Method, Man

I don't do this often, but I thought it would be fun to show some of my work (like 5th grade long division). So here's the process for the latest Happy Holi-Dakes album cover. Summarized and simplified of course. You can download the album for free here: http://jamesdake.bandcamp.com/album/happy-holi-dakes-2013.

 

(Click the image to feel the jingle.)

 

Note: All work done with Wacom Bamboo Capture in Manga Studio 5. GIF made with GIMP.
(1) Rough sketch in black.
(2) Copy sketch layer and change it to blue; increase opacity.
(3) Draw final black line drawing.
(4) Flat color on new layer beneath line drawing, with movement lines on another layer. (6 layers total at this point, with white background layer.)
(5) Background created in two layers: the first with two brushes to create texture, followed by a diagonal gradient from left to right. I changed the colors around until I settled on the pink salmon color.
(6) Time to add glow! The star glows on its own layer with a trail of flashes creating more movement.
(7) Based on the light source of the star, I added highlights and shadows on a new layer, using mostly yellow and purple respectively. This adds much needed depth to the image as you can see in the animated GIF. I repeated this step in the animation to better show the difference.
(8) Added text. (In total, there were 11 layers counting white background.)

Happy Holi-Dakes!

Cheers!

(Click the image to feel the cheer.)

Huffing Post

I recently picked up some new software. Here's my first comic using Manga Studio 5:

(Click the image to pump you up.)

Autumnal Voice

(Click the image to hear it yell.)

Dearly Beloved

I forgot to post this sooner. This weekend was my brother's wedding, and a while back I created their invitations (minus any text which was added by a calligrapher). It was very much a collaborative process with them giving me a lot of initial magic. I ended up drawing and designing entirely on the computer, making it a lot easier to change colors, hues, saturation, etc. If you think you might like me to design your invites for a special day, feel free to drop me a line. Here is the final design:

 

 Cover

Inside

(Click the image to feel the love.)

Follow the Money

(Click on the image to taste the crown jewels.)

Dog & Tricks

A bit long and late in posting, but I've got two in a row to make up for it. The first is a quick sketch from a recent open mic night:

(Click the image for pop-up action.)