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.