fayren:

I get a lot of questions about my process so I thought it’d be cool to break down and talk about some of my steps for illustrating covers! I hope this is helpful or interesting, it’s not quite a tutorial but perhaps it’s a glimpse into my thought process.

Step 1 | Thumbnail. The point here is to do several very fast, small, drawings, so you can’t get hung up on details. Here I’m thinking most about composition and subject. I had four originally and this one was picked to get finished.

Step 2 | Sketch. I draw on top of my thumbnail, nailing down more of the actual details. I fix any proportion isssues but I still try not to waste too much time making final lines, the sketch will go away in the end, so it just needs to be good enough for me. 

Step 3 | Background Painting. A lot of lightning and mood is set by the environment, so I start with determining their background. I browse through lots of inspirational paintings and photographs during this stage, and try to get a palette in my head for the overall piece. I use the lasso tool to fill in their silhouettes with black and lock the layer transparency. The silhouette is very important for readability, so I make sure even without colors the shapes are distinct.

Step 4 | Rough Color Blocking. I block in base colors and basic lighting under the sketch layer, blocking in the different materials and colors. 

Step 5 | The Fun Part. Here’s where I just get to zone out and paint. I flatten the sketch onto the color blocked layer (if you’re nervous, you can always duplicate these layers and tuck them into another folder before you flatten and commit) and finally get to painting. The sketch eventually gets entirely painted over. Things I’m thinking about during this stage: different materials, changes in planes, drawing from the background colors. 

Stage 6 | Details. I use the lasso tool and fill to do very tiny details like scratches, small specular highlights, etc. I add some wear and tear and knock out a bit of Fulcrum’s teeth. (huhuhu)

Stage 7 | MOAR BLOOD. At this point I decided there wasn’t enough energon dripping off of Tarn and I added more on a new layer. Again, grabbing areas with the lasso tool, filling, and erasing parts of it to make it appear transparent. 

Stage 8 | Lighting Effects. I add some soft glows to Tarn’s lights, but keep his forehead light the brightest. I want it to be the main source of light in the scene so I don’t want to distract. Light is bouncing through the pink energon, so I made the light falling on Tarn’s face more pink. 

Stage 9 | Final Lights. I add a harsh white rim light to both of the figures, really pulling them away from the background to finalize the painting. 

v8roadworrier:

calluna-cuprea replied to your post: attention!

Venom wants to get Eddie a Christmas present. It’s chocolate. He accidentally eats it himself.

(more informed by the comics than the movie tbh)

the corner store is practically deserted this time of night, which is good. fewer witnesses mean fewer complications. venom scuttles out of the shadows and through the doorway, annoyed as always by just how bright the lights here are kept

“oh, hey eddie,” mrs chen says with a nod.

“shh,” venom replies, even as it nods in reply. eddie always returns gestures like that, though other humans don’t always. “eddie is sleeping”

mrs chen pulls a strange face before seeming to accept this. venom likes her, she doesn’t put up a fuss even when they eat criminals in her store

they walk through the aisles, wondering what to get for eddie. something delicious, it thinks- but eddie eats things venom doesn’t like, sometimes, and thinks unhappy feelings about some of the things that venom does like. like that small animal they’d nearly eaten in the park the other week

maybe something other than food?

venom turns down the aisles they don’t usually go down as often. here the smells of chemicals are stronger, though the packages are just as bright. soap? sponges? what is- venom nearly prods at eddie’s mind for clarification, sleepily held safe in its embrace, but stops itself. it can’t ask eddie for help with this when eddie’s the one being given the present! the tv-box was very clear on that point

instead venom retreats to more familiar aisles. this one has its favorite type of chocolate in it, it notes, and one that eddie always makes happy noises at eating as well

“this will do,” venom says out loud, forgetting again that eddie isn’t able to answer; that having eddie unaware is the whole point. it holds its breath- a metaphor! it learned that from the tv-box, too, though eddie had rolled his eyes when he’d discovered venom watching that show- but eddie doesn’t wake up

they grab the box and stroll towards the front door

“hey!” mrs chen calls out, “you gonna pay for that?”

venom contemplates her. she’s frail, the way all humans are frail, and it would be so easy to reach out and snap her neck, to take what it wants and the rest of the store besides. “your life is payment enough,” it says. eddie would be sad if she was dead, and sadder still to know that venom was the one to do it

“assholes,” she mutters. “this is going on eddie’s tab, you hear me?”

“good day mrs chen,” venom says politely as it exits the store, just as eddie (usually) does

the way home is easier. people are scared of them as they pass, but venom doesn’t mind so much when they’re just faceless innocents, rather than people eddie considers friends. the problem is that venom is always, always hungry, and the box of chocolates in their hands smells so good

“no,” venom says sternly. “these are for eddie”

inside its embrace, eddie makes a quiet noise in his sleep, like he heard his name

four more blocks until home. the chocolate swings from their claws, and venom has decided not to look at it anymore. not to smell it.

two blocks. its tongue keeps creeping out of its mouth, drool gathering at the thought of eating just a little piece. eddie won’t notice a little bit missing, would he?

“no!” venom says with a shake of its head, and firmly drags its eyes away from the box of chocolates. one more block. and then- there! home.

venom sets the box of chocolates down on the table and brings them back to eddie’s bed, retreating inside his body instead of wrapping around him like a suit. eddie snorts, and turns over onto his stomach immediately, but doesn’t show any other signs of waking

venom doesn’t need to breathe but it sighs in relief anyway, another habit picked up from- actually, it doesn’t know if this is from eddie or the tv-box. maybe both?

the night is quiet, and peaceful, and long. venom watches tv for a little while while eddie sleeps, but the box can’t hold its attention the way it usually does. there’s that package of chocolates just sitting out in the open, smelling up the place with deliciousness… surely eddie wouldn’t mind if it had just a nibble. he’d understand.

“no!” venom says to itself, tearing itself away from the sight of the chocolate sitting out in the open like that. maybe… maybe something else. eddie doesn’t really mind if venom eats his food, though he likes it when they eat together more. venom likes it when they eat together, too, but it’s so hungry now…

just a nibble, venom thinks as it catches sight of the tempting, wonderful chocolates again, tongue lashing where lips would be on a human. just a nibble…

in the morning, eddie wakes up to an apartment strewn with trash, and the still-sometimes-strange feeling of someone else’s emotions inside his head

“what did you do?” he asks around a yawn, scratching at his hair blearily. nothing’s on fire, or covered in blood, so it couldn’t have been that bad, surely?

“sorry eddie,” venom says, lurking around the edges of his awareness. “was supposed to be a surprise”

“what, that you went dumpster diving?” eddie says, eyeing the trash with newfound suspicion. it doesn’t look like dumpster trash, it looks like- well, like dozens of packages of chocolate, is what it looks like. “did you take my body out without telling me?”

“sorry,” venom says again, this time quieter and nearly petulant

“we talked about this,” he says, crossing his arms and trying to tell himself it’s not ridiculous to argue with the alien symbiote living inside oneself like this

“you said no fighting, eddie,” it points out. “never said we couldn’t get presents”

“presents?” eddie says, catching the important word in that sentence first try. “empty candy wrappers are presents now?” he can’t help but feel a swell of affection for his not-a-parasite, even if its ideas of presents are a bit lacking

“there was chocolate!” venom says defensively. “…but i ate it”

“aww,” eddie coos, partly taking the piss and partly honest. he claps a hand over his chest and then holds the other out for venom to coalesce into, looking as contrite as a ball of goo is capable of. “thank you, love,” he says, and feels venom perk up happily

“not upset?” it asks

“we’re gonna have another long talk about hijacking my body while i’m asleep,” eddie promises, but shakes his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “but no. i’m not angry”

“good,” venom says, relaxing contentedly to butt against his shoulder like an affectionate cat. “because mrs chen says we are banned from the store until we pay our bill”