SpongeBob Comics #1 Cover Art

It’s finally here! Today is the release date for the very first issue of SpongeBob Comics! I’m very proud to say that I drew and painted the cover art for this baby!

Here is the original pencil version… Here’s the inked version below:
…and finally the fully-painted artwork below. Completely logo-free,
but still with the crop marks and bleed lines and all that jazz.

In the next few days I’m also gonna be posting the TON of rejected preliminary drawings from this project. There’s a lot of drawings that I really like a lot, but for one reason or another they were all passed over for the version you see above. So come back soon and check ‘em out!

And meanwhile,
I hope you’ll all go out to your
local comics shop and pick up a copy of
SpongeBob Comics #1

ArtRage Studio 3 is Released! Celebrate with ArtRage 2.5 Video Tutorials

Click on image - BIG video will open in new window

ArtRage time!

In Celebration of the release of the new ArtRage Studio 3,
I'm bringing back the video tutorials for a return engagement!

I use ArtRage every time I paint a cover for Nickelodeon Magazine. ArtRage is a digital painting program that imitates the look of real paint, as well as other natural media like pencils and pastels etc. etc. The thing that makes ArtRage such a wonderful program is that it's ridiculously easy to use -- you can just jump right in and play!

And it's not like I knew how to paint before I used this program. ArtRage is so easy and so fun to use that I just gradually picked up the techniques by playing around with the program. I've never even read the manual! Okay -- every once in a while I'll look something up in one of the tutorials... but 97% of all the tools and features are totally intuitive.

But it isn't just for play... I've been using this program for professional jobs for the last three years, and I don't need to look any further for a digital art program that gives me exactly the tools I need and the results I want.

work-in-progress version and finished cover

(By the way, if this is your first visit, I've been posting video tutorials that show how I drew, inked and painted this recent SpongeBob and Patrick cover for Nick Magazine. The list of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop tutorial videos is HERE, and the original post with the full-sized artwork is HERE.)

Here's the weird part -- for some bizarre reason, this amazing ArtRage Studio application only costs $40 (or $80 for the Pro version, or only $20 for version 2.5, which is the version I used for all my paintings). The "other" famous digital painting program costs $400, and it's so freaking complicated that I always end up tearing my hair out before I can actually get any work done.

ArtRage Studio is the bargain of the century. I strongly encourage you to download this application and try it out. And ArtRage runs on both Mac and Windows!

They have a bunch of great tutorials and very helpful forums on the ArtRage website, too.

Since this is the first video in the series, it's primarily dealing with setup and tools. And I'm going to show you the exact settings that I use every time I fire up ArtRage.

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How to import a PSD file into ArtRage

#1 When you import a layered Photoshop PSD file into ArtRage, it has to be in RGB mode, not in CMYK mode. You can change the mode in Photoshop before you bring it in to ArtRage.

#2 When you import your drawing, ArtRage will put it on the lowest layer and give it an opaque paper background......To be able to see through your linework to the color paint below, DO THIS: On your imported Drawing layer, go to "Edit Paper Settings" and near the bottom of the options dial the "paper opacity" (NOT the layer opacity) to 0%

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More ArtRage Tutorial Videos:

ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light
ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
ArtRage #5 – Bump Modes & Finishing Patrick

ArtRage #6 – Painting Highlights and Shadows

Note: These tutorials were all done with ArtRage 2.5, but new users of ArtRage Studio 3 will not have any problem following along. The new interface is basically the same as the one shown here, but the new version has more features and more fun options!

My Last Cover for the Last Issue of Nickelodeon Magazine :(

The last cover for the last issue of Nickelodeon Magazine. Very very sad to see the magazine close its doors, but I'm happy that I got the chance to work with so many great people at Nick Mag for the last 13 years. Proper eulogy will follow when I can properly gather the right words. I am very honored to have the opportunity to paint this final cover, capping a thirteen-year relationship with the coolest magazine on the planet.

Here’s the version of the painting that I sent in to the magazine, before all the text overlays and color adjustments.

I tried something new on this one...I used Photoshop to put a knit-sweater texture on all the sweaters. I never knew how to do it before, but all I had to do was import a texture that I found online, then cut it to shape, adjust the angle and make the layer mode into Overlay. It worked!

Original drawing in marker on printer paper. Inked in Illustrator CS3. Painted in ArtRage 2.5 "Knit sweater" Texture applied in Photoshop CS3.

I’ll run a “making of” process feature as soon as I have time to put it together. In the meantime, head to your newsstand to pick up this historic final issue.

Spring Cover for SpongeBob Magazine

  

This cover for SpongeBob SquarePants Magazine ran last spring (see, “spring?” Get it? ahem.). Drawing in pencil and Photoshop. Inked in Adobe Illustrator. Painted in ArtRage 2.5 except the background elements which I stole borrowed from old production backgrounds. Usually I paint every background from scratch, but I was in a real deadline crunch. Below are a whole bunch of preliminary sketches and layouts…

 

  

   

Halloween SpongeBob Magazine Cover Painting

(Click on the image above for a bigger version)

Submitted for your Pumpkin-Day viewing is the painting I did for last year's Halloween issue of SpongeBob SquarePants Magazine...a special Halloween themed portrait of SpongeBob and Patrick as seen from inside a Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin.

Here are a few thumbnails of the work in progress:

(Click on the cover above for a bigger version)

...and here's the published version with all the word-balloons, headlines and logos.This was painted digitally using the fantastic (and cheap) graphics program, ArtRage 2.5

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Here's a whole series of ArtRage Tutorial Videos:
ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light
ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
ArtRage #5 – Bump Modes & Finishing Patrick

ArtRage #6 Painting SpongeBob

ArtRage #6 – Painting SpongeBob, Adding Highlights and Shadows

Click on the image above to watch the ArtRage Video Tutorial

We’re finally getting to SpongeBob in these
ArtRage digital painting tutorial videos!

There’s a lot of color mixing in this lesson, and most of it has to do with creating shadows and highlights.

SpongeBob’s whole face and body are basically just yellow, so I’ve gotta make sure the colors look alive and dimensional. I’ll take advantage of the easy-to-use ArtRage color picker to find variations in the color that represent the sunlight coming in from the upper left…

… and the shadows created on the forms on the lower right.

How are YOUR ArtRage paintings coming along?

If you'd like to share your digital art success stories -- along with your art and links to your site -- just leave a comment with your info, or email me at: sherm (at) cartoonsnap.com ...and replace the (at) with @.

Previous ArtRage Tutorial Videos:
Previous ArtRage Tutorial Videos:
ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light
ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
ArtRage #5 – Bump Modes & Finishing Patrick
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Here's Video #6 in YouTube format:

Here's a quick summary of the other tutorials in this series:

#1 - Digital Painting Process Overview

#2- From Sketches to Finished Pencils

#3: Adobe Illustrator Inking Process

#4 Coloring Line Art with Photoshop

More ArtRage Success Stories: David, Ryan & Ivan

The most exciting part about making this ArtRage tutorial video series is when I hear from readers that putting these lessons to work in their own paintings and cartoons! Last time we saw the Illustrator and ArtRage work of Julián Hoek , and today I’d like to show off the fine digital painting of three more new ArtRage fans….

David Gale has use ArtRage to experiment in a few different styles! Here’s the latest episode of his Mustard Jar comic, completely colored with ArtRage 2.5 digital paints…

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Ryan Kramer painted this cartoon title card in ArtRage 2.5

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and Ivan Dixon followed the Adobe Illustrator tutorials to ink his Sydney character,
 
…which he then painted with ArtRage 2.5

(Sydney figure only…background painted in Photoshop)

Thanks to Ivan, Ryan and Dave for sharing their ArtRage paintings!

If you'd like to share your digital art success stories -- along with your art and links to your site -- just leave a comment with your info, or email me at: sherm (at) cartoonsnap.com ...and replace the (at) with @.

Previous ArtRage Tutorial Videos:

ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light

ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
ArtRage #5 – Bump Modes & Finishing Patrick

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I just finished the next ArtRage video about painting highlights and shadows on SpongeBob, and it will be coming up NEXT post!

See you then!

ArtRage Video #5 - Bump Modes, Paint Thinner and Finishing Patrick

Click on image above for Hi-Res Tutorial Video

In ArtRage Process Video #5 we're finishing up the painting of Patrick -- and along the way I'll be covering a couple very important topics..

.

"Bump Modes" -- that's the term used in ArtRage to refer to how the thickness of the paint on one layer affects the bumpiness and texture of the paint on the next layer. That's one of the huge differences between ArtRage and Photoshop; The paint in ArtRage has THICKNESS and density...and that's one of things that makes it look like real paint!

 

I go into some micro-detail with the painting of Patrick's eyeballs...but it really shows off how a little hint of reflective light and color can create a sense of depth, roundness and ambient light.

It's an effect that people don't notice overtly, but it helps "sell"  the painting and pushes it beyond the everyday type of cartoon coloring. Once again, I have the eyeballs on a separate layer to avoid mixing the eyeball paint colors with the colors on Patrick's body.

Even though I say I'm finished with Patrick, I'm still gonna need to clean up all that extra paint outside of Patrick's outlines. But first, we're moving on to painting SpongeBob!

All the ArtRage Tutorial Videos:

ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light
ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
ArtRage #5 – Bump Modes (this one)

ArtRage #6 – Painting Highlights and Shadows

YouTube version is available, too!
 

ArtRage & Illustrator Success Stories #1 - Julián Höek

I got a nice surprise tonight when my Argentinean blog-buddy Julián Fumagalli sent me some jpegs on his experiments with ArtRage and Adobe Illustrator...

The top image is some Adobe Illustrator inking Julian did from a cartoon drawing, and Julian created the color painting below with ArtRage!

I'm excited beyond belief to see that these video tutorials are helping talented cartoonists like Julian. I've received a bunch of emails from CartoonSnap readers, and I answer 'em all. Some people have asked me to help out when they get stuck, and so far the long-distance tutorial help looks to be working ^_^

If you'd like to share your digital art success stories -- along with your art and links to your site -- just leave a comment with your info, or email me at: sherm (at) cartoonsnap.com ...and replace the (at) with @.

Previous ArtRage Tutorial Videos:

ArtRage #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5
ArtRage #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas
ArtRage #3 Painting Reflective Light
ArtRage #4 - More Reflective Light & Colors
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Here's a quick summary
of the other tutorials in this series:

#1 - Digital Painting Process Overview
(this is where it all STARTS!)
#2- From Sketch to Finishes
#3: Adobe Illustrator Inking Process
 

#4 Coloring Line Art with Photoshop

ArtRage Video #4 - Painting Patrick's Pants!

Click on the image above to watch the ArtRage Video Tutorial

More color mixing and blending

You can see how convenient it is to paint in layers! Things like layers make digital painting a breeze ^_^

Next video: Painting Patrick's Pants! See you then!

Here's where you can download the free starter version of ArtRage 2.5.

http://www.ambientdesign.com/artragedown.html

Plug in your Wacom drawing tablet and start painting!

Previous ArtRage Tutorial Videos:

ArtRage Video #1 - Intro to ArtRage 2.5

ArtRage Video #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas

ArtRage Video #3 Painting Patrick

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You might also want to take a look at the other tutorials in this series:

Painting Process #1 - Digital Painting Overview

(this is where it all STARTS!)

Painting Process #2- From Sketch to Finishes

Digital Painting Process #3: Adobe Illustrator Inking

Digital Coloring Process #4 Coloring Line Art with Photoshop

...and here's the YouTube version of today's ArtRage video if you're having trouble viewing the BIG video at the top of the post...