Here’s a first look at the cover:

Now let’s see if we get it delivered in time for FANEXPO 2009.
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The following documents the “creative process”.

Originally I was going to use existing artwork (due to time constraints) however there wasn’t anything in existence that matched what I envisioned in my head – so it was back to the drawing board. In a last minute rush, I hacked out this sharpie sketch.

I’ve started using sharpie markers to force myself to commit to a gesture rather than endlessly chicken scratching with pencil.

Next I used the Dave Sim tracing paper method to pull an actual drawing out of my sharpie sketch. I find that drawing on the mirror image helps to quickly tighten up the drawing, and then enables an easy transfer to the S-172 Bainbridge.

Once the pencils are transfered, the inking process begins, using primarily a Hunt 102 nib and a Windsor Newton #2 (not to mention some form of white out).

At this point I scan the artwork into the computer, and in this case I realized that I had drawn SPY GUY’s head too small. D’oh! For a moment I thought about redrawing the whole thing, however instead opted to just scale the thing in Photoshop.

Then I added some colour (doing my best to ape the Anime cell animation style) and voila! I had a final image.

This was then sent off to the fine folks at The Lot to be turned into a life sized cut out. Here is the final product!

Look for it in the background of the SUPER HERO movie coming soon to a theater near you!

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While Mike Kitchen may not be attending the San Diego Comic Con this year, SPUD & HARRY are crashing the party! Keep your eyes open for SPUD & HARRY #1 and you could snag your very own copy FREE!

And while you’re there, don’t forget to grab The Possum #2.

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Viktor Kalvachev posed this question over at The Drawing Board last January.

Which got me thinking. This is the part of creation I enjoy the most. The logical progression in trying to flesh out an idea. Sitting at work, after a couple minutes of processing time, an image began to form in my head.

This is my thought process:

I assumed that if Hellboy was to have a sister, it would be a younger sister. Because there has been no mention of an older sister anywhere in the series, a younger sister seemed like the only logical choice. She couldn’t be a little kid, because Hellboy is something like 70 years old.

She wouldn’t have a Right Hand Of Doom, because that is the sort of item that would be a one-of-a-kind rarity. And her brother’s the one that’s got it.

When she came to earth, it would be in flames, like when baby Hellboy was summoned. She would arrive unclothed, however Hellboy isn’t a cheesecake sort of comic, and I’m pretty sure that Hellboy (who would be bound to be first on the scene) would not let his sis’ walk around in the nude, him being accustomed to human traditions and all. Hence the choice of having her covered with Hellboy’s trench coat.

She would arrive with horns. Now, whether she would follow her brother’s lead and cut them off later is debatable, but my best thinking is she wouldn’t, and would instead treat them as a hair accessory; women are like that.

Personality-wise, to start, she would be like a deer caught in the headlights, wondering what sort of world she has gotten herself into. The rest would develop later, depending on the story archs. So that is what I tried to capture in this image.

I did my best attempt at aping Mignola’s style for this.
You can let me know if I was at all successful.

I’ve posted the above image both at The Drawing Board and on the Hellboy Forums.
And if you want to check out the original concept doodles, click open the comment section below.

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From left to right: Erikson, Raina, Anika.

I can’t believe it was done almost 2 years ago.
Time flies.

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