Sunday, May 15, 2011

Inspiration: Batman and Strangers in Paradise

The comments contest is still going on, so comment away!
This is NOT an Original Art Sunday, just a piece I've been playing with for a couple weeks.
Inspired by my friend Ross over at the Brave and the Bold: the Lost Issues, I took a shot at a pastiche cover!
Here's Batman and the Strangers in Paradise girls!
Not completely satisfied with this, but reasonably so. The soft Nick Cardy "painterly" image of the source cover is a bit jarring when juxtaposed with the hard line art of Terry Moore, but here the Match color command is our friend. Katchoo and Francine look more like they "belong" as the colors are more consistent with that palette.
Thematically, this plays on the whole crime lord thing that was one of the less plausible, but quite compelling, subplots of Strangers.
I might take another shot at this with different images sometime down the line, perhaps even draw one from scratch. But I like the collage/pastiche thing a lot too.
These are frustrating, but they are also fun, and serve to keep my chops current between infrequent assignments. Most of my art is traditional line art these days, and it's important to not let any skills atrophy. That's why I still practice my guitar, even though the lump sum of income I've generated in my life as a musician is one dollar.
Of course, there's the whole joy of doing it thing too.
Still have just a touch of inking to do on the next page of the Surrealist Cowgirls, and I will be able to get it done today. Presuming scanner access, look for another post sometime before midnight Central Standard Time.

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