The brief I got was essentially “Show someone who looks a whole lot like the author in the place of the alien hero. Also show the dream inducing machine. Try to find a way to show screens full of the dreams he’s having, but make them of things from this comic.” Well that’s a fun challenge, and certainly a few things to work through. The final result was this cover:

The early sketches all focused on the character, and how to create interesting visuals with an inert, reclining figure. (You can also see my made-up title that I included for composition purposes) Some things were massively revised, but you can see the early version of the final in that top-left image.

A first round of sketches.

Once I got more reference and feedback, it refined a bit over subsequent rounds into this:

Then on to color/lighting studies and a tighter drawing. (I tend to work on these two simultaneously, once the general lighting and value structure is laid down) In the end we went with a cooler background and less saturated colors than in the source material, with the goal of creating a moody, atmospheric final image. Overall the palette is cool, primarily blues and teals with bits of purple as an accent.

All through this I was working with Julian and Mike over at Seqart to refine it and fit their project. They’re fantastic to work with, and getting this finished up was a blast. I went a bit out of my usual process for this one, refining the central elements before the background was worked out completely. I primarily worked in Photoshop using a blendy round brush and a flat brush, but there are a few places that required a bit more exotic work.

That final “TV Lines” overlay was created using a two-pixel photoshop pattern (one white, one black, stacked on top of each other). I scaled it way up to get that fuzzy look, then used it on a few layers to create the appropriate effect. There’s an overlay layer and a screen layer, both at low opacity. There’s also a version of the original image, masked using that pattern, then blurred to several different degrees and selectively masked out to create a colorized glow on light soruces that primarily spills out along the lines.

Design Skills

• Wireframing and UI/UX design for web, including large data-driven interfaces and e-commerce solutions as well as consumer-facing UI/UX experience.
• Balsamiq and Fireworks experience. Expert level knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator.
• HTML5/CSS3, jQuery/Javascript, PHP, ColdFusion, SQL and other web-oriented development.
• Experience at both design and development levels of web production.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, used to working in tele-connected teams.
• Good at self-managing time to meet multiple simultaneous goals and deadlines.

AudioGO, B2B Web Manager, North Kingstown, RI

Acted as part of an international web design team focused on B2B design but also participating on consumer-facing projects. Worked with a large database-driven corporate sales website, including both high-level design and live development. Handled a consumer-facing website from inception to launch. Prepared wireframes and prototypes for  Originally hired as a graphic/web designer, promoted through to B2B Web Manager based on performance and experience. 10/2011 – Present

Mercedes Medical, Associate Designer, Sarasota, FL

Worked as part of a small design department to create marketing/advertising materials including web banners, digital newsletter templates, and fact sheets. Launched an informational website for the company and participated in a website redesign/launch as the primary web designer and developer. Also participated in print and marketing projects as a technical artist and designer. 9/2008 – 11/2010

Freelance Designer

Developed logos, page layouts, type treatments, book covers, flyers, and websites for a variety of freelance clients. Gained experience working directly with clients to understand and meet their needs.

Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Illustration, May 2008, GPA: 3.50/4.00

Studied illustration focusing on drawing skills and rendering from life. Additional study in graphic design, typography, and digital sculpting/modeling.