Changing Ways: Book 2 – Preview Pages
May5
Preview pages for Changing Ways: Book 2 are now available to view.
http://www.changingwaysbook.com/book-2-preview-pages/
Changing Ways book 2 behind the scenes part 20
March9
Introducing a sneak peak at a creature I’ve been waiting to reveal to readers for almost 2 years!
Changing Ways book 2 behind the scenes part 19
February29
When painting either digitally or traditionally, I only use a very small range of brushes for my images. In Adobe Photoshop I usually render hi-lights and details with the following:
hard edged brush, 1% SPACING (for super smooth lines) size 10-20
soft edged brush, size 30-100
The soft edge brush is also useful for softening the entry and exit points of hard light.
For Photography, I shoot with a Canon 500D and carry 2 additional cheaper cameras for backup.
When painting traditionally, I usually use imitation sable, sizes 1 & 4.
Changing Ways book 2 behind the scenes part 18
February22
The number one question I’m asked by people wanting to do comics is, “how long does it take to do a page?” If I don’t factor in the role of writer and just focus on the art, it would be something like this.
30 minutes to sketch a layout for a page and make sure all dialogue fits well with the rest of the composition.
1-5 hours of photography, depending on locations and travel.
1-2 hours to mock up the page with photo templates.
1 hour to sketch additional non-photo based content.
30 minutes to add mock copy and loose voice bubbles (for the letterer, when needed).
2 hours to draw the page in pencil.
1-2 hours to paint the page (water and ink).
30 minutes to scan and prep the artwork for Photoshop.
2-4 hours to add everything else (color, light, shadow etc).
Which adds up to Approx 13hrs per page 
Changing Ways book 2 behind the scenes part 17
February21
I used to paint traditional canvases black before I would commence a painting. For me it makes more sense to darken a landscape and then add light as light sources are naturally introduced. I use this same principle for my comic pages.
All my artwork in Adobe Photoshop is grayscale to begin with. I’ll then add 2 ‘darkness’ layers, both filled with black at a 50% opacity with Layer Masks. This allows me to darken a scene and then create that ‘glow’ effect by selectively removing areas of darkness with a soft brush. Additional shadows are then added on another layer with solid black at a 10-30% fill.
After that I’ll create 3-5 different layers for lighting with most detail and attention being given to faces as these are anchor points for the human eye. Below you can see a step by step for a single panel from book 2.
