Paladin's Art Thread

You're one step ahead of me. I was just thinking...maybe he's got a limited reserve of tech power and he can either use it rapidly for something big, or continuously for small things.

This could have some interesting dramatic effects. If his "invulnerability" is a shield, it could degrade as the bad guys attack. So, he's only "bulletproof" so long as his power holds out. That means he could also survive something immense--an explosion, or being hit by a truck--but is thereafter essentially vulnerable. There could even be a situation where he uses up ALL his power and reverts back to his undisguised, human form.

Yeah, I'm liking that...

Some more re-imagined Superman...

Doing a little experimenting...

These are the rough layouts...

Just a little messing around tonight...

Commander J.L. Picard, Executive Officer, U.S.S. Stargazer

Another experiment...strange pose, some "negative inking"...turned into a bit of a gratuitous butt shot...

Just roughing my "Black Superman" (he won't be called that) origin story.

Cool NYC background. It looks like WTC is complete in that pic. And that's the Manhattan Bridge. Nice artwork!

Wow. That is actually pretty good!

Looks awesome!

I've recently been reading New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2, reprinting the Marv Wolfman/George Perez comics of the early 80s, of which I have always been a huge fan.

​

In it, I rediscovered one of my very favorite comic storylines in which the Teen Titans gets a new member: a rough-edged 15-year-old girl named Tara Markov who can mentally control earth, rock, etc. She's taken the name Terra and at first is a bank robber, but the Titans come to believe she was forced into it by terrorists. Eventually, she's invited to join the Titans. Changeling (the former Beast Boy) even develops a crush on her, an affection she seems willing to return.

​

Then the bomb drops: Terra is secretly working for Deathstroke, the Titans' deadliest enemy and has been sent to infiltrate the team so that Deathstroke can deliver them up to the H.I.V.E., one of those secret evil organizations that comics are filled with. (Not only is Tara revealed to be an evil little snake, it's also not-too-subtly suggested that she's sleeping with Deathstroke, something that could not be stated outright but is evident from the story.)

​

In the conclusion of the story, just as the captured Titans look like dead meat, Deathstroke is possessed by a new Titan called Jericho and attacks Terra, driving her into a psychotic rage. In the ensuing battle, Terra unleashes the full fury of her powers, bringing the H.I.V.E. headquarters down around her...and inadvertently killing herself.

​

It stunned me when I was a kid and still does. The creators of this comic spent almost a YEAR leading up to this. They introduced a fresh new character, one that was kind of a proxy for the reader--who, as a kid, wouldn't want to be a super-powered Teen Titan?--and then revealed she was tragically flawed. And she died. She actually died.

​

Very heavy stuff for a 13-year-old at the time. So, I've decided to make my next piece of art a representation of Terra's final meltdown.

Here's the initial sketch...more as I have time...

Changed the pose (thought still not right) and perspective so she's looking directly at the viewer. Her levitating on a rock is not strictly correct, but, since you don't see her actual demise in the comic, a little artistic license can be forgiven.

Interlude: updated Black Superman.

Now called...SENTINEL.

Thoughts on the costume...too much? Not enough?

Some slight updates and an action pose!

Had the Titans been a Marvel line, you just know that Terra would have been back from the dead at some point

Another action pose...

I'm going to nitpick your character's form. Not because I think you drew it badly, though. If I were watching someone practice kicking like that, I would tell him to pivot his supporting leg so that the heel on the ground is pointing towards the target. I would also tell him to point the toes on the kicking foot a little more downwards, and then align the forward shoulder, hip, and heel in a straight line in such a way that he's looking slightly over that shoulder to see his target at the moment of impact.

Thanks for that!

I knew instinctively that the posture wasn't quite right...I realized that the right foot should be turned out 90 degrees, but the other alignments I didn't consider.

I should probably work from a good photo when doing these poses!

Here's the Sentinel logo and a cover concept...There's going to be a crowd of people in the background eventually.

Some slight costume mods...I made the "power veins" a little more understated (thinner, and a lighter version of the goggle color)...I also made the symbols glow similarly. Made the costume a little lighter and more neutral-colored, but I'll still make it black in nighttime scenes.

This image represents the state of my art: this is about as good as I can do with a comic book style image.

I'm still enhancing the costume...took it back to black. It just doesn't work for my any other way. Removed the "belt buckle" as I thought it was too much.

Since I started this idea as "Black Superman," I still have something of Supes' iconography...namely a "S" symbol on the chest. Although I'm calling this character the Sentinel, I'd really rather eliminate the symbol altogether. Or maybe replace it with the basic triangle symbol. I thought I might then connect all the "power veins" to this central symbol.

Any ideas or feedback would be appreciated!

I like it, but in too many of the images the character blends too much into the background. I know that's part of the concept of the uniform, but don't make the reader work too hard to interpret the image. In my line of work, that last bit is my mantra.

Replacing the "S" with a hexagon theme?

Okay, that prior one was just...too much. I want to convey the presence of a power source, but I also want the costume to be sorta stealthy.

I kept the hexagon theme and replaced the power veins with seams. It's starting to look like a product of the Jim Lee school of supercostume design, but I like it more.

Did this one a while back...



Here's an updated version of the Sentinel's alter ego (haven't decided on a name yet).

Does he wear a wig or something?

No...his "powers" let him alter his appearance when he's in costume. When people who might recognize him are near, the goggles will become reflective, so his eyes can't be seen.

I'm still trying to get the character's look consistent, but, eventually, it should be obvious to the reader that it's the same guy.

Updated the "secret identity" so the character looks more like what I've done with the costumed version and less like "random black cop." I need to finish the style sheets so I can make the people look consistent.

Also, here's a "quick-and-dirty" sketch of the Sentinel's secret identity (a homicide detective) and his partner. His partner is aware of the secret, hence using him as a human shield. The partner is going to be a seasoned cop and will be the source of much of the humor; his relationship to the main character will be close, but there'll be a kind-of Bill Maxwell/Ralph Hinckley dynamic where the powers come into play.

I think we'll call this the "final" version...

I dunno, I kinda liked the stylized "S", better. (post 109)
DC doesn't own a letter of the alphabet.

I did a concept sketch for a comic book page while having dinner tonight. I really liked it, but thought it could use some "tightening." I drew the original in ink, so I scanned it and did the tightening in Photoshop.

In the frame, the Sentinel is kicking a thug into a wall inside a home, while a woman and another man look on. The kick didn't have that OOMPH that I wanted, so I went back to Uncle Albert's advice and this photo:



It was a challenge to make the existing perspective work while changing only the Sentinel, but I think I did it. The kick is much higher and the thug looks like he has been hit by a truck.

I also made the woman recoil a little bit, which adds to the immediacy of the image.

Anyhoo, here's the initial scan and the tightened one. Eventually, there will be a finished one.

Continuing work on the Terra portrait...

Think I'm gonna change that right arm.