The Synthesis Of Traditional and Digital

In Belgrade this Thursday, starting the first Balkan Illustration Symposium. Lots of good illustrators, lectures, demonstrations... I will also take part of this symposium (on Saturday), and I will demonstrate my illustration technique. This work is a good example for the synthesis of traditional and digital - my presentation theme at the symposium ...

Super Floating Monkey Boy and the Blonde Girl’s Flying Head

Drawing comes from my sketchbook, and when I finished it digitally, I've used for the Parka's drawing contest #5 Super Lame Heroes...

Fade To Grey

Continue with the drawings for the new edition of Kindly Corpses... Before I fall to pieces and fade to gray, hear what Andrej Grammatik has to say:

"We are doing our best to give up ownership of our bodies…

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique

…We are consumers  who spend our bodies. Running to buy hip products, we are running out of our bodies… The market puts us under pressure: a new kidney design is in, a new type of the lungs is desirable…"

Andrej Grammatik - Detail of the comic panel

"It is as we coexist with our demons. We are simultaneously on the inside and outside of ourselves. We are free, and we are nowhere..."

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique

The first 34 pages of graphic novel Kindly Corpses in PDF format for free download, you can expect very soon!

Winged Nazgul sketches

One very interesting art challenge is now open. The theme is "Eowyn and the Nazgul", and more about this can be found on the blog Muddy Colors. I'm not a big fan of "Lord of the Rings", but the challenge is very appealing to illustrate. So, I began to make sketches of Nazgul’s creature, first...

Fell Beast / pencil, fine liner with black gel ink

There are many brilliant pictures painted and drawn on this subject, so it is very difficult to compete with that. Jack Kirby, a great comics artist, once said that the artist should be trying to be different, not better ...

Left: Sketch of the position Beast's head / Right: Detail of the final composition

I have decided to get horizontal drawing composition as the final. The technique is watered ink and pen, and then I'll use digital coloring.

Eowyn and the Nazgul in work process

I'm in a big mess now, and I hope it will be enough time to complete the picture by the end of challenge...

Touch of Lowbrow

Pop-surreal creature has many names – Juxtapoz, Lowbrow, Suggestivism… – and great preachers – Todd Schor, Chris Mars, Mark Ryden, Gary Baseman and others… I felt a touch of Lowbrow, so here are a few digital painted surreal scenes:

One-eyed Unicorn and Maiden 

Digital paint / RealBristle Brush / Painter & Photoshop

The first thing that I painted on this picture is the eye of Unicorn... then horn, bone instead of the mouth and at the end a young girl... Later, I explained this picture to myself as follows: Young girl in a bowl collects the blood of One-eyed Unicorn. Blood is precious to her. In this blood are her dreams, her youth and innocence.

Blind Bat-Girl

Digital paint / RealBristle Brush / Painter & Photoshop

Blind Bat-Girl says: Get used to the darkness in your stitched eyes, and let the bat lead you to place where the heart begins to beat.

Frog Swallowers  (The Conjurors)

Digital paint / RealBristle Brush / Painter & Photoshop

Are you one of frog eaters? You are?! Quickly, swallow the frog and 15 minutes of fame are just yours ...

Soft side of Edge

So far, you are already accustomed to frightening pieces of my art in previous posts. Now I have the opportunity to show you the brighter side of my artistic creativity - a children's book illustration! Actually, I'm much more illustrate children's books than anything else. Today when I came home, I was pleasantly surprised! Printed copies of picture books that have recently illustrated, finally arrived!

Picture books / Publisher Školska knjiga

Late last year I had a nice cooperation with the Croatian publishing house Školska knjiga. The result of this collaboration are two picture books that I've digitally painted, mostly. I must admit that see my artwork in one of the best print preview, so far. Printed colors are fresh and alive and quite similar to the original colors of the screen display illustrations!

First double-page from the picture book Flowerosaur

 

Flowerosaur – Dinosaur who loves the flowers (not to eat!)

“Small dinosaur Cvjetko (Flowerosaur) loved the flowers more than anything in the world. Then he fell in love with the female dinosaur. Everything would be alright if she wasn’t several times bigger than him. Poor little dinosaur trying in various ways to attract her attention…”

Double-page illustration in the work process

 This sweet story I was illustrated using the technique of digital painting. I put a rough sketch in pencil, then painted in Painter. 

Double-page illustration completed in the technique of digital painting

I used my favorite brush - RealBristle Brush - the result is similar to the technique of oil painting… With RealBristle brush you can easily control the density and intensity of mixing paint layers. And most importantly - you don’t have to wait for the paint dry!

Plamenko (Flame-boy) in the mamooth hunting

“This picture book tells the story of a small prehistoric boy and his search for the mammoth. Wanting to prove to his tribe that it’s possible to find and catch such great mammoth, Plamenko bravely stepped into a great adventure…”

Sketches / Pencil and water brush

In this case I combined water brush drawing with digital painting, and used natural textures (rocks, fur, wood ...). But first, I did a rough sketch of the characters, as always I do.

First double-page from the picture book about little cave-boy

Flame-boy and his father, caveman who is a professional painter (further ancestor-illustrator). They talk about the mammoth…

Night when the cave-boy decides to go in search for mammoth.

The boy thought for wild boars that they are mammoths...

First encounter with the mammoth.

That's all folks for now! 

How to survive an autopsy – Part II – collage

Work on the graphic novel Kindly Corpses, giving me plenty space for artistic experimentation. Actually, working on this project (the first time eight years ago) I started to use the technique of digital collages for some illustrations in the book. I admit that I was quite inspired by the fantastic works of Dave McKean, but I was trying to find my own style of handling ready-made images. So here are two new collage illustrations that should come in the second revised edition of Kindly Corpses.

 

“The image of death is what we needed, not death itself. In the end, it all boils down to the graphic conspiracy…” – Andrej Grammatik

 

So, stay alive and creative!

How to survive an autopsy

"You are the story, and you will turn into a story…" – says Andrej Grammatik. In this story he is the chief forensic of final destination. The all-new drawings of the new bonus story "Autopsy of Death" are in front of you.

Autopsy Of Death - page 9

Here are some sentences from the book of Andrej Grammatik – How to survive an autopsy:

"The only thing that remains after image of death is a story about the image of death..."

The book of Andrej Grammatik – How to survive an autopsy

"Time is an open cadaver in front of us. We can change history, we can substitute any part. Like our bodies, time is lifeless meaning in glass coffin…"

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique and reworked in mixed media

 

Every day we are closer to the new edition of Kindly Corpses. It's been a while since I worked with Penevski on a comic book (Anatomy Of Sky). This short story (Autopsy of Death) brings us back to life. I wish I had more time for these things, but life often limit us in our intentions. Whoever drew comics knows that it requires heroic work and time.

Comic pages in the work process

At the end, how to survive an autopsy? Just draw a picture of death, and it will keep you alive ... Cheers!

Conan – Savage Art Challenge

Two weeks of hard work have passed. Came up was something I could not miss - Competition for Conan illustrations launched by the Croatian publishing house Bookglobe. The publisher is planning to issue a cult comic book series Savage Sword of Conan. This type of fantasy illustration is not my cup of tea, in terms of artistic expression, but since it is a favorite comic book character from my early childhood, I could not resist the challenge. I did a few illustrations, and here they are:

Pen and watered ink drawing

 This illustration is inspired by the episode Devourer of Souls.

Pen and watered ink drawing

Conan and the evil sorcerer who turns into a monster - a very common situation in the Conan series.

Pen and watered ink drawing

Illustration for my favorite episode of Conan – Demons of the Firelight. Conan is fighting with the revived corpse of dead warrior.

I had enough time to do a new original logo of the comic series.

drawing digitally colored with Conan logo

Here's preview how it looks when applied a new logo on the cover illustration.

 After drawing, I started to paint digitally using Painter and Photoshop. The first illustration that has been digitally painted is the episode The Road of the Eagle. Behind the back of Conan, sees a huge rock with a variety of niches which represents the graves of green devils - very interesting to illustrate.

 Conan and ice worm – The Lair of the Ice Worm episode

 Angry giant monster attack, but the barbarian does not know fear ...

This post is dedicated to Robert E Howard, John Buscema, Ernie Chan, Alfredo Alcala, Tony deZuniga… and the greatest of all Frank Frazetta.

PS

Finally here's something concrete from the announced bonus story for a new edition of Kindly Corpses…

Andrej grammatik - Autopsy of Death

Paper testing - in the meantime

I know that I announced a new bonus story sketches for a new edition of Kindly Corpses, but first, here's a drawing that was created as a result of testing the paper texture. Of course, all characters are monsters, again. There will be occasions when I will show you more beautiful and softer side of Edge.

Drawing / Pen and watered ink on texture canvas paper

For an illustrator is very important what kind of paper texture used in illustrating. Paper texture gives a value of brush strokes.

Drawing detail #1

In this case, the paper texture resembles to the texture of canvas.

Drawing detail #2

 The all-new drawings of the new bonus story "Autopsy of Death" very very soon!

Kindly Corpses – Resurrection

Almost eight years ago, I had the opportunity to work with Zoran on very important project – Kindly Corpses, the first Serbian graphic novel. Zoran had a great story, and I've had enough of drawing talent so we created a comic book that has become a cult issue of Serbian comics, for a short time. This issue is printed in a small number of copies – only 500! Now it's time for a brand new edition, with two bonus stories and a gallery full of pictures and illustrations ... Rough basis of the story is: The Government announced new regulations and sanctions pertaining to autopsy, funeral, and commemorative services. The main character in the novel is forensic, which is trying to struggle with a new provision – Death Reforms…

Canadian publishing company Speakeasy Comics intended to publish this graphic novel, but broke up in 2006. For purposes of the American edition, the graphic novel Kindly Corpses has been redesigned and expanded with bonus story L. A. Contraversial. Here are some details from this bonus story, including sketches and a few complete frames of comic pages.

Sketch drawing in watered ink technique and reworked in mixed media

Most of my sketches was made in watered ink technique. Usually, sketches such as this example I reworked in collage technique. I often use "ready made" items. 

Watered ink drawing / double-page / L. A. Contraversial

When I painted "Kindly Corpses" eight years ago, I used watercolor. Now it’s much easier for me to paint drawings in Photoshop. I do grayscale drawing, then scan and color processing…

Drawing digitally painted in Photoshop / double-page / L. A. Contraversial

Here, we have an old watercolor illustration that I painted when I studied (1999). For purposes of this graphic novel, I reworked illustration using collage, and breathed a new life…

Watercolor illustration reworked in mixed media technique (collage)

The all-new drawings of the new bonus story "Autopsy of Death" very soon!