Way back when I was first fiddling around with the rudimentary art programs on the Commodore 64 and early Apple computers, I thought the machines had real possibilities as a sketch tool. You could grab a paint bucket and switch colors. Poof, instant sketch variation! We were living in and age of technological miracles. All you needed was thousands of dollars, an equally expensive printer, and a client who could see past the Lego Block appearance of those early, low resolution graphics.
I never dreamed I’d be producing finished work on an infinitely more powerful and a lot more affordable desktop machine.
I’ll use this Valentine Card featuring my Cupid substitute, Vinny Valentine. This won’t be a tutorial, but may give you an idea of how these cartoons are constructed.
First I start with a sketch which was done with brush markers on bristol and scan it into Photoshop.
I’ll lay in my flat colors and keep my lineart in a separate channel.
Then I’ll start to get fancy with shading. This is the dangerous step where you can really beat things to death. Ever overwork a painting? You can do the same thing here only you can go back to an earlier state quickly and easily.
Finally, the lineart is applied, and Vinny is warming himself by a flaming barrel on a frosty night in the Italian Market.
Now thats FUN!
Thanks!