many people did.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
The
first painting that I did down in the Keys. This is the view from the
balcony of the windward side of the island that I woke to every
morning. We ate breakfast every day sitting out here, watching the
joggers, cyclists, boaters and wavecraft drivers. I completed this in
about 10 minutes, just a quick sketch in ink and a rough watercolor. It
was the perfect way to start the trip.
Watercolor on paper 9x7
The
pool at the complex was always filled with clusters of sun worshipers
avoiding the northern cold. In previous trips, I had contemplated many
times sketching down here, but never sketching this scene. I always
felt it was a bit more complex than I was capable of doing. But when
the mood struck me, I just went with it and became lost in the process.
There is nothing more "zen" for me than painting in this matter.
I
think this trip was a major success in many ways. Sun, watercolor
& rum runners is Big Medicine. And to top it all off, I met Guy
Fieri at the airport. A great way to end a great vacation.
