Inception: The Big Under cover

My entry for the Inception: The Big Under comic book cover contest.

Check out my blog for work-in-progress shots. [link]

This was a lot of fun to make. And it was a great exercise to help me learn to work better. The deadline forced me to conceptualize as fast as possible, work quicker and keep my nose to the grindstone. I think I'll definitely see an improvement in my drawings, and the time it takes to create them in the future.

Painted in Photoshop CS4 over the course of the last couple weeks, off and on as work and family/holiday obligations would allow.

Some of my thoughts on why I did what I did. I think a cover is a lot like a movie poster in that it should function as advertisement as well as art. It should tell you something about the story while at the same time pique your curiosity and make you ask questions about what happens.

Immediately, I think this cover tells you Saito is a central focus and there is a distinct Japanese theme. And Nash being featured prominently can convey that it's a prequel story. The samurai sword seppuku is a compelling, striking image that has to grab your attention. And the mysterious girl in red? Who is this? Who is she shooting at? What are the circumstances involved?

A goal I always kept in mind was to avoid as best as possible conflicts with the inner art. For example, we don't know what Sonia looks like, so I didn't really want to create my own image of her that was unlike the version you'd see in the story. So she's heavily shadowed. An execution that serves both the purpose of not conflicting, as well as creating an air of mystery and intrigue. Likewise, I didn't want to fully illustrate the exciting opening scene because we don't know what the riders look like exactly.

Okay, I've prattled on long enough, thanks for looking!