STAR WARS finished line [large DL]"FIXED"

**DARKWATER** · May 5th, 2004, 08:19 PM

Johannes

Thanks!

Pencils-I use a 0.3 mechanical lead pencil, 2H,H,HB. I also use a 2mm clutch pencil Staedtler Mars-780. Both are extremly fine points, the clutch pencil can dull enough to be used to fill in blacks.

Paper-Strathmore Bristol 300 series, smooth finish, acid free, heavy weight.

The original art is done on 11x17 sheets, image area 10.5x15.7 approx.

They are reduced to approx. 65%

Brian Bolland is good, but I'm not inspired by his work.

Joseph Clement Coll, Dean Cornwell, N.C Wyeth, Alex Toth, now these guys rock my world, they are few out of many that do! Great artists! huge inspiration.

To be clear about "inspiration". For me Inspiration is something that motivates me to learn and grow as an artist, it moves me to draw when I don't want to. It gives the desire to become more than I am and that can only be done by drawing from life and from my imagination, it is not an adopted style or something I copy.

If you think that Bolland and I draw in a similar way, this is how you see it, and that's cool!

I for one am excited to see how I will be drawing in 1 year using my heart, eyes, and my hands as tools. I will not underestimate my own vision in favor for an established one. To me, that is the first big mistake anyone could make; and I would encourage all to have the courage to be patient, and allow their vision to develope into thier own language on the canvas/paper/screen. How many artists have we lost to the lack of confidence in thier own work? Thanks for the question Johannes, sorry for the rant

Darkstream,
Selection tools and channels in PS allow you to manipulate the image without affecting the rest of the art. The coloring is done "underneath" the pencil or line layer while preserving the line work in a channel. I will do a step by step at some point to show exactly how it is done.

Steeldolphin
Chris Chuckry did the colors on this stuff and it rocks!

Thanks and cheers!

**stiocray** · May 5th, 2004, 08:47 PM

I'm no big fan of Star Wars but i have to admit your pictures rock. I love the rendering.:chug:

**Ant4d** · May 5th, 2004, 09:42 PM

wow. crazy stuff

**JoshuaTheJames** · May 5th, 2004, 09:55 PM

Originally posted by DARKWATER

Joseph Clement Coll, Dean Cornwell, N.C Wyeth,

ahhh Thats awesome! I love those guys!

-Joshua

**DanSTC** · May 5th, 2004, 10:53 PM

Excellent!

If only the last two movies were half as cool as some of the spinoff storyline stuff like this.

**Ron** · May 5th, 2004, 11:35 PM

awesome detail. love it! I hope the color will be over your renderings, and not go through an inking stage as well—it doesn't need it!

**Johannes** · May 6th, 2004, 01:39 AM

Thanx for the well-filled answer. I think an artist is allowed to "rant" over his work, and I were "eager eyes" over your answer.

**Red_Rook** · May 6th, 2004, 10:31 AM

wow :eek: obscene amounts of cool.

**McNallyism** · May 6th, 2004, 10:36 AM

wow, these panels are so cool, it almost makes me like star wars again! incredible work on all fronts. Great linework, believable emotion, cool design, nice layouts, spot-on perspective and anatomy, and fidelity to the original characters and designs. it would be really, really cool, if you had some patially finished/in-progress drawings to show, so we can see your process.

My favorite panel is the one with the aftermath of the hangar strafing run, with the medic working on the downed storm trooper. Its just something that adds that extra bit of realism and drama to the scene.

oh yeah, and nice job capturing the "seventies-ness" of the old star wars movies, haha.

-Sean

**Cinsev** · May 6th, 2004, 11:53 AM

dang fine work, nice to see a star wars story about somebody other than the core heros.

i always said star wars was the smallest galaxy i had ever seen, becasue everybody is connected.

time to go and draw....

**Darkstream** · May 6th, 2004, 11:55 AM

Hey Darkwater, thats for the in depth explanation.

I've been messing with the bristol but wasn't sure what layout to use. Though i was unable to get 11x17, i think i picked up 14x21 or something, so now i need to lay an image area out on each page, rather than a quick off the edges. I use to use mechanicals then went back to traditional sharpening pencils. I've been going back to the mechanicals though, you just can't get the edge on regular pencils like you can them imo. I usually don't mess with channels when i color, i just create the lined layer in PS and make it a multiply effect, then you can see right through the white and color underneath on diff layers. But def some good work, keep it up!

**feeesh** · May 6th, 2004, 01:44 PM

Hey Darkwater, this is great work. Really superb! I have a question, any chenace you could tell us your real name? :-D Im just curious as I am a comics fan and tned to follow certain artists and Id like to know ourname so I can look up what other work you’ve done and look for you on future projects.

-Jason

**DARKWATER** · May 6th, 2004, 02:38 PM

Darkstream,
Your method may have some problems when it goes to print, like over saturation, do you trap your line?

Here is a template you can print out on 11x17 paper, or if you don't have a printer that can do it, you can resize it for 8.5x11 or bring the file to Kinko’s or the like, and have them print it out for you. This is the exact template I use for the pages. Anyway I hope this will help!

I WISH I COULD PROVIDE A URL, BUT I DON'T HAVE ONE YET, SO SORRY FOR THE BIG WHITE SPACE

**poly_cube** · May 6th, 2004, 03:16 PM

is the absolutely bleeding point the brackets at the end or actually inside the box? sorry if this seems like a painfully obvious question but I just don't know : (

**DARKWATER** · May 6th, 2004, 03:26 PM

Sorry, inside the box, the other indicators are where I trim the paper after I print it.

**DARKWATER** · May 6th, 2004, 03:57 PM

Here we go, I think this will be clear to most!

**yelahttam** · May 6th, 2004, 05:27 PM

If so, good on you mate, your best work to date, but you are out of your mind to shade in every single little black area, instead of just putting an "X"... Man, I used to do that, and my inkers kept saying "The ink beads up on the graphite, and you're wasting time by shading it all in..." I'm only sorry you're working for the Horse, I hope you get paid... - mh

**DARKWATER** · May 6th, 2004, 07:59 PM

Yep, and thanks Matt, love your work btw,
Are you going to San Diego this year?

**yelahttam** · May 6th, 2004, 08:04 PM

Yeah, I'm splitting a booth there this year, I'll also be roaming the halls at E3 next week. Haven't done much comics work lately, I got roped into a tv pilot, so that and working on "G.I. SPY" is taking up all of my time. That STAR WARS stuff really is sweet, do you have a website up yet for your other work? Cheers mate - mh

**DARKWATER** · May 7th, 2004, 09:11 AM

Thanks! As for a website, Not yet, but soon, I hope!

**Summer Pudding** · May 7th, 2004, 10:01 AM

stunning work.

**Ra Havok** · May 7th, 2004, 01:40 PM

Darkwater, you are a very talented man, and your draftmanship is uncanny - in a good sense, of course.

I love star wars (the old episodes , at least) and I love these drawings, therefore:

MUCH LOVE!!!

**Darkstream** · May 7th, 2004, 01:45 PM

Oh wow that is fantastic! thanks for putting that up. I've never known the exact cutoffs for the printing. I work at a newspaper so i know bleeds and what not, i know that can be a pain and you DEF have to have everything inside the line you don't want disappearing. hehe how far in does each box (red, blue) come in from the outside of the bracket? An industry set size or just for your printer?

**fitzroy** · May 7th, 2004, 06:07 PM

Just got to say, fantastic work.
Take the Bolland thing as a compliment, I would. I think it comes from the clean lines and naturalistic approach. Yours are far more detailed tho'. Love em.

Cheers

Fitz
www.freeantz.com

**fredflickstone** · May 7th, 2004, 08:17 PM

Um, these are absolutely amazing. How long does it take to work a panel?

Beautiful stuff.....

Ron

**Bishop Six** · May 8th, 2004, 12:41 AM

Awesome work! Really skillful -- compositionally and technically. I bought these comics when they were released, and I was really impressed by the art. I was sold on them as soon as I saw the first page. I remember talking with one of the guys at the comic book store about how this was the best art he'd ever seen in a star wars comic.

Please post more. I'd love to see some of your non-star wars work as well.

**DARKWATER** · May 12th, 2004, 08:31 PM

THanks guys!

Fredflickstone- one day to one day and a half for a comics page. All of this stuff took one day a page.

**Riddick** · May 15th, 2004, 04:46 AM

Woaw!
There is an amazing work behind all this!
A lot of details!
It is really a fantastic job!

**Montross** · May 15th, 2004, 01:04 PM

Great cover on Empire #19 Doug! Do you guys have to alternate on ever comic? It seems Brian Ching penciled this comic. He has a nice detailed style also. Besides the adamtation do you have any other Star Wars comics commin?

**DARKWATER** · May 15th, 2004, 04:15 PM

Riddick, thanks man!

Montross, no, there is no alternating. Depending on how long the books take with the artists involved usually determines what book they are doing and when, special projects also affect who is doing what. Nope, the EPIII adaptation is keeping me very busy, I may be going monthly on one of the other StarWars titles after I'm done the adaptation. Also, I may be doing some more covers if there is time!

Thanks dude!