#020: Splashing Out

Knee Deep In Secret Wars

Hello, and thanks for checking out another edition of SWINGIN’ LEAD — I hope this missive finds you well!

I’m a couple of weeks into the latest MARVEL MULTIVERSE RPG expansion (based on SECRET WARS); most of my rough sketches have now been approved, and I’m a quarter of the way through pencilling the entire series of splashes. As I said before, I wanted to really push myself on this book, focusing on striking compositions, interesting character dynamics and credible lighting/anatomy, so that I might be able to score some cover work off the back of them. Well, there might be some cover work coming down the pike already, but that’s not the purpose of this intro.

Inevitably, when I’m working on splashes and covers, I’ll turn to one of my artistic heroes for inspiration: Movie poster artist DREW STRUZAN, who we sadly lost recently. Gen X and Elder Millennials will have grown up seeing Drew's amazing work in their local cinemas, and Star Wars fans of all ages will be familiar with his posters for Episodes 1-6. Drew’s compositions have always been something to aspire to, but his skill has always seemed unobtainable to me. Particularly, I’ve always been intimidated by Drew’s beautiful pencil work.

There’s a verisimilitude to Drew’s portraits that’s at odds with the very apparent pencil strokes and rough shading that comprises them; one should cancel out the other, but they only make his work more striking to me. It’s a quality I’m finally compelled to figure out through exploration, so I’ve bought some toned paper and begun my own fumbled attempts at portraiture; I don’t expect to ever achieve the skill of the late master, but if I can adopt the techniques and deepen my understanding of lighting and form I’d love to ultimately start experimenting with incorporating it into my comic book style and seeing what comes up.

We’re a while off that lofty goal - but here’s my second attempt at a portrait of Hugh Jackman (as Logan, naturally).

I’m still exploring the techniques but it’s already a lot of fun. I’m focusing on enjoying the process and following my instincts, rather than making this a strictly academic effort, so I’ll see where it ends up. I’ll keep you posted on my progress here ocassionally!

Writer Cavan Scott recently sat down with AIPT to talk about IRON & FROST in an interview that also presents an exclusive look at the opening pages of issue 2, which will give a little more detail on that reveal from the end of issue one. You can check the interview and preview pages here.

MARVEL MULTIVERSE RPG: SECRET WARS EXPANSION

I really made it my mission to put composition at the centre of all my creative decisions on these splashes; no matter how cool I thought a pose or idea was, if I couldn’t realise it in a way that was pleasing to the eye overall, I had to ditch it. The result, so far, has been pretty satisfying! While I might share crops and progress shots, I’m really eager to get the final pages in front of you guys!

IRON & FROST #1 ORIGINAL ART

Okay, this is more “Off the drawing board” than on it, but my art dealer Geoff has listed all of my original art pages from IRON & FROST #1 on his site; 4 pages from this issue were inked by Roberto Poggi, and I did two digitally before I opted to go back to traditional inking, so there are 14 original pages of mine up there right now for purchase!

IRON & FROST #2 (NOV 12th)

Alright, back to work! It feels good to not be under so much pressure that I can get these newsletters out consistently again. I continue to be grateful for your time and support, and if there’s anything you’d ever like for me to discuss here - any question you want answered - just let me know. Until next time…

All the best!

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