Inking the King
Creating a Convention poster
It's that time of the year again - Comic Con season! One of my favorite shows, the Albany Comic Con, is taking place in my hometown. This comic-centric show focuses on comics and showcases many talented artists from the NY area.
I have been asked to design the show poster and flyers for the upcoming event on June 9th. My good buddy, John Belskis the organizer asked me to incorporate a Kirby Marvel influence into the design, which is great because I'm a huge Kirby fan. This is going to be a lo’s going to be a lot of fun!
I began by searching the web for the perfect image. After a few searches, I stumbled upon the perfect image (below). It has many of Kirby’s creations and that classic Silver Age Marvel feel.
I then import the image into Clip Studio Paint and trace it using non-photo blue. I plan to do the final inking by hand.
I printed my blue lines, so I could ink on the board. I could have digitally inked the art in Clipstudio, but I am going for a more traditional feel and want an original hard copy of the art for the show.
I continue by inking the blue lines using ink, brushes, and whiteout on the bristol.
While I made some slight variations in inking over Kirby, I found it best to stick close to what Jack did. He is the king for a reason.
After inking the artwork, I scanned the inked board and imported it into Photoshop to add the color.
Once the coloring is complete I bring the art into Indesign and add the logo, the con info, and a background color to make the type pop.
The Albany Comic Con is Sunday, June 9th. If you are in the area stop by and say hi. Here is the link for the show: