How I paint comics: The Techno-Templar #37 (+Details)

A detailled making of the 37th page from my 100% watercolour and ink, sci-fi and surreal illustrated novel.

In the previous page, our main protagonist riding his droid nanomorph, crosses a desertic area, reach the gates of the ancient synthebiogenesiogenomics complex and got entrance granted, ...

Details.

The 54 pages of "Devlok, The Techno-Templar" were painted between 2016 and 2017. The main story is divided between two books that comprises other short stories and artworks in full pages. Those publications came true through various crowdfunding campaigns.

Let's have a look at the story board. What you can see, is that, besides the order and the shapes of panels which have been totally changed, there was text in this sequence. After many reflexions and trials, I decided to take it out, as it was really taking the reading away from the action (action I find pretty cool in there). It still seems to have been the right choice.

So, after having prepared the sheet the usual way (watered, tensed and dried on a light wood board), we are at the penciling step. No "tools" have been used in there, the round lines were all hand made with feeling. It needed some trials but at the end it's been quite fast and I am pretty much ok with the result.

Now the ink, I try to keep it ligght, mostly the important lines but that is also were details are spontaneously being created.

I think I was really eager painting those tunnels so I go them done quickly and at first.

Then I attacked the bike panels, which were somehow more complicated. Anyway, started there with mostly shadows and darker planes. Then "speed lines" with oily ink ballpoint pen.

There is a point were it's just consist of re-outlining, adding details and more and more layers of colour. And this is also were I usually start to miss pictures since I am well lost in it. There are also touch up with white gouache, acrylic and thinliners. Till a pleasant result or sometimes the removal of the panel and its replacing!