Born in Blood

[redrage]

Have to say i love it. Though feel very deficient now when i see the skills of those here that i am unable to match. However at least i can admire them.

A

[Malcolm Orr]

VERY NICE WORK! Love it to pieces!

As you asked there is a type on page2 "On Flag" instead of "One Flag".

Is that Steve Dillon art on the final page?

Thanks. I'll alter the typo and reload it up.

Also I think Steve D is taking a pic of the Hyena. I'll add that to a gallery at the back with a backdrop.

The final pic is freehand but the frown is based on a picture of a wrestler from a games magazine which was sat next to the paper.

[Malcolm Orr]

very very cool, I love it, very good work

man the fans have really come out with fantastic stuff recently! 25 years later and this line of toys and comics still are going strong and have a lot of life left in them still!

Yeah, I agree. The more new stuff the better!

I might show this on Hisstank once it's been proofread here, plus I'll see if the Baron wants it bookended with the baron endpage (there's already the web address).

My Rihanna custom went down really well there, and there's been some interest in the SAS men too. Zero interest in the 25th Red Shadow though, even though it's a fairly accurate version.

Boy is it a challenge to get them into the AF/Red Shadows era, but if we can get the profile raised then it'll no doubt help.

[The Baron]

VERY NICE WORK! Love it to pieces!

As you asked there is a type on page2 "On Flag" instead of "One Flag".

Is that Steve Dillon art on the final page?

Thanks. I'll alter the typo and reload it up.

Also I think Steve D is taking a pic of the Hyena. I'll add that to a gallery at the back with a backdrop.

The final pic is freehand but the frown is based on a picture of a wrestler from a games magazine which was sat next to the paper.

My apologies, it reminded me so much of his style I wondered if it was lifted from the pages of Preacher.

I'll host it on the main site, if I may?

[Malcolm Orr]

Have to say i love it. Though feel very deficient now when i see the skills of those here that i am unable to match. However at least i can admire them.

A

I think the look of the comic book is sleight of hand. I used reference material and tracing of outlines for some of the work, and all the backdrops were photoshopped. It probably looks like it took more time and skill than it did (by a long way). Pages 2 and 4, for example, have no art done by me whatsoever!
----


PAGE ONE

Panel One

Young boy was drawn on top of a traced outline of a picture of a woman crouched from an edition of Previews. The thug behind drawn freehand. The backdrop was a photo of an alleyway.

Panel Two

Hoodie Shadow was freehand and cloned. The backdrop was a B+W photo, the contrast enhanced and then coloured over with a red brush set on ‘darken’ mode (which makes lighter colours ie the white, darker, but no the darker colours ie the black, which are left unaltered.

PAGE TWO

The Roboskull and Big Ben are from photos, whilst the Shadow is from the datafiles. I think this page shows how you can get an effective panel just using photoshop.

PAGE THREE

The outline of Ironblood was traced from a photo. If you have a games magazine there’s an advert for Rachet and Clank with someone dressed as a secret agent. I traced the head outline, eye positions and the cut of the suit. The face was heavily redrawn from the guide lines. I wanted a hollow cheeked look – Cushing-esque – and greyer hair (he’s not quite the Baron yet)

PAGE FOUR

All from the archives. The process was…

Picture > increase contrast > remove colour > filter: invert > red brush on ‘darken’ mode. The various layers were then orientated and drop shadows used.

Again, no art from me whatsoever on this page.

PAGE FIVE

The two figures were handdrawn without reference or tracing, but all the backdrops were photoshopped from photos.

PAGE SIX

The SAS man was outlined from a picture in Marvel Previews of Spiderman noir – the head shape (which was expanded for the hood) and the shape/location of the lenses, and the line of the back. The Ironblood picture was also traced in it’s shape (except the left arm). This page is, more than the others, adapted from traced outlines. It was one of the first pages done.

PAGE SEVEN

All drawn by freehand, but the reference material used for the furrowed brow was from a photo of a wrestler from a games magazine, with the rest just hand drawn. The middle split between the mouth grills was too far towards the viewer and was altered in photoshop.


‘Realistic’ drawn pictures from photographs (AKA how to cheat at backdrops!)

Get a suitable picture. Alter the contrast (the process works better on clear divisions between light and dark lines)

Then, Filter > Artistic > Poster edges. Use low line thickness and line intensity, and high posterization to get a drawn effect. Big Ben looks like it should be in a drawn comic book, but took about 2 minutes to do.

3d textures from flat coloured pictures

Use the ‘Dodge’ tool set on highlights and or midtones. Set at a low 33% or less. This over exposes anywhere you rub using the base colours. So you can rub it across different colours with no bleed. Use it on where the light will catch. It leaves black lines and dark colours untouched (unless you use it on ‘shadows’)

Use the ‘burn’ tool set of shadows. Again at 33% or less and rub over the darker areas. The shadow on page 2 is done this way and it increases the 3d look very quickly without using different colours.

[Malcolm Orr]

VERY NICE WORK! Love it to pieces!

As you asked there is a type on page2 "On Flag" instead of "One Flag".

Is that Steve Dillon art on the final page?

Thanks. I'll alter the typo and reload it up.

Also I think Steve D is taking a pic of the Hyena. I'll add that to a gallery at the back with a backdrop.

The final pic is freehand but the frown is based on a picture of a wrestler from a games magazine which was sat next to the paper.

My apologies, it reminded me so much of his style I wondered if it was lifted from the pages of Preacher.

I'll host it on the main site, if I may?

I would be honoured for it to be included. I did it to give something back to you and the people who've worked on the BAF and MAF comics because I've enjoyed them and felt I should give something to contribute too. I'd hope it's part of this site rather than 'my' project, as that's better. I'll alter typos and add a couple of extras to the back though first, then send it to you for hosting.

[Chopper]

Great stuff. Any more in the pipe BJ?

[SteveD]

Loving that BabyJelly. The art is fantstic - particularly love the picture of the Red Hoodies! Excellent evolutionary idea. Thanks!

[Dave Tree]

Loving that BabyJelly. The art is fantstic - particularly love the picture of the Red Hoodies! Excellent evolutionary idea. Thanks!

damn straignt, scary too, as I think they are really out there too

[Malcolm Orr]

Thanks Mark, Steve and Dave! Pleased you all enjoyed it.

I did think the hoodies might have beem met with mixed views because of them essentially redating the story to the latter 20th Century (If the Red Shadows were 80's then the Baron would be a kid in the 30's/40's ??????? so this version is not set in a certain time)

I'm quite keen to make the Arabian Shadow as a custom figure, and possibly a Shadow Hoodie LOL

Steve - your comment has given me an idea for another comic book. Not strictly speaking their evolution, but....