DC/MARVEL MASH UP - FORBIDDEN PLANET
 

Brief: To create a DC/Marvel mash for the wall inside Forbidden Planet, this was to promote the new comic basement inside of the store. To begin the project I was given various Justice League and Avengers comics for inspiration!
 

 

Idea: I decided to create something which resemebled a comic strip as I felt this would compliment the dimensions of the space. After researching online I decided that I wanted to draw something that felt like a traditional comic but with a more contemporary feel. I planned to do this by approaching the graphic with a handdrawn style which I thought would make the design feel less rigid and constrained.

Style: I wanted the design to be black and white as it would inkeep with the minimal and clean interior of the store. As I didnt want the illustration to look flat I decided that I would use a halftone effect in my design to give the drawing more depth and energy.

Illustration: After searching the internet for superhero images I finally decided on an image for each hero. The slim grid I had created meant that each drawing would have to focus on a section of each character. Each Avenger and Justice League member was hand drawn using Pigma Micron pens, I drew the outline with an 01/02, the line shading with an 005 and coloured the block sections with an 03/04.

 

Edit: After scanning my drawings I opened the artwork in Photoshop and adgusted the levels and contrast. I painted the midtones grey and then to add depth I selected shadows and any elements I wanted to emphasise such as emblems and filled them with a dark halftone pattern. To finalise the piece I overlayed a lighter halftone pattern over the whole illustration. I worked out that each drawing/edit took around an hour per character so overall the artwork took me 12 hours!

Design: I individually selected each character and imported them into illustrator and placed them inside my grid which I had designed with a dry brush stroke to inkeep with the handdrawn style. I chose to add the text to the centre of the artwork so that customers can see the text from the top and bottom of the stairs inside of the shop.