The Hired Hand process

Here's a post about the making of the illustration I did for Arrow Films blu-ray release of The Hired Hand.

My first sketch was drawn in Procreate on the iPad, and was approved straight away.

I then imported that into Manga Studio and started adding layers of photo ref, screen-grabbed from a dvd of the movie along with a photo of my legs to add to the main figure...

A tight pencil drawing was then done over that on a new layer...

Then I added a layer of rough airbrush colours, along with a scan of some real paper textures...

Then I started drawing into that with coloured pencils. I did the big head first...

And then the rest...

KILL OR BE KILLED, VOL. 1 TP

KILL OR BE KILLED, VOL. 1 TP
 
STORY: ED BRUBAKER

ART: SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER

COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS

JANUARY 18 / 120 PAGES / FC / M / $9.99

The darkly twisted story of a young man forced to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret as it slowly begins to ruin his life and the lives of his friends and loved ones. Both a thriller and a deconstruction of vigilantism, KILL OR BE KILLED is unlike anything this award-winning team has done before.

Collects KILL OR BE KILLED #1-4

OFFERED AGAIN
CRIMINAL, VOL. 1-7 TP
THE FADE OUT DELUXE HC
FATALE, VOL. 1-5 TP
SCENE OF THE CRIME DELUXE HC

KILL OR BE KILLED #5

KILL OR BE KILLED #5
 
STORY: ED BRUBAKER

ART: SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER

COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS

JANUARY 18 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

NEW STORY ARC

BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS’ runaway bestseller just keeps going! Now that we’ve seen the origin of our killer, it’s only a matter of time before the NYPD realizes they have a vigilante on their streets.
The first issue of this new arc releases the same day as the first KILL OR BE KILLED trade, and is a perfect jumping on point for readers who’ve missed out so far. And every issue has all the backpage extras that BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS fans have come to expect.

OFFERED AGAIN
KILL OR BE KILLED #1-4 (CURRENT PRINTINGS)

KILL OR BE KILLED screenprint

Limited edition, hand-pulled, five-colour screenprint on Canaletto Velino 300gsm paper.

50 x 70 centimetres / 19.5 x 27.5 inches

Ships October 2016

Limited edition, hand-pulled, five-colour screenprint on Canaletto Velino 300gsm paper.

50 x 70 centimetres / 19.5 x 27.5 inches

Variant produced exclusively for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2016

Ships October 2016













Available to pre-order from seanphillips.bigcartel.com

KILL OR BE KILLED #2 Out next week

This is probably my favourite panel from this issue, Bettie did such a beautiful colour job here...

KILL OR BE KILLED #4

STORY: ED BRUBAKER
 
ART:SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER
 
COVER:SEAN PHILLIPS
 
NOVEMBER 16 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

END OF STORY ARC
 
The shocking end to the first arc, as Dylan's secret collides with his home life.

BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS’s new series keeps the hits coming, and remember, each issue includes fantastic back page extras and articles.

The Hired Hand

Here's a high res version of the Blu-Ray cover I painted for Arrow Films, out in November...

KILL OR BE KILLED #3

KILL OR BE KILLED #3
STORY: ED BRUBAKER
ART: SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER
COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS

OCTOBER 12 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

As our hero is drawn deeper into the shadows, his secret vigilante life begins to put everything he cares about in danger.

Brubaker and Phillips biggest hit yet continues, and every issue includes fantastic back page extras and articles!

The Fade Out Deluxe Edition

The Fade Out Deluxe Edition HC

Story By: Ed Brubaker

Art By: Sean Phillips

Colour By: Elizabeth Breitweiser

Cover By: Sean Phillips

Published: October 12, 2016

Diamond ID: JUL160832

Winner of the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series!

The most ambitious project yet from the award-winning team of ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS, with acclaimed color artist ELIZABETH BREITWEISER—finally available in the gorgeous deluxe edition their fans have come to expect! A picture-perfect recreation of a lost era, THE FADE OUT is an instant classic from one of comics most acclaimed teams. Collects THE FADE OUT #1-12.

Print: $49.99

Kill Or Be Killed preview

Coming Soon...

KILL OR BE KILLED #1

STORY: ED BRUBAKER

ART: SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER

COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS

AUGUST 3 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

The bestselling team of ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS (THE FADE OUT, CRIMINAL, FATALE) launch their new monthly series: KILL OR BE KILLED, the twisted story of a young man who is forced to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret as it slowly ruins his life and the lives of his friends and loved ones. Both a thriller and a deconstruction of vigilantism, KILL OR BE KILLED is unlike anything BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS have ever done.

OFFERED AGAIN

THE FADE OUT, VOL. 1-3 TP

FATALE, VOL. 1-5 TP

CRIMINAL, VOL. 7: WRONG TIME, WRONG PLACE TP

STORY: ED BRUBAKER

ART / COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS

SEPTEMBER 7 / 112 PAGES / FC / M / $14.99

ADVANCE SOLICIT

BRUBAKER and PHILLIPS return to their multiple award-winning series for two interlinked tales of the Lawless family in the 1970s. Teeg Lawless is trapped behind bars with a price on his head, doing anything he can to survive, while Tracy Lawless celebrates his twelfth birthday riding shotgun on a mission of death.

Collects CRIMINAL: SPECIAL EDITION and CRIMINAL: 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

OFFERED AGAIN

CRIMINAL, VOL. 1-6 TP

SCENE OF THE CRIME HC

Phono+Graphic is coming to Toronto...

Black Mama, White Mama

Here's the full wrap-around cover I painted for Arrow Video's upcoming release of Black Mama, White Mama...

The Fade Out- Process

As the Fade Out finished a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd share the process for one of the pages...

First, I get the script from Ed and make a thumbnail sketch in my sketchbook. I'm only interested in storytelling here, not in doing a nice drawing. There's enough information here for me to shoot any photo ref and search out any other ref I'll need.

Then I switch to working on my Cintiq using Manga Studio, and start pencilling. I usually have my ref photos on another monitor and sketch from them freehand, but for the final panel here I dropped my photo ref into the page, along with a background in the first panel, to make sure I get a more accurate finished drawing later.

Then, on another layer I ink the pencils with a couple of Ray Frenden's Manga Studio brushes...

...And then I draw in some grey tones on another layer to finish up the page.

The flattened page is then sent to Bettie to colour up in Photoshop.

I add the colour file to the lettering and panel borders I've made previously in Illustrator and then the page is finished...

Dillinger

I painted the cover for Arrow Film's April release of Dillinger on Blu-ray...

CRIMINAL 10th Anniversary Special

The Eisner Award-winning team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (THE FADE OUT, FATALE, Sleeper) will release a brand-new 64-page one-shot of their acclaimed noir series CRIMINAL in April.
It's been ten years since CRIMINAL launched and to celebrate, Brubaker and Phillips, with acclaimed color artist Elizabeth Breitweiser, are bringing us their darkest and strangest tale yet: a twisted ‘70s noir about a father and son on the run.
“Teeg and Tracy Lawless are our most popular characters, so I knew this Anniversary Special had to showcase their early days,” said Brubaker. “A big part of Criminal is finding new ways into noir stories, and this time we get to see it all from the point of view of a 12-year-old kid forced to help his father, who is a career thief and murderer.”
Known for its creative experimentation, this novella-length CRIMINAL story features a comic-within-the-comic, a bizarre ‘70s-era KUNG FU magazine starring a werewolf.
"Once again I get to try out a new style, after the cartooning of The Last Of The Innocent, and the sword and sorcery of last year's Savage Sword of Criminal,” said Phillips. “This time I get to figure out how to draw a kung-fu werewolf without him looking too silly. Let's hope I can pull it off! Even if I can't, it's great to be back in the Criminal universe again, it's like we've never been away."
This 10th Anniversary Special also comes in a magazine-sized variant featuring the star of the comic-within-the-comic—a perfect companion to last year's SAVAGE SWORD OF CRIMINAL magazine-sized variant.
CRIMINAL: 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (Diamond code: NOV158430) hits stores Wednesday, April 13th. CRIMINAL: 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, DEADLY EDITION: MAGAZINE-SIZE VARIANT (Diamond code: NOV158431) will also be available on Wednesday, April 13th. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, March 21st.