AV_anp.Kapz_MO

This is an MO of the Kappa piece I did for the April edition of the ALT News dealio. Our first shot here is a comparison of the first, inked-Copic-Ciao'd version compared against the second, non-inked Ciao'd version we'll be spotlighting today.

These are the lines we worked from. I was concerned my markers might get worn or smeared from the graphite, but it was just like markering over inks, except no odd ink-smears as the markers randomly reactivate the dried inks. After Copic-Ciaoing over pencils, the lines get locked down onto the paper, so you have to make sure the lines are where you want them before taking CCs to them--it may as well be inks you're working with in terms of the lines not going anywhere.

So manipulating the lines is not possible after colors lock them down, but you can always still manipulate lines that haven't been colored, and when you look at the finished work, the lines are usually light enough that they don't register immediately, just the finished colors. I've even seen a technique where you erase-lighten your pencils before going in with markers, so I tried that move on my next poster and was happy with it.

Here's a close up of the kappa's beak, using my three trusty yellows. It's really fun going for the shiny sheeniness of beakish material, I found.

Here's some progress shots of the body. I decided to go easier on the sort of freckling texture I used in the first version, but I did freckle closer to the negative spaces. Freckling is great even with just one color if you go in again after waiting for the prior coats to dry--CCs interact with themselves differently depending on how quickly you go back in over the same color after laying down those colors in the first place.

Finally, here's a look at the background elements coming into color. It wasn't until I got up to give this piece a final look over before publishing that I noticed I messed up the text so it makes even less sense than usual. Funny how that works...literally staring at the text for hours and hours and hours and yet, not until it's a wrap do I notice the glaring omission.

Reuxben