I had the chance to illustrate several Spider-Verse cards for Arachnid Anarchy, the new Marvel Snap season, and in this workshop I’ll walk you through one of my favourites: Spider-Punk. I’ll break down the key steps, as well as the challenges that come with creating a detailed, Marvel character-focused illustration.
Because my workflow is a hybrid of traditional and digital techniques, I’ll also go over the tools I use: pens, paper, digital brushes and more. That said, every step can be done fully traditionally or fully digitally, so don’t worry if you don’t have the exact tools I mention. What matters is the intention behind each step, not the specific equipment you choose.
It’s also worth noting that even though my workshop focuses on creating Marvel Snap card art, the overall process (sketch, line-art and colour) is essentially the same one that I use for most illustration work, especially in comics and the video game industry. The only difference is that some projects involve more or fewer feedback rounds between stages, depending on the client.
This tutorial is for artists of all levels, from beginners to pros. I’ll explain my process clearly, but I recommend studying anatomy, composition, values and colour theory to get the most out of your illustrations and grow consistently
01. Know your character
Before I start any illustration, I try to learn as much as possible about what I’m about to draw. In this case, as a Marvel fan, I already knew about Spider-Punk, so I didn’t have to do much research, but I highly recommend doing some reading or watching videos about the character to know which type of situation you can put them in.
02. Use thumbnails to formulate your ideas
This is the most creative part. I usually do each sketch in two parts: a scribble to put down the idea and a slightly more refined pass to indicate the shadows. The most important thing here is to keep the energy, so I try to keep them very loose.
I also need to consider the frame break of the card, where the elements of the character overlap the border (in the game).
03. Digital pencil
Once a sketch is selected, I move to what I call a pencil phase. In this case, sketch three is chosen. I create a new 300 DPI 11×17-inch file, size up the thumbnail on there and start to tighten up the sketch.
I need to have everything figured out at that stage and ready to ink. I use Clip Studio Paint (see our guide to the best digital art software) and the default Darker Pencil brush for this stage.
04. Ink: line
Once the pencil sketch is ready, I print it on 11×17 inch paper, place a Strathmore 11×17-inch vellum Bristol board over it on my HSK A2 lightbox and start inking. My first stage is a clean one-liner pass over the whole composition using Uni-PIN liners (sizes 005–08).
I don’t have a process photo of Spider-Punk at this stage, so I use one from another Marvel Snap piece instead.
05. Ink: shadows
My next inking stage is to establish the shadows. With a light source in mind and following what I prepared with my pencil, I start mapping the shadows with defined shapes.
When I feel it necessary, I also add some soft edge using a 003 liner or a Zebra fine brush pen. I also use a Pentel Pocket brush to fill a large black area.
06. Thick and thin
This is the final inking stage. At this point, the drawing should look complete – but to add depth and contrast, I build the thick and thin of my lines, usually making the contour thicker and the inside thinner. I also use Uni-PIN liners for this, sizes 01 to 05.
07. Digital screentones
With the inking done, I move to the screentones phase. The first stage is digital: I scan the inked piece, bring it into Photoshop and adjust the levels so blacks are solid and whites clean. Then I simplify values with flat greys (50-90% luminosity) under ink and add dots in Clip Studio Paint (Layer>New Layer>Tone).
Once satisfied, I rasterise the tone layer and adjust its opacity for a nice textured finish.
08. Traditional screentones
Following the values I have established with the digital pass, I cut and paste grey sticky paper, called screentones, on the original art. I usually use Deleter tone SE-61 (10%), SE-63 (30%) and SE-65 (50%).
I used the 10% on the background, 50% on foreground and blue local, and 30% on the red local and main barrel. This phase is just to have nice original art and not necessary to finish the illustration.
09. Plan your palette
Before I start to move on to the colour, I try to think about the palette I will use and which colour harmony would fit best Here, I had the idea to go with a triad: red, blue and yellow, with the red being dominant, blue a close secondary and yellow the third extra colour.
I use the free online Adobe colour wheel and take a screenshot of the palette that I’m planning to use.
10. Flat colours and background
Turning the flat greys that I prepared during the digital screentone phase to colour and adding new flats with the help of the Lasso tool in Photoshop, I start building the main colours.
Usually, I try to work on the background first to establish the mood and give me an idea of how the light will affect the character.
11. Mapping shadows
Once my flats are settled and my background slightly established, I move back to Clip Studio Paint and focus mainly on the character, starting by separating the light and shadow on the figure.
I use a Multiply layer and the Flat 1 brush to block the shadow. I imagine a cold, soft light on the character, so I chose a warm colour for the shadows to create a nice contrast. I apply the same formula for background elements.
12. Focus on light
Once I’m happy with the shadows (I usually keep one or two values), I move on to the light and mid-tones. I create a new Normal layer and add my mid-tone (often the most saturated colour) with two or three lighter values. Because I chose a cold lighting setup, the colours lean towards bluish, slightly desaturated tones.
13. Final touches
This is the final stage, where I add some effects and noise, colour the line, adjust the level… anything that can add some extra juice into the piece. I add some graffiti on the posters and some noise on the wall to help break up the large, empty area feeling.
I also add a round shadow on the wall to both improve the focus on the character and balance the palette more.
14. Step back and feedback
Spider-Punk is finally done. Before sending a piece for review, I like to take a short break – half a day or a full day when possible – and return to it with a fresher eye. It really helps catch obvious mistakes.
I didn’t show it much in the workshop, but I initially drew the character too hunchbacked. With that fresh look, I correct the issue, and fortunately there’s no feedback from the client.
Get the gear
These are some of the tools used for the traditional art part of the process.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
