Thursday, April 23, 2015

Chapter 163 . New Drawing, and How it all Happened...


Good day.
So, here it is,  the final product, The Avengers Poster, something I have had in mind for quite a while:
The Avengers Poster

And yes, I drew that.
This is the question I get most often, did you draw that? And how?
The answer is always the same and quite simple, yes, I drew that, with a pen.
A digital one if you really want to know.
And I use one software only, I do it all in Adobe Illustrator.
Voila.
That's pretty much all.

But, let's have fun this time, and have an imaged look at the process.
Here, I wanted to give a retro type of look to the poster.
I had been thinking about drawing one of the Avengers for a long time, and I guess I was finally ready.
Because I knew the feel I wanted to give, I approached that one in a completely different way that usually.
First, I designed the structure, the template basically, where are the images going to be, the title, etc...
Usually, I start by drawing the characters, or the background, and then, I contract my structure so to speak, but by doing it this way, you open a door to a possibility you have not "
yet" foreseen, and so, you end up with a completely different product than the one originally intended.
This, can be very good.
But not if you want to stick to your original idea.
Anyhow, as soon as I had a rough template, I entirely designed the title and fonts area.
here it is:
Title

Then, I drew Loki, I needed to see where this was going.
I drew him in his original or classic costume, but gave him the Spear from the movie, and here he is:
Loki

And here is where I was at:
Template 1

Note that I had already worked quite a lot with the textures and the feel the poster will have in the end.

Now, I just had to... Draw all the characters one by one in their respective little boxes.
Now, it was going to be fun because, except for Captain America, I never drew any of the others.
But then and again, it will probably also be a challenge of some sort.
So, I sat down and did what I do, I drew.

First, I wanted to draw Hawkeye, again, to keep the retro feel, in his original costume.
Here he is:
Hawkeye

Then, it was the time to draw the insane beast, The Hulk:
The Hulk

Lots and lots of fun to do!
Note that I use a limited amount of colours and shades, but I think it works very well actually!
Here is where we're at:
Template 2

OK, the harmony of colours is working, let's keep on drawing.
Time for the man of steal, the other one, not the blue and red guy from DC, but Iron Man instead:
Iron Man

And here's the template again:
Template 3

OK, things are coming along nicely.
I especially like the front leg of Iron Man, I couldn't really say why...

Now, the First Avenger, Captain America:
Captain America

And the full view:
Template 4

Oh yes, it is most definitely working!
One always think it is going to work, but never know for sure until it's done... Duh...
But here, it's working, even if there is some things that are annoying me, like the texture which I will have to entirely rework, and the stars. Not fond of those...

Anyhow, time for the God of Thunder, Thor!
Thor

And, again, the template:
Template 5

Ok, one more, the lady, and I will be ready for the next step!
So, here is The Black Widow:
The Black Widow

I really like her, I mean, the result of the illustration, and I am especially fond of her hair...
Template 6

And again, it works!
Note also the background colours, in the back of the characters, I stayed very conventional, but it works, there is a unity folks!

Ok, There is something else I have done here, I have changed the stars... Entirely...
Look, her is how they were:
Original Stars

And here is how they are after the rework:
New Stars

Quite different hey?!
Yea, but I am not satisfied with those at all...
I will have to wait until the middle of the night to realize what I would have to do, and so, here are the final stars:
Final Stars

I also entirely reworked the texture, the background colour of the poster, and the SHIELD logo in the back.
And here we are:
Template 7

And now, a last little touch, the big villain, Thanos to complete the structure, and the poster itself:
Thanos

And here is, once again, the completed piece:
Final Template: The Avengers Poster


Voila, it was a lots of fun and a fair amount of work, but it was worth it!
You wanna purchase it?
Here is the deal:
Avengers Poster Print Options


And, on that note, I would like to wish you a good day,
And as always, behave yourself Peeps!

Sincerely,

Serge
23rd April 2015

Monday, April 6, 2015

Chapter 162 . New Illustration . My Wife in Japan...


My dear wife is an artist...
Those things happen...

She makes very complex luminaries, complicated and intricate pieces, made from local material, usually.
It is impossible to describe what she does, this will be the only attempt, but it is of a stunning beauty tho be able to admire the completed pieces.

Then, she sells the pieces.
That's how she makes a living.

I will post her work another time, so stay tuned if you're interested.

Now, last week or so I made a poster for an exhibit in NYC, but this time it was time to do another one for Japan.
Ah, Japan...
I already ranted about that, the trick is to represent the artist, the place of the exhibit, and give the predominant feeling of the event.
This is what I came up with:
Stéphanie Crétat . Japan Exhibit


I am quite fond of that one, there is a lots of hidden details, and the illustration tells a lot.
I also used some new technics, that I will experiment further in a near future, like for the clouds in the back for instance.

Last, I had chosen since the beginning to give this Japan feeling by doing a reference to a Japanese artist I respect a great deal.
Can you figure it out Peeps?

This said, have a good day and all that jazz.

Cheers

Serge
April 6th 2015

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Chapter 161 . New Illustration . JJ Cale . Pack My Jack


Yes, I've been moving to the highway
Rambling man keeps rambling on
Yes, I've been moving to the highway
Rambling man keeps rambling on
Well, you can't seem to see it my way
Pack my jack and I'll be gone...

On July 26, 2013, John Cale passed away, leaving us with his Oh so wonderful music.
Pack my Jack is a poster I drew in 24 hours, a sort of happy remembrance, memories, souvenir...
Pack my Jack . JJ Cale Poster

Print Available - The Winter Soldier
18x24 - $46 CA + Shipping
12x18 - $30 CA + Shipping
To Order Your Print: Simply email sergefoglio@gmail.com
with the name of your print and the size


Sometime ago, I wrote a blog on Mr. Cale, here it is:
Link to JJ's Article

Last, here's the song Pack my Jack, one last time...



OK, that's all for today Folks,
Have a great evening.

Sincerely,

Serge
1st April 2015