Middleton On Supergirl #41 Cover

Over on his blog, Josh Middleton does a nice job of breaking down the creative process behind the creation of the cover of Supergirl #41. Here is the link:

http://joshuamiddleton.blogspot.com/2009/03/supergirl-41-process-pics.html

I think I have said it before, but one thing I really like about this blog is the 'behind the scenes' discussion that Middleton pours into his posts. This post, in particular, does just that as we see the evolution of the cover.



Middleton started this cover with a blue pencil drawing of the primary figures: Supergirl and Superwoman. He does a nice job of explaining the process of blue pencil to graphite to inking and how that can change depending on the cover composition.

One thing I like about this up close shot is that you can see the early sketch marks as well as some erase marks. Look close at the fist. See how originally the arm was a bit longer. It shows the work that goes into making a perfect end result.

I figured I would just quote Middleton for the next bit.

In the second image the blue pencil drawing is nearly done, save for Supergirl's skirt, which can be difficult to draw, although I generally enjoy drawing drapery. Maybe it is because her skirt is too short to allow for many folds, or because I often have to bend the rules of physics to protect Supergirl's modesty, but for whatever reason, the skirt is often drawn last. As you can see, I drew her entire body even though the skirt will cover her pelvis- it is very important to always "draw through" your images. You can see that Supergirl's leg is drawn through Superwoman's body as well.

I find it fascinating that Supergirl's skirt is so tricky to draw that it is done last. I think Middleton draws it just a little bit shorter than the length Jamal Igle gives it in the comics. The 'bending the rules of physics' around her skirt used to amuse me back in the early issues of the title when the skirt was very small. Of course, in those issues we also saw some gratuitous panty shots too.

I also like how Middleton shows how he 'draws through' on the cover so you see all of Supergirl's leg even the bit behind Superwoman. I suppose that allows the artist to make sure that the anatomy stays correct.

For this cover, since color was more important than inking details, Middleton did not use graphite pencils or heavy inking over the blue pencil image. Instead he went straight to line drawing with ink.

I am probably massacring the process ... it might be better to read his entry.

One thing I did find amazing was that the drawing bit of the cover is really limited to the two characters. The clouds and ground are all added via computer.

I hope Middleton continues to put up these 'evolution' posts on his blog. One thing I would like to see is the step even before the first one here ... the step where he decides exactly what the cover layout will be. Maybe some thumb nail sketches from which he decides on the final design.