Have been accumulating several blank comic covers, so I’ve been trying to work on a few of those sketchcovers recently.
First up was a new Joker/Harley Quinn comic.
I based it on a picture I took in San Diego of cosplayer Donald Strand as the Joker. He and his wife Tara are part of the Gotham Public Works costuming group and perform as Harley Quinn and Mr. J. Always a great pleasure to see them at Comic Con.
I’ve used them both as reference before- the shot of Donnie above is from another shot I took at SDCC one year. Next Harley Quinn cover I draw WILL have Tara featured on it.
After getting the pencil drawing tight, and a slight bit of shading with it I broke out my Copic markers and started laying in some greens for the hair, tie, and vest.
Then came the purples, grey, and pinks to finish the Joker and his clothes, and a big splash of Golden Yellow and Honey for the background. I used Micron pens for the line work on the inks, and Prismacolor White pencils and Copic Opaque White (with a small detail brush) for the highlights.
For the back I just continued his shoulder around the spine, and then added the playing card face.
Once I finished each side I sprayed the illustrations with Krylon Matte Finish fixative.
Nicki and I are both big Doctor Who fans, and especially like the 4th Doctor– Tom Baker. When I got a “Four Doctors” sketchcover, I couldn’t resist drawing the fourth Doctor– who was actually mine and Nicki’s first Doctor.
This one was done similar to the Joker cover- pencils first, then started with Copics on the hat, scarf, jacket, then face and hair. Finished with Microns, Copic White and Prismacolor pencil.
Added the 4th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver to the back cover and called this one done.
Will be working on more sketchcovers over the next few months. It’s getting too cold to paint out in the garage, at least it is this weekend. You never know about the weather around here.
If you are interested in getting some of your own blank sketchcovers to draw on, check with your local comic shop or eBay. Lots to choose from. You can also see more of the ones I’ve done here on my website in the comics section. I’ll be posting more info on how you can purchase one of my originals soon.
Lin