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That is a very unusual process. Obviously, it speeds everything up, and get him more pay, but I’d imagine it kills OA resale value. I wonder how much it bothers comic artists when they have to settle on making the art they want to make a few more $. I dig Chaykin’s work, too. Thanks for sharing.

Fantastic point. Showing artists evolution would be great, imo. I’m going to add that to the first post.

My addition to the thread will be about Michael T Gilbert. I was lucky enough to be able to talk with him for a while during the 2014 SDCC, and pick up a few prelims. I’m no expert, but I love Mr Monster, and I caught the artist in a chatty moment. He was nice enough to explain his process using the prelims, and it was very interesting. First, he’d start with something like this: A pretty detailed prelim, with his initial idea for the page. Next, he looks for what improvements he can make, or what might not be working quite right. He tapes tracing paper over the regular paper, and works out his ideas like this: Now, instead of cleaning the blade, it’s left bloody, and Mr Monster’s arm is at his side. Gilbert’s also changed the monster’s head a bit, homing in on his final image. But he still wasn’t done: Gilbert decided he wanted the monster head impaled on the blade. Darker, bloodier and more striking for a splash page. This was the image he worked from for the final comic (sorry, the issue escapes me, or I’d post that image, too). A three layer prelim. Considering he is also a writer, he has a similar process for dialogue: Overall, a pretty intricate process, and I was able to snag an example of each.

There was an interesting conversation in the blue lines vs blue scans thread about some modern artists, and how they produce their work. The discussion was going over digital work vs hybrid digital and pen/ink work, and it occurred to me that there might be an interest in having a broader discussion on various artist’s processes, so let’s see if that’s the case. Oh, and not just for modern comic artists, but for all time periods. I will start it off, but I’d like this to be open to everyone, so it won’t just be me going through all the artist’s processes. Also, I don’t know them, so that thread would totally suck. So, do you have a favorite artist that you’re knowledgeable about? Are you a professional in the comic industry? Are you an artist yourself? Please, feel free to share. If you’d like to talk about general artistic practices from different time periods, or how an artist’s process has evolved over time (ty, Vodou), I think that’d be appreciated, too.

I have a What If page pencilled by Jim Craig and inked by Sam Grainger. It’s an alternate origin issue for the Fantastic Four. And it looks like someone was practicing, bored or a big Shakespeare fan.

Right. I’d forgotten about that, but I had heard that he liked his first pass to be on the computer. Is there a thread about artists and their varying artistic processes? That could be interesting. This thread seems to be veering in that direction.

I learned when I picked up a cover of his that Nick Bradshaw’s process is much the same. Loose “pencils” on a computer, then he prints it out in a faint red, and finishes with pencil and ink to find the final lines and add an insane amount of detail. I wonder if that is the method for a lot of new comic artists nowadays?

I think Bob Layton fits the bill. He’s filled in on most Marvel titles, done pencils or inks, and has a ton of output. The Hercules limited series was where I really came to love his style. (And if you ever meet him at a con, he’s a lot of fun and a great guy.) Here’s an Hercules page of mine.

That makes perfect sense. Of course it would be bottom dollar and production speed related. Thank you so much for explaining. And, yeah, I see how that would be much more equitable for both. Interesting stuff. There is a lot to the process that is fascinating.

Wow. Beautiful cover!

Thank you for taking the time to explain. I clearly was confused by the Dark Knight example I read online, too, like that other poster. So, that’s a similar name, but different process, and the scan concerns (not being original pencils) that are being discussed up thread are different and not a “problem” for collectors until more the late 90s early 2000s. Blue pencils used to make me nervous, until I read up on how they differed from blue line that were printed for inkers to work on. Luckily, it’s not too difficult to tell the difference. If you don’t mind me asking, was the change just to speed up the process, or was it a mix of distance between artists and a new technology to help? Both? I’m curious, too.

From a collector’s perspective, and from what I’ve read, is that the late 80s is when blue line scans really became more widely used. I think the first example was Dark Knight, as mentioned above. Keep in mind, though, some artists liked sketching in blue pencil, which can look very similar. Sal Buscema did a lot (most?) of his work with a blue pencil. Same with Alan Davis, and even some more modern artists like Frank Quitely. Sometimes, the blue pencil lines are neat, and can look like a scan. If so, you just look closely, and see if it’s slightly waxy, like a crayon. If it is, it’s pencil, and not a scan. In Quitely’s case, he starts out with really sketchy blue lines and finds his final lines from there, so it’s obviously pencil work. The blue lines don’t scan when they turn the OA into comics. I’m not versed at all on the digital switch.

Final day bump. I loaded pics of each in the first post, too. Enjoy, and stay safe. Bianchi AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1.6 PAGE 7 Byrne FANTASTIC FOUR #256 PAGE 4 Quitely JLA: EARTH 2 PAGE 23 Zeck MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #12 PAGE 9

Thanks for the verification. I figured as much, but don’t feel knowledgeable enough to say definitively. It looked right to me, but I’m not a professional. Someone got an amazing piece!

I don’t buy a lot of comics anymore, focusing more on my original art collection. I’m super focused on a few Timely GA titles, and bizarre, hard-to-find comics that strike my fancy (like Mr A by Ditko). I tend to save up my comic want lists for conventions (mostly SDCC). It’s not a result of any perceived lessening of comic quality on my part, just a by-product of a big collection that my wife would appreciate staying merely massive, and not a sprawling hoarder nightmare. Nostalgia is definitely a main focus for all my older art pages (up to the late 90s-2000), but for newer art I am primarily focusing on characters I like. That way, I’m getting art I love, and then I go get the associated comics. It helps me stay somewhat current, and keeps my collection fresh (to me). I also tend to go one new artist at a time until I get a few pieces I really like. Currently, I’m on Nick Bradshaw (Wolverine and the Thing). Great question!

If it’s the original Art of John Buscema cover art from 1978, then yes. Of course, it could be a recreation, but I think that’s less likely if it really was sold by his grandson. Either way, it’s stunning. I’m guessing with all the updates added during the auction (7?), that some high-level collectors or dealers were able to verify. Obviously, there were a lot of big bids, so big collectors were comfortable shooting the locks off of their wallets.

Agreed on Sal. To be specific, I’d snatch up his penciled and inked Thor pages if they were around. And his brother John’s Mephisto Vs (Avengers, X-Factor, Fantastic Four) pages. They are so hard to find.

Oh, sorry. They’ll come loose eventually. Hey, I’d you haven’t already, you can sign up on comic art tracker, and add that search to your favorites. If any pages come up, it’ll show up in your daily update email.

Yeah, he seems very nice. He was very solicitous about taking so long, and brought up similar pages to see if I was interested. He told me that he was VERY sick in February, and now he is months behind. I wouldn’t suggest to anyone not to use him, just to be patient.

Excellent! And you never even saw it coming...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hello, everyone. I’m selling 4 pages at the ComicLink Summer Featured auction. If you’re so inclined, check them out. Thanks. Bianchi AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1.6 PAGE 7 Byrne FANTASTIC FOUR #256 PAGE 4 Quitely JLA: EARTH 2 PAGE 23 Zeck MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #12 PAGE 9

Have you ever checked out The Artists Choice? It looks like Spencer reps June Brigman, and has Power Pack pages. Fair warning, though, he’s really behind in responses, and can take a long time to respond. Nice guy, though, with great prices.