Walk with me... Part 1

Recently I think I came across an epiphany of sorts with my art style. While I will always be a big fan of the traditional ink and colors, I was never able to figure out how to do it myself. So I asked myself, "Self, what CAN you do?" I knew that I was good at black and white pencil drawings, so why not make that work for me? I looked into some artists, Adi Granov in particular, and learned how he produces work in a similar fashion. So walk with me as I take this picture from sketch to finished work, ALL through the magic of Photoshop.

I did this sketch of Batman yesterday inbetween extensive yardwork and beer drinking. After scanning it in, I've added a black border ala Adam Hughes. Though, realistically, that line shouldn't be there, I think it gives it a good comic feel and makes the character pop more. I have also started to smooth out my sketch lines in the neck and torso via the smudge tool in addition to darkening some shadow areas. Once they are smooth, I like to do a gaussian blur just to make them REALLY smooth. The reason for this will become apparent when I start adding color.

More to come... So STAY TUNED!