Greg Smallwood
@SavageSmallwood
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Joined February 2019
Sad to say that, without my approval, Marvel attempted to "fix" several panels of my art in issue two of Elektra: Black, White, & Blood before sending it to the printers. They're not huge changes but I really don't like my art being tampered with.
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There is still a persistent myth out there that you can achieve photo realism in art without the use of photo reference. If your goal is realism, here's a thread to remind you that the best artists used reference so you can, too.
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And if tracing photos makes your work look stiff, get better at tracing photos. Don't get bogged down in details and instead train yourself to see the broad strokes and forms. Focus on body language and not the intricate clothing folds.
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Just wanted you all to know because my name is on that comic but I'm pretty annoyed about how it looks. As a palate cleanser, here's the cover and the first two (also the best) pages, unaltered.
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On a more positive note, I just turned in an issue of Human Target. Here's my favorite panel.
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Dr. Jones. Ink, china marker, and wash on Strathmore vellum bristol.
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Long story short - 2 months after turning in the finished pages, I was informed by my editor that Marvel's Standards & Practices flagged my art and requested I redraw several panels so that they would be "within tolerance for best representation of Asian characters."
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My cover for issue 1 of Human Target. Process thread below.
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I've got a newborn, a three-year old, and some tight deadlines to manage right now so this is all I'm saying on the matter. Going back into my hole again.
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They also attempted to cover up some nudity which just resulted in a muddied mess. Again, something I was willing to fix.
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Wife and I were expecting our second child the following week and I was racing to finish an issue of HT before the birth so I told Marvel that I didn't have time to make the changes but that I would be perfectly fine with them pulling the story for sensitivity concerns.
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In true ouroboros fashion, here's me, in turn, being inspired by the show. Looking forward to the finale #MoonKnight
My all-time favorite MK run is Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood's brilliant "Welcome to New Egypt." Also "From The Dead" by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey. Both huge inspirations for the show.
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Unfortunately, I just found out yesterday that the folks at Marvel didn't even bother using my new art and instead went to print with their own revised pages. I was not given a chance to make further revisions or even approve the alterations made by the bullpen.
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My variant cover for issue 16 of Batman Superman. Process thread below.
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A lot of artists have inspired my interiors on Human Target. Here's a thread of the big ones - maybe they can inspire you on your next project
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I stated very clearly that I didn't want anyone touching my art so I dropped everything I was doing and immediately reworked all of the panels that were flagged.
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I was told that pulling the story was not an option and if I couldn't do revisions, the Marvel Bullpen would "take a crack" at my pages instead.
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With the new issue of Human Target hitting stands next week, I thought it would be a good time for another process thread. This one concerns what I consider the most important element of my work on HT - contrast.
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Just announced! I'm writing & drawing a BATMAN THE BARBARIAN six-issue series as part of the returning DC Elseworlds imprint. Coming soon!
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Let's start with comics. Here's the creator of the Rocketeer, Dave Stevens posing for Cliff Secord himself. Fellow comics artist Doug Wildey was Dave's model for Peavey.
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Pretty absent from Twitter lately but I've been busy going back and drawing more fingers on hands for these last few issues of Human Target. Not usually one for jumping on trends but I really don't want to miss out on this brand new audience who digs extra digits in their art.
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I thought it would be a good time for a process thread about the Photoshop brushes I use for Human Target.
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Lots of questions about what inspired my work on Human Target. Here's a thread on the creative genealogy of the book. Hope it helps.
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Paolo Rivera is wonderfully open about all of the reference material he uses. I've learned a lot from the information he's generously shared over the years.
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Richard Corben used a lot of models (fellow creator Bruce Jones is recognizable in some of Corben's work) but he also went the extra mile and sculpted stylized heads for realistic lighting ref.
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Alex Ross's two big art books, Mythology and Marvelocity, have a lot of great process pics.
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And because you made it to the end, here are some interior pages to look at.
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My covers for the EC Comics/Oni Press anthology, CRUEL UNIVERSE (with amazing trade dress by @rianhughes ). Process thread incoming!
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I'll miss drawing these two. Many thanks to Tom for giving me gold every time. Many thanks to Clayton for his patience and skill. And many, many thanks to Ben for making it all happen. Until next time, folks!
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Human Target 9 is out today. Here's the cover for the final issue
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Al Williamson would pose for photos but he would sometimes use his friend, Frank Frazetta, too.
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Some folks were wondering about the "Apologies to Darcy" on the cover to Human Target 2. That's a reference to Ernest "Darcy" Chiriacka, a mid century illustrator I swiped from for the cover.
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I have a cheap flask that I use for Human Target. Why? Because if you add up the amount of time I've saved just tracing a photo of it, it's paid for itself 10x over. If you're going for photo-realism and you're on a deadline, you've got to cut every corner you're able to.
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Adam Hughes did a fantastic piece for ImagineFX that went over his process, including some of his photo reference. TwoMorrows also ran a great photo of Adam with his WW model, Julie Rapp, in issue 21 of Comic Book Artist magazine.
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James Gurney wrote a whole book on the subject of creating realistic fantasy art and the process of creating reference for it. Highly recommended!
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Also, instead of feeling guilty for doing what most professional artists have done throughout history, just be grateful you don't have to set up an elaborate camera obscura or a clunky artograph to do your tracing. You can just open up Photoshop. Or buy a cheap lightbox on Amazon
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And don't forget Disney animation. Even when they didn't employ rotoscoping they still shot reference footage for the animators.
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I suppose we could show off the fourth cover, too.
First three Human Target covers by Goddamn @SavageSmallwood. These are the last days to preorder if you want one in case they sell out. And looking at them now, I think they’re going to sell out.
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168 pages down, 168 to go. The hugely supportive folks at DC are putting Human Target on a short hiatus so that I can finish the second half of the series. For anyone who missed the first half, they'll be releasing a hardcover of 1 thru 6, out in September (a week before Issue 7)
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The Hildebrandt Brothers seemed to have a lot of fun shooting photo reference.
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Here's my cover for Tales of the Human Target, an anthology one-shot that drops Aug 23. I handle a lot of design for the HT series but I had no formal training so everything I've learned is thanks to the amazing resources that are available out there. Here's a thread about them.
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As soon as I took the Elektra gig, I went on Amazon and bought some cheap sai because I knew I was going to draw them a lot. Also sculpted a quick Elektra model so I wouldn't have to worry about consistency when drawing her over & over. I just traced the model over & over instead
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Can photo reference and 3D models be relied on too heavily and produce work that is lifeless? Absolutely! But I've also seen plenty of stiff, lifeless art produced without the use of photo reference, too. Like any art tool, it's about how you use it.
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I didn't know Ed Piskor but I wish I had. Cartoonist Kayfabe kept me going when I was ready to quit. He & Jim gave so much of themselves to comics and we repaid them with cruelty. Wish I had spoken up, even if it's vanity to think I could've made a difference. I'm sorry, Ed. RIP
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My Nick Fury story hits stands tomorrow in issue 6 of Marvel. Story, art, & letters by yours truly. Here's a preview page:
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Speaking of, Parker was part of the Famous Artist School and there's a whole lesson on research and reference. Even a section on how to shoot photo reference.
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Very grateful for Human Target's Best New Series Eisner nom. Thank you! Sometimes comic books, much like children, come into this world kicking and screaming. Took me a few tries to find HT's visual voice but the reception we've received has made the work worth it.
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I hope this thread helps clear up any weird thinking that realism in art is achieved purely through imagination and practice.
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I have drawers full of figures, models, airsoft guns, and other various props that I use as reference, too.
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Speaking of Frazetta, Arnie Fenner wrote a great piece for Muddy Colors on the subject of photo reference that discusses the stigma around reference/tracing and Frank's use of it.
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Line art for Human Target uses three distinct styles. Soft & highly rendered inking/penciling for faces & skin, loose & simplified brush strokes for clothing, and blotty dead lines for backgrounds. When combined, they subtly contrast each other.
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Norman Rockwell on how he uses photos for reference and a little bit on machines that help you trace.
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So stop holding yourself to some impossible standard and break out the camera if you think it'll help. Go buy that prop if it'll help you make your deadline (or come close). And if it saves time, TRACE THE PHOTO.
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Not miscommunication. NO communication. Devin apologized to me yesterday for not being able to respond to my emails concerning the edits (some kind of server error on his end). He was not apologizing for the changes. He assured me yesterday that I would be happy with them.
@SavageSmallwood So sorry, Greg, we’ll own the mistake here. Had an email miscommunication on my end, like we spoke about yesterday. As we already assured you, we’re using your pages on digital editions and any new printings and collections.
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I found this little gem with the great Robert Fawcett
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I'll end this thread with a great Gregory Manchess quote from that Arnie Fenner piece on Muddy Colors.
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And just as a disclaimer, this doesn't mean ALL artists should use reference. Your style dictates your tools. If your work is hyper-stylized, photo ref would be mostly worthless to you. I doubt Jack Kirby needed or used much photo ref by the time he was on FF.
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James Bama used model Steve Holland for his Doc Savage books.
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Some #colorjams I tackled recently. FF/X-Men by Mike Mignola, Silver Surfer by @Johnsonverse, Batman by Bernie Wrightson. Colors by me. @ColorJams
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Here's my variant cover for issue 14 of THAT TEXAS BLOOD (out this week!) by @ChristophCondon & @jacobr_phillips . For you digital artists out there, I thought I'd share a few things in Photoshop that I used to make this cover.
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Mostly, you should try to find a process that best suits you. I find it difficult to picture things in my mind clearly and I work a lot better when I'm looking at something. I also naturally gravitate towards realism so photo ref makes sense for me.
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Before I turned pro I went to a panel & listened to Dave talk about making covers. I remember taking notes because I just KNEW that if I could capture a mere fraction of his cleverness & eye for design, I'd be set. He gave away all his secrets so he only has himself to blame.
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Steve Holland was a favorite among paperback cover artists so you can find his visage everywhere on vintage books.
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CABLE by JRJR, colors by me. Many thanks to @whoisrico for doing @ColorJams - I always have a lot of fun with these. #colorjam
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My cover for issue two of ARROWSMITH: BEHIND ENEMY LINES by @KurtBusiek and @Cpachecoficial . Apologies to Leyendecker.
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I'm done pretending that an apology or atonement gets you anywhere with these people. Tell me, Liam - did an apology change Warren Ellis's circumstances? How about Jason Latour's? Cameron Stewart? Brian Wood? There is no path and you know it.
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I've experimented a lot with the traditional forms of contrast - color, shape, texture, etc but after really studying mid century illustration, I realized that there was a very powerful contrast technique that I wasn't taking advantage of - style contrast.
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Well, that's it for me. If you missed the first six issues of HT, you can pick up the volume one hardcover collection next week, too. Big thanks to @ComicMama for giving me the opportunity to help with the design of the book. Had a blast with it!
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To contrast the tight rendering on faces, I don't render the colors but apply hard angular cuts for the shading. And like the blocky coloring on 101 Dalmatians, I keep things loose and frequently color outside the lines.
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I wish I had time to tackle more covers these days but I don't. For this book, I made time. Twice. Preorder the book - it's @TomKingTK @BilquisEvely & @_matlopes_ at their very best.
This is the last weekend to preorder Helen of Wyndhorn, my new series with @BilquisEvely, following up on our Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow. It's epic fantasy meets Gothic mystery. But mostly it's game changingly beautiful. If you liked Supergirl, if you wanted more, this is more.
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But unlike Dalmatians, I try as often as I can to keep the underlying hues of shadow and light in any given panel complimentary. Or at the very least, I push the light as warm as I can and the shadows as cool as I can.
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. and 101 Dalmations backgrounds (a big influence on my coloring for the interior pages).
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But that's not what the folks at Disney did. They contrasted that precision with loose, blocky, and seemingly haphazard coloring. The juxtaposition of two contrasting approaches is instantly appealing.
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Issue 5 of Human Target is out right now. @TomKingTK gave me the most thoughtful and daring script I've ever drawn. Hope you dig the finished result.
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The folks at DC were kind enough to let me handle trade dress for the cover so I worked that up before shooting some quick photo reference and inserting my Christopher Chance head sculpt (made in Sculptris and lit in 3D Viewer).
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And because you made it to the end, here's a sneak peak of issue 6 of Human Target. The cover and two of my favorite panels from the issue.
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Here's my basic approach to coloring and the brushes I use for rendering. God bless @kyletwebster and his brushes!
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I attempted to emulate that with my Gotham City Year One cover. Pull focus to the faces (and gun) by tightly rendering them and pulling focus away from the rest of the cover by loosely rendering it.
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On the left is the art I did to accompany Tom's pitch for the book. A few months later, I revisited the piece and worked up something closer to the tone and style of my interior art.
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Contrary to popular belief, I did not steal Mitch Gerads's likeness for G'Nort. That said, I'm not above stealing from Mitch. Many thanks and apologies to @MitchGerads for every little thing I've swiped from him in Human Target.
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