A.L. KAPLAN

Hey hey! I’m super excited to be working with Kinetic Collectibles. If you’ve been waiting to pick up original artwork from me, you’re in luck! There are pages from POISON IVY #13, MAW, CIRCUIT BREAKER and more ✨

Original Art Drop & Store Debut 12/6

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alkcomics.bigcartel.com

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Anonymous asked:

for the stark highlights in your art, most often used in the hair, do you draw them by hand or use the lasso tool?

Great question!

Like most things, it depends on a variety of factors. And however works for you works for you; the lasso tool is great. These days I’m generally sketching digitally, then inking traditionally over printed pencils. That process dictates how and when I use tools to think about and define shapes.

I’ll talk through my process for this using my Zatanna #3 cover as a case study. By the way, it’s out next week (3/16). Did you pre-order from your local comic book store?

Here’re two WIPs of the inks. I drew the highlights only and then filled the rest of the background with black, so the majority of her hair is just suggested. I was really focusing on shapes with this one (the repeated Zs in her outfit highlights and pose; the contrasting curves of the hair and bg), so defining the highlight shapes in the hair was a large part of the actual art effort.

Here’s a closeup.

I used to more often just freehand highlights with the brush (digital or traditional). That was my method in the Full-Spectrum Therapy days (traditional), and for this illustration of Kamui from X (digital):

For covers and standalone illustrations, I’m more likely to put the hours in thinking deliberately about shapes. For interior work, done much, much, much quicker, I’m generally nowadays using a mix of those drawn shapes with some soft edge tapering with the brush to finesse the look or fit the lighting/atmosphere.

That’s all more on final execution. For finding those shapes in the first place, it also depends. I’m thinking of planes, how a surface is reflecting light, to use the shapes to show the form. Sometimes I’ll do that subtractively if I’m working digitally: draw the hair silhouette, fill it with black, and then either erase or lasso tool away the shapes. Every so often I’ll do that traditionally (ink the whole shape in black and then use whiteout for the highlights). But the more fluent I am with this style, the easier it is for me to design these shapes into the drawing from the sketch up.

Thanks for asking! Hope that helps give some ideas.

P.S. Did y'all preorder that Zatanna cover??

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Anonymous asked:

How tall is Jules?

Probably around a sensible 5’ 4" - 5’ 7" depending on who’s asking 💅

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Bring me my Mutants!

@thegorgonist and I collaborated on a new risograph zine featuring none other than our beloved band of merry mutants 💙🩷✨

As much as we love X-Men trading cards, the power ratings on the back leave some of our faves looking dusty. So, we asked ourselves: what better way to rate the X-Men than with Drag Race criteria?

Find me at AA K-30 and @thegorgonist at Exhibitors 20206 this weekend at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle!