ULTRAIST STUDIOS

Here is a “behind the scenes” look at the making of SPY GUY #1 Page 7.  This one is interesting not only because it is the “hook” for issue 1, but it also contains the very first gag ever created for Spy Guy.

Back around 2004 I got to thinking that every comic book should have a “hook”.  A page that while you’re flipping through it in the comic book shop, it catches your eye, and you go “whoa!”, and in that moment you are given enough information to get a gist of what the book is about, and are enticed to learn more.  It would most likely contain a splash page image, and should contain a joke or one-liner that can be absorbed in an instant.  When I began brainstorming what the issue #1 hook should be, this gag came to mind.  It is one of the earliest Spy Guy drawings ever done, circa 1988, and is what I consider to be an iconic image for Spy Guy.  What better place to use it than in the very first issue of the Unlimited Series.

Pretty good gag. But for the comic it had to be more dynamic. That became very apparent while I was putting together the mock-up copy that I use to pace out the comic with.

Once I started the full sized roughs of the new dynamic pose, I realized that I wasn’t getting the drawing right at all. Once you tilt it at a bit of an angle, you start getting some perspective and the way the trench coat falls gets more complicated. I needed photo reference.

In doing video reference for animation, I discovered how much superior using video reference is compared to using photo reference, because you can capture thousands of frames to chose from, and you get better action because you don’t get stiff as you hold still for the camera.

From there I did some pencil sketches in front of the computer on 11 x 17 paper.  Here is the 11 x 17 rough I created.  The sharpie work was done on the bus on route to the GO Train back when I had a daily commute and was featured in a blog journal post a while back.  I find the sharpie is useful for really blocking in some forms to base the final pencils around.

From there I took the sharpie rough, and did a tracing paper pencil over it to tighten the drawing before transferring it over to the S-172 Bainbridge illustration board.

For the final pencils and inks, I pulled out the gun reference that I keep beside the drawing board at all times.

And this is what it looks like in the final page.  You can read it in context right here.

The page has gotten quite a few comments, so I can only assume that it accomplished what I set out to do with it. Now there you have it;  the making of SPY GUY #1 Page 7.

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Getting ready to bust out the inks on Page 3.  As you can see, I’ve got my Frank Miller contrast reference ready, and my Mike Mignola “Kirby Dot” reference ready.  You can also see the Sharpie and Pentel Correction Pen rough for a general idea of what I’m going for.  Note the Post-it note rough dialog, that trick sure comes in handy.

Also, if you look closely in the top left hand corner of the desk, you’ll see my mini-sketchbook… I sketched out a true story from Toronto back in 2005… that true story will be integrated into Page 12 (when I get to it).
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Here on Page 6 the action ends, and we start getting into intensive dialog and character interaction. Something I always find difficult to write for comics. However on this page I’ve started experimenting with writing the dialog on post-it notes, taking the cue from they way they used to do storyboards in these parts for animation. Doing it this way allows for endless re-organizing of the word bubbles making the editing and visualization of the final page super simple. I think I’m going to work like this more often.

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Friday came around… no comics.  When I checked online and saw that the expected “over-night” delivery was going to be Monday at 5:00 pm I got more than a little worried.  Erika did some detective work while I was at the con, and managed to find out that the comics could be here between 12:00 noon and 5:00 pm on Saturday; a ray of hope!

So early morning Saturday I tracked the packages from Mirabel to Burlington, and intercepted the transport truck at the sorting station just before noon, grabbed my boxes of comics, and sped to the Fan Expo where Blair was manning the booth.  Talk about deja vu (nearly the same thing happened for the release of Spud & Harry #1).

Never the less, the comics arrived in time for FAN EXPO 2009, and the people couldn’t be happier (except for Christopher Miller who came by early on Friday… sorry Chris).

Both Deadpool and The Comedian agree that SPY GUY #1 is the best SPY GUY comic yet!

Speaking of celebrities, I managed to take these pics:

Linda Hamilton

Lou Ferrigno

Bruce Campbell

Now I REALLY wanted to get a pic of Spock, but unfortunately wasn’t able to… I missed him and Captain Kirk back in 2006 as well…  oh well.  Maybe next time.

And what would a comic con be without FREE SKETCHES!?
Here are some of my favorites:

Black Widow vs. SPY-Derman

Spy Guy vs. Fazeman

Dark Possum vs. Dark Spy Guy
(The un-expected concept of this one is one of my favorites since Spy-Mite! And the idea never would have existed if it wasn’t for doing these sketches.  It’s great exercise in creativity.  I’d really like to colour this one).

Spy Guy vs. The Possum
(These team-up sketches are always fun to do.  Especially trying to mix it up by fitting in a gag that wasn’t expected.)

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Not long ago I received this great sketch in the mail by none other than Troy Little; creator of Chiaroscuro (now a hit graphic novel published by IDW) and co-creator of Angora Napkin (not only a graphic novel, but also a new cartoon by Teletoon).

Be sure to check out his stuff over at Meanwhile Studios.

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After 22 years of drawing Spy Guy, I think I finally figured out how to draw his hat.

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Last Sunday was the annual Word On The Street festival in Toronto, and despite calls for rain, the day ended up being warm and sunny. Once again Ultraist Studios was in attendance with Possum Press, and this year we debuted the SPY GUY and The POSSUM Superhero Movie cut-out stand-ups for the first time ever, which got a lot of attention (and photos).

An interesting side note:  I noticed all day that I was drawing a disproportionately large number of sketches with children robbing banks.  Must be a sign of our times.

Click to enlarge.

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This sketch was inspired by the amazing drawing style of artist Mike Kitchen!

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Last October when Hawley Anderson contacted us on behalf of Dimension Films for comics, product, and signage to use in the upcoming feature film called SUPER HERO, I got the idea to create a life sized cut-out of SPY GUY.

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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I’m looking forward to inking this one.

This shows my new work process of roughing out the page on 11″ x 17″ paper using pencil and sharpie marker (and whiteout) before doing a tracing paper transfer to bainbridge s-172 illustration board.

Photo was taken while on public transit commute.

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