Curly hair. We all have tried it at one time or other. At some point, we all become tempted to just draw a bunch of squiggly lines and call it done. So how does one tackle curly hair realistically in a transparent medium like Copics?

In my last tutorial on hair, I mentioned the key to this. It applies to all hair types: Don’t draw every hair, draw every direction. In the case of curly hair, you’ll want to add to that – draw every shape. The big thing to keep in mind here is to focus on the negative shapes – the areas that are darker, created by the curls.

Once again, I’m working on Copic’s Bleed Resistant Sketchbook and Copic Sketch markers.

I start with a bit of linework in place, more so than I normally leave for hair. This helps to set me up as to which way to go. Since she’s a blonde, I will want to make sure that my lines are almost non-existent when I lay down might lightest colors, since pencil becomes a permanent fixture once Copics are laid over.

I start with the Colorless Blender, laying down a quick layer before going over quickly with Y21. This helps me to lay a reasonably even mass of color, even if I will be breaking it up soon enough. I don’t want streaks going in the wrong direction, distracting from the curls in the end. I go over it quickly with a little more Colorless Blender, just to help even the tone.

TIP: If you have a photo editing program or digital painting program (such as Photoshop) where you can pick out individual colors, this is incredibly handy when figuring out color transitions, especially in something like curly hair.

Next I move to creating some of the illusion of curls and step down into the shadows a bit, starting with E97. I follow the direction of the hair, coming back in with my Y21 to blend the edges a bit where it gets too hard. I also use my Y21 to help add a bit of subtle depth by going back over the areas, shaping without drastic changes in color.

I finish out the darker side with a base coating of E97, following the direction of the curls.

I want to start adding some more value, so I switch to my BV23 and start hitting the darker spots, adding depth and cooling the shadows greatly. I go back over some of the BV23 with the E97, increasing the depth of color and shadow. This is another area to just play and layer, layer, layer!

TIP: Utilize that brush tip! You can create thick to thin lines in one stroke, or very thin, airy lines, helping with the illusion of the curls moving and changing thickness!

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Moving to the E47, I hit all the darks again, deepening the shadows greatly. Again, it’s a lot of back and forth with the colors, softening some edges and deepening others. I also used the E47 to create some curls on the edge, breaking up the solid edge of hair, and then used the Colorless Blender to soften them, to look like wisps of hair.

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To add a bit more depth into the lightest portion of the hair, I picked up E31, E43 and BV20 for a subtle touch of shadow.
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As I finish out the piece, I make final touches to the hair with BV29 in the deepest darks and the background, using BV23 and the Colorless Blender to soften the edges of the hair, particularly on the dark side.

 
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Colors used for the tutorial – Y21, BV20, BV23, BV29, E31, E43, E47, E97

Colors used for the whole piece — Y21, YR02, R000, BV11, BV20, BV23, BV25, BV29, BV31, E01, E04, E31, E43, E47, E55, E95, E97

Have a curly hair coloring of your own? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Daniel Govar is an extremely talented illustrator with an impressive roster of clients, including DC Comics, Nike, Marriott and various U.S. sports teams. In addition to illustrating nearly 15 books, his work has been seen in worldwide publications such as Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide. Read on to learn more about Daniel, his work, and his love of Copics:

Tell us about yourself!
Originally I am from Arkansas, but I was an army brat and we moved all over – Hawaii, Canada, Oklahoma, and finally here in Maryland. I think at some point I’ve been to or lived in every state in the US save Alaska. I got my degree in Imaging and Digital Art from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and was introduced to the wide world of digital art forms there, studying animation (both traditional and 3D), video development and editing, and interactivity and web programming. It was a pretty all-encompassing major and one they’ve since dissolved and broken into individual focuses. Personally I like the rounded approach and appreciate the education in knowing how all the pieces fit together. My personal interests were initially in interactivity and it’s possibilities, and I would always put my illustrations (of which I had very little formal training save figure studies and a few paintings classes here and there) into anything I created. I got a job out of school creating educational programs for children – an Astronomy program, a History program, and a program on Ancient Greece – all filled with illustrations and animations.

Do you prefer traditional or digital media?
I use both and find that when they work in harmony my work looks best. My DC comic series AZURE was done entirely digitally. From beginning to end I used Photoshop to create every page. It was only when I started going to conventions that I saw the folly in this as a comic creator – there is a huge market in original art that you lose when you work digital-only. I now do most of my color work in Photoshop, and do most of my black and white and grayscale work in traditional medias – Primarily using Copics for the traditional work with a few India ink washes for added textures.

What other mediums do you work in?
My weapons of choice have evolved over the years but it depends on what the project requires. I think I am most comfortable with pen and ink (Copics), markers, watercolor, and digital mediums. I have done large scale oil paintings, and sculpt from time to time as well, though these days the demands for my time are spread between paid art, friends and family, and my dog.

What is the toughest part of comic storytelling?
I would have to say each part of the process has it’s challenges. Comics is a hugely social industry and many people go into making most comics. Learning to work with others and to be able to articulate in words what you aim to convey in illustrations is one of the most useful aspects of making comics. Many people you must work with will not be artists, and you will need to be able to explain or understand what they are trying to explain with words and then translate that into imagery. The best way to learn is to sit down and make a comic. Start small and work your way up to something larger.

Personal Site: http://www.danielgovar.com
DeviantArt: http://saulone.deviantart.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-Govar/139723602709280
Tumblr: http://saulone.tumblr.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/saulone

Tools used: Ballpoint pen, Photoshop, scanned paper textures

Allison Strom is a talented illustrator whose latest work can be seen in Vera Greentea’s independent comic Recipes for the Dead: Issue 2. Read on to learn how she incorporates Copics into her process and find out where you may be able to meet her in person:

Tell us about yourself!
I was born in New Orleans. I was probably drawing at the time, and then just sort of kept at it for going on 25 years. I think when I was growing up I wanted to do covers for fantasy novels like the ones my older sister and my dad read – Like the ones with big elaborate dragons and explosions and battleships and stuff. That was basically my entire impression of illustration until I started going to school at MCAD.

Do you have any formal art training?
I’m currently pursuing a degree in Illustration at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, but I’ve also been working as a freelance illustrator since before I enrolled back in 2007. It’s slow going! But both are excellent teachers, and although learning to find a balance between them is rough, it’s been worth the stress so far. Being at MCAD has been like learning how to speak after years of thinking I already knew how, and I love seeing how my experiences at school translate into my work outside of class.

When did you first become interested in creating comics?


To be totally honest, I thought I’d finally scared myself away from it. I always liked the idea of drawing comics, but it wasn’t until I took Jim Keefe’s Intro Comics class that I really started to find my footing with creating them. From there, it sat in the back of my mind until I got the script from Vera for Recipes for the Dead. Then it basically took over my brain.

Tools used: Pencil, Copic Multiliner, Copic Sketch markers, Photoshop

What’s the most challenging thing about working on a comic series?


I like to be able to spend eons lovingly tailoring a piece of work. But with comics, that’s got to be the entire book, not any individual panel. It’s so hard for me to let a drawing go and just move on to the next!

The comic you’re collaborating with Vera Greentea on, Recipes for the Dead, raised over $9,000 on Kickstarter – more than quadruple the fundraising goal. How did it feel to have such a positive response to the project?


It would almost be scary, except it’s completely wonderful. It makes me hate the fact that I’m not more experienced, because I want this to be the best thing I’ve ever made.

Do you prefer traditional or digital media?
I spent a lot of time as a primarily digital artist working in Photoshop, but I was starting to feel like I spent all my life in front of a monitor. Nowadays, I like using digital media to enhance a foundation drawing or coloring made with traditional media. I love to work out of my sketchpad for as much of a piece as I can get away with. I use pencil mostly, but also pens, ink, watercolor, charcoal, pastels, colored pencils; it’s always switching around. I think that’s what I like the best about making art: You can always find another way to do something, or undo something, in a worst-case scenario.

Describe how you incorporate Copics into your work:
I use Copics to add tone and texture to my inks before they go to color. Sometimes I use warm grays to set the temperature of the light throughout the scene, that way the shaded picture doesn’t come out looking “shiny”. I’ll go through after that with cool grays to work up shadows and depth, and maybe to describe form here and there. Finally, I use Photoshop to add color and maybe a few more textures, if I feel like there’s a space that needs a little roughing up. I try not to let this part overpower the drawing underneath, and to keep it so that the finished piece still keeps all of the expression and liveliness of the scanned original. It is always tempting to just fix a picture to death!

Tools used: Pencil, Copic Multiliner, Copic Sketch markers, Photoshop

What are you working on right now? Any personal projects?
I love making storyboard animatics. I feel like it’s a medium stuck between comic and animation, and it’s extremely expressive. I’m currently poking at an idea for a short project about a ghost who lives in an abandoned lighthouse. It’s not getting finished any time soon with my current workloads, but it’s something I enjoy coming back to whenever I can find time. It’s not really for anything special either. I just think its important to have something like that, where there’s no pressure and you can just enjoy it no matter how long it takes to pan out.

Aside from that, I’m always working on new artwork to sell at Anime Conventions I attend. It’s fun designing buttons and posters of my characters from various stories I’ve got no idea how I’ll ever write. I love them anyway.

Tools used: Pencil, ballpoint pen, Photoshop

Any exhibitions or shows coming up?
I’m going to be at Anime Detour and Animinneapolis this year, both in Minneapolis MN. I’m also trying to get into A-kon in Dallas TX, and Mecha Con in New Orleans LA, but we’ll see what happens!

Find Allison on the web:
Portfolio: http://shirotsuki.deviantart.com/
Tumblr: http://alliebirdseed.tumblr.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/clearblueNEL

Tell us about yourself!
I was born in a town called Victoriaville (Québec/Canada) from a Belgian mom and a Canadian dad. My mom is an artist and she initiated my three brothers and I to drawing, pastels, collage, acrylic and oil painting. I also learned piano at an early age and this strong connection with music, especially classical, is an extra filter. It makes me draw and see things with musical sensibility.

I studied Sciences, French literature and History and graduated with honors from University of Montreal. I did all sorts of jobs: interpreter, journalism, pianist, public relations, fund raising, teaching French and scuba. I had the chance to do this in Montreal and abroad: Brazil, England, Turkey and the Caribbean.

Now, let’s talk about chance, faith and dreams. When I moved to Los Angeles I met my husband. Having a life partner that believes in my art was a drastic turn in my career. I started doing drawings incorporating intricate fabrics. One day, I entered a beautiful stationery store in Coronal del Mar and the owner, Harriet, saw these pieces and suggested me to send them to Constance Kay inc. Tip number one: Always have sample of your art on you, even in micro version! The rest is history as they say. Constance Kay has been an incredible mentor and guide for my art. My greeting cards are now sold in Japan, England, Switzerland and across U.S.A. It is a great joy to see my work transcend languages and cultures around the world. For my illustration work, another great luck struck me. My illustrations were hanging on the walls of my friend Virginia. Tip number two: be surrounded by friends that believe in you and give them your art pieces. A common friend who owns a beautiful agency in Venice California, Nouvelle Vague LA, saw my pieces and took me on board. Tip number three: get an agent. Sandrine gave me great visibility and opportunities.

What is your earliest memory of drawing or making art?
My earliest memory is probably throwing spaghetti on the walls with my brothers. Very modern. Or shall I say: A classic. Every kid draws. I did the same thing but because my mom was an artist I had tutorials, tools and even early critic! I remember drawing a lot of 18th century dresses, princesses and birds. Every year, at an early age, I was making a different Christmas card for each member of my family. I got good at cartooning and using humor to share my love. Humor is my favorite way of communicating.

What are your biggest sources of inspiration?
People. The best designs I did where initially created for someone. It’s easy to make something beautiful and inspiring when it is led by love. My inspiration is deeply shaped by my gratefulness for life, nature, hiking, scuba diving, yoga, colors, fashion, witnessing kindness between people, and finally but not the least, by my family and my friends.

Describe your creative process:
Everything starts with a coffee at 7am every morning. Routine and discipline are my golden keys. It’s all about ideas and concepts. These are the most important things for an illustrator. When I work on a project, I brainstorm and cartoon all my ideas. Illustration on the drawing table is most of my work: Hands on work, old fashion. Then the best ones are turn into final pieces. For the greeting cards, they’re all handmade so there is a craftsmanship part to my work that I really enjoy. I am some sort of art engineer that finds the right material to make the concept look flawless.

Has your illustration process changed over time?
I stick to a routine but how I do my illustrations have changed. Using Copic markers for instance was a drastic change. I first bought few colors to integrate them in my work and two weeks later I had a vast range of colors. It speeds up my work, adding precision and vibrant colors while offering transparency. The requests for my clients make me evolve as an artist because it brings me to work on different topics using broader styles. I have learned to create more elaborate pieces as opposite to my initial minimalist style.

Why do you choose to use Copic markers for your illustrations?
What’s not to love about Copic? We are a lot of fans out there! Copic offers so many transparent and gorgeous colors. They are durable, precise and easy to find. They are easy to work with and integrate to any pieces I work on. They also accelerate my creative process because I can quickly lay colors on my drafts. It does not blurry or mess up the fine details of my illustrations. I love their design, the way they lay in my hands. I use them for touch up on fabrics and papers. I also work with watercolors and ink but I would say that using Copic now covers 60-70% of my illustration work. I have YR00 Pink Powder for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I use this color a lot. It saves me so much time with my skin tones. I am grateful for such a great tool and our Copic community.

What are you working on right now?
I am working on Valentines cards design for Constance Kay inc. It’s all pink, bubbly, kinky, colorful and funny. For Nouvelle Vague LA, I am working on London 2012 Olympics and a series of illustrations filled with words for advertising and tourism projects.

Any words of advice for new artists?
See my tips above! Stick with people that love your work and support you. Maira Kalman gave me a great advice one day, with that same question: “Get deadlines!” That’ll make your work clearer, vibrant and more precise. Be prolific! Be inspired, loved and know that you are doing the right thing just right now, as you are.

Find Gigi on the web:

For greeting cards:
Constance Kay

For illustrations:
Nouvelle Vague LA
Directory of Illustration

This year Copic Design Team member, Debbie Olson, will assist Ken (President Emeritus of Imagination International, Inc., importer of Copic Markers.)

The plan is to spend two weeks at a tiny art school in Umbria (1 1/2 hours North of Rome), each day traveling to a nearby hill town to sketch, and returning to our base in LaRomita School Of Art. We are taken care of by two Italian cooks, and we stay there in apartments remodeled in a 15th Century Monastery.

The cost for this two week workshop is $3,600 plus airfare. It includes food, room, instruction, and all local transportation as we travel each day out to new hill towns. Other costs may include a few lunches, snacks and gifts.

If this adventure is of interest to you, please write to ken@copicmarker.com for more information and a list of FAQ.

Reflecting objects are difficult to render in any medium.  With a transparent medium like Copic Markers, you need to be thinking a few steps ahead, to know where to leave your lights, or where a different color will be laid down. Working with reflections is a good lesson in local color versus perceptual color, ergo, what color is it really versus what color does it look like.

Take time to study your reference, whether it’s a photo or real life.  This sort of observation is handy when rendering things like Christmas ornaments (as you’ll see below), the surface of water, chrome bumpers, so on and so forth.

For the sake of this tutorial, I’ll only talk about rendering one of the ornaments.  I used Copic Sketchbook Bleed Resistant Marker paper for this tutorial.  For this ornament, I used Y17, Y32, R02, R08, R17, R59, RV21, B39.

I start by carefully looking at my reference and the colors that are actually reflected in the ornament.  Laying down a quick layer of Colorless Blender, I layer Y32 and Y17 for the lights reflecting on the edges of the ornament.  Using R08, I lay in the base, local color of the ornament with a little R17 to help soften some of the edges:

Using R02, I knock down some of the yellows, before breaking out the BG45 and B39 for the reflected blues.  Afterward, I choose RV21 for the lighter reflected pinks, and a little more of the Y17 and B39 to reflect the swirl:

Next comes the R59 to add in some of the darker reds, with some B39 layered over for more depth.  Much of this is push and pull, using the Colorless Blender, to achieve the softer edges and shifts in color:

One trick is to keep layering the same color over itself to achieve a deeper, richer tone that doesn’t drastically change, like switching to another color.  For example, I layered R59 over the darker portion of the ornament to deepen the tone without completely shifting it, as I did where I added the B39.

It takes a little experimenting to see just how the colors play together in layering, as well as utilize that Colorless Blender to soften transitions from one color to the next.  But once you get the hang of it, your reflections will knock people’s socks off!  Have fun and play!

36 different colors were used.  Check out my Copic Color page for the complete list:
http://copiccolor.com/BrandiYork

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Largely self-taught illustrator Drew Blom talked with us about having work curated into the Art for Hope exhibit, his art making experience, and using SketchBook Pro Copic Edition.

Congratulations! How did it feel to be approached by Autodesk for this art show?

I was contacted by Chris Cheung at Autodesk to see if I was interested in contributing a piece for their Art For Hope benefit book in partnership with Viz Media. It was right around the time the Copic Edition of SketchBook Pro (SBP) was released. I planned everything digitally, printed out and did a traditional graphite rendering, scanned back in and used the new Copic settings to create the colors for my piece.

I was pretty humbled to asked to be part of the Art For Hope book. It’s a great cause, I was excited to work on the piece  – and excited to hear it was selected. It was quite an honor.

Unless you’re a big name who’s having their work reviewed all the time it is easy to work in a vacuum. I’m not a big name so it’s kind of fun to see that the piece is making an impression on others.

Anything you’d like viewers to keep in mind while viewing your piece?

The piece was created as a cover for my story Calvin Hedge and the Iron Golem. It’s a story about hope, so it was a natural fit for the anthology. The story is intended to be the first of a trilogy of YA fantasy novels. I am writing and illustrating a children’s book as a precursor to the world and characters early next year. The characters in the image were not just put in to fill the composition. They all have a part in the story. Knowing who the characters are really helps me as I work on the actual piece.

Calvin Hedge and the Iron Golem, Graphite, Strathmore 500, Digital, 11″ x 17″

How do you normally go about art making?

I use digital drawing tools like SketchBook Pro for planning because it’s easiest to change, but for the actual work (rendering and line art) I prefer traditional media.

Every artist has a preference for tools and it usually winds up being the ones they have the most control over. Graphite and colored pencil are my go-to most of the time. Markers and pen-and-ink techniques are also a part of my process. I like the digital tools available because of the speed and ease of making changes. But I am still a sucker for the texture and depth of traditional media. The computer does “perfect” really well. But the hand of the artist is more readily visible with traditional media.

I did a talk recently explaining the process a little bit here. My part starts about 20 minutes in:

I use traditional Copic markers as well and am planning on using them as a monochromatic underpainting layer for a children’s book I’m writing and illustrating. After that I go in with digital color, similar to the SketchBook piece. I just need to start building up my grayscale collection of Copics.

Underpainting is a technique that has been around for a long time. In traditional oils it is used to define value and texture before a full-color realization is done over the top.

Calvin Hedge and the Iron Golem, underpainting

With the piece above, I used graphite pencils for the values, lighting and materials. It’s my version of underpainting and brings in the texture of the traditional media I’m working with.

With my upcoming children’s book I’m exploring a new process where the initial planning of the composition is done with SBP. The piece is then printed off and traditional Copics are used to lay in value, lighting and texture to the scene. Once the values are defined and the edges are contained with colored pencil the piece is scanned back in and a full color treatment is done digitally. This allows the texture of the paper and the markers to build up as they naturally would in a 100% traditional piece but also allows for the speed of doing final colors digitally.

What makes Copic your marker of choice for that?

The Copics blend very well, and with a set of grays you can lay in value incrementally. I like to feel in control as I’m creating the piece and the Copics are very natural and easy to reign in.

Have you been using SketchBook Pro (SBP) very long?

In one way or another, I’ve been using SketchBook Pro since version 1.1. I started out using it for storyboards but now use it for a lot of other things like planning out my compositions and coloring my final pieces.

How about SketchBook Copic Edition?

I picked it up the day it was released. I did a pretty quick update when the announcement was posted.  I already was using the markers so it was a natural transition.

It’s is a very natural sketching tool. Because I work on a tablet computer, I appreciate the gesture-based navigation. For coloring it is a bit different than I’m used to for my comic work, which is based on laying down flat color for selection and then building up volume. Its closer to traditional media which makes it very easy to get started with. You can tell the software was developed from an artist’s perspective.

The Copic presets are helpful as well. The palettes make sense and are great for narrowing in on a limited palette. The brush presets make the transition from traditional to digital media pretty smooth.

Any advice to people wanting to give SBP Copic Edition a try?

If you’re used to traditional Copics you’ll be familiar with the color palette. And the actual use of the digital preset brushes is pretty close too. Just like with traditional markers you can’t lay in light color over darks. It was a bit odd at first because I was used to standard digital tools, but over time it became an advantage because it kept me in the same mindset from traditional to digital.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.

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Connect with Drew online: http://about.me/drewblom

Steampunk Donkey Horse Original Art
More steampunk.  More Copics.  Another progression photo post! As you can see, the colors are somewhat more subdued than they have been, which was a conscious choice in an effort to replicate a little bit of the flavor of older, maybe even colorized, photography.  This horse is not living in modern times, after all!

Figure One: Steampunk Donkey Horse Ink

I was referencing a photo of a donkey, the narrowing of the face seems to have made a horse instead. I added a pipe but I was not sold on it yet, so it isn’t actually inked in Figure One.

Initial ink with a 0.1 multiliner SP. I actually had to replace the nib in my 0.1 after using it for about a day, but I learned my lesson! It seems I’m rather hard on all my pens and markers, which seems to be part of my style, but I don’t recommend it.

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Figure two.  Initial application of Copic color.  I don’t own as many greys as I would like (are you a “gray” or a “grey” person?). This will be N1 and N4, and the browns and blues are Y26 (Mustard, love it!), Yr24, E35, B04 and BG000. The peachy color is E93 (Tea Rose, another favorite).

More of the same colors, with a couple more greys, C-3 and C-5. I started using the Colorless Blender.

Added some YR12 and YR23 to the E93 try to capture that strange reddish, yellowish tinge to a donkey’s face.  Yes, I’m still working with a photo of a donkey for my horse.

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One of my favorite parts is the initial outline with a 0.8 multiliner when the drawing begins to come more to life. Also 0.3 and 0.1 for some details – and inked the pipe so now I’m stuck with it! It’s a little too low in the frame and I wish I had more space for more of the barrel of the pipe.

Additional browns added: E08 and E53. Although I always do the swirl pattern, I often add some flowers.  I decided to forego the flowers this time and see about doing only swirl patterns – the idea being that the eye piece, the goggles, the pipe and the tubing would be enough in the way of finer detail. Started adding even finer detail with the 0.05 multiliner SP.  You can see the 0.05 in the horizontal lines on the goggle lenses and on the eyepiece.

Went a little swirl-nutty.  One effect I particularly like is a colored multiliner over marker from the same color family, like on the bird’s body of the eyepiece.  Also used some sepia multiliner on the goggles. I added a little B02 (Robin’s Egg Blue) to add a little depth to the blue. Tightened up some more details, then did the swirl thing with the 0.3, 0.1 and 0.05. Sometimes in the same place, if the color effect wasn’t as dark as I wanted. And though I usually leave some light spots with no swirls, the swirl-nutty fever was on me and I swirled the whole thing up (with the minor exceptions of the goggle band and metal tubing.)

I like the effect of the subdued colors. As usual I am not sure about whether I want a background. At one point toward the end, I had actually sketched out a stripey design for the background, intending to use only black multiliner detail for the entire background, but then I decided against it. Holy cow, long post. Thank you for sticking around! What do you think, compared to my others (if you’ve seen them)?

Find Cindy on the web:
Web Site: http://www.theslumberingherd.com
Copic Color: http://www.copiccolor.com/cindyd

Share your illustrations with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Tell us a bit about yourself!
I am Arturo Elena, a normal and down to earth person that has the amazing privilege of working within my passion, Illustration. I am completely self-taught and I always liked to draw so have been practising since I was a little boy. My mother even remembers me recreating and painting Walt Disney characters as a small child!

When I finished my studies in high school, I had to make the decision of what to do next and I decided to apply to the Design School in Barcelona. The director of the school told me that I had this gift and such a talent that the best ‘school’ for me was going to be the day by day work, developing my own style & technique, and working and following my intuition. This time is also when my drawing skills began combining with my absolute admiration for the fashion world.


When did you discover that fashion illustration was your passion?
After five years working with design teams in Barcelona and Sevilla, I realised that what I liked the most was to draw fashion that others produced rather than to produce fashion myself.

The definitive jump to illustration came when I got the request from Spanish designers, Victorio & Lucchino, to illustrate the press folder for their collection and perfume ‘Carmen’, presented in Madrid Fashion Week in 1992. When this reached the press it opened a lot of doors to collaborations with fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Elle and Telva. They started to request my illustrations and I decided to dedicate my professional life to it, something that helped me to get consolidated as a fashion illustrator.

What are your biggest sources of inspiration?
Photography in general is my main source of inspiration but specially fashion photography as I look through many fashion magazines to recreate and obtain realistic effects, light, shadows, textures, the movements of the figures and perspectives in my own images. Also, I have to say that at the beginning of my career, I was strongly influenced by illustrators like René Gruau and Stefano Canulli.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
Without a doubt, when I present the final piece to a client and the result is better than what they were expecting, this feeling of getting what they wanted to transmit with my illustration is the most satisfying.

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What’s the most difficult thing about your job?
I work only upon request and this is something that can give me limitations. For each of my requests, I always have to consider the direction that has been stated by the client. I have to find out about each of my client’s style and philosophy. Then, depending of the purpose of their request, I try to visualise all those aspects in my mind before I put them together in the final piece and on paper.

So, for me the most difficult part is to come with the final image that will cover the client’s requirements.

Why do you prefer Copic markers for your illustrations?
Since I started to be a professional illustrator, I have tried different pens, but I use Copic for several reasons: Their huge variety in colours, quality and precision. With Copic, I can blend the colours to get the results that I’m looking for.

Do you have a favorite piece or project that you’ve created?
There are many pieces that have been very gratifying. To mention a few, the series “Heroinas” (Girls-Hero) produced for Custo Barcelona and used as pattern for some of his garments are one of my favourites, along with some of the illustrations that I produced for the spanish designer Lemoniez that were used for his catwalk invitations in Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week.

Any words of advice for aspiring fashion illustrators and designers?
I think they need to be honest with themselves, to think very well if they have the skills, vocation, perseverance and if they are ready to work very hard. They need to believe in themselves and never get down, tenacity is something very important in this profession. Nobody has ever given me anything for free, but I got advantages from all of the opportunities that I found on the way. I understand that many times, people associate the fashion industry as a cold and materialistic world, but it is a field as difficult as any other and if you want to get far you just need to work hard.

Any announcements to make – exhibitions or shows coming up?
My latest work, I just finished the sketches, is an image for an event that will take part in the city where I live, Zaragoza (Spain) to promote the products of one of the most important wine cellars in Aragon, “Viñas del Vero” (Somontano). At Christmas time, once again, I’m working for Moët Hennessy Spain (Grupo LVMH) producing their Christmas-Cards Image.

When those two pieces are finished, I need to continue with the last 6 out of 12 images that I have produced for the Swish luxury watches brand Audemars Piguet. The first 6 images were launched in an exhibition that took part in the past Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week. I can’t say anything about what is going to happen with the other 6… The brand will tell all when the project is completed as it is part of the deal and I have to keep it secret

There is a lot more to come, but until all of it is closed and sealed I don’t like to reveal anything…

View more of Arturo’s work at www.arturoelena.com
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Arturo Elena is represented internationally by FACTORY311
For Bookings and Inquiries, please contact arturo@factory311.com / +44 (0) 207 836 5610

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For this tutorial, I’m going to focus on achieving the lights and shadows on the face. I like to keep a black and white print out of the photo I’m doing along with the full color version. I find this helps to push the values as well as the color.

All of the markers used are Copic Sketch, brush tip side.

Starting with a R000, I lay in the general tones of the skin, followed by E00 to beef up the shadows a little:

Using an E02, I deepen up the shadows a bit more before breaking out the BV31, adding into the shadows of the face. I go back over the BV31 with the R000 and E00 to warm the shadows back up a bit. Using the side of the brush tip, I pull the BV31 across the cheek, letting the shadow naturally fade out, instead of it having a hard edge:

Pulling out the E34 and E35, I start to hit the really deep reddish-brown shadows of the skin. I use the R000 to smooth out the colors, creating a softer transition, instead of the 0 Colorless Blender, which often lightens the area you’re blending (although that can often be useful, it’s not the look I’m going for here.) Next, I use the BV23 and BV25 to deepen the shadows of the neck, lips, eyes and nose, again feathering them out with the lighter colors I’ve been using:

I go over the face again with the E00, knocking down some of the redness from the R000, adding a touch of R20 into the cheeks and nose.

I finish out the eyes with a stroke of BV25 and E29 around the lashes and a dot for the pupils, then E29 for the darker portion of the eyes. I use the 0 Colorless Blender and just hold it down for a moment where the lightest part of the iris (not the highlight itself) is to get the two colors to blend, giving the look of the light reflected in the iris.

Using R59 for the deepest part of the lips and R46 for the lighter, I finish out the lips, touching the highlight with R20, then the 0 Colorless Blender. I use a little YR82 and E31 to yellow down the skin a little, taking out some of the red:

Much of the rest of the face (and whole piece) is played with, pushing a little here and there with the markers, until I find the balance I like. Experiment and have fun! That’s what it’s all about!

All colors used to complete the piece: 0, R000, R20, R46, R59, YR82, E000, E00, E02, E29, E31, E34, E35, E49, E50, BV23, BV25, BV31

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