Hey, gang- got another sketchcover for you to check out from the Batcave. Tried to post this earlier but had problems with getting it to post. This cover was done for my friend Zee. His grandparents run Area 51 Ice Cream here in Hernando and Memphis. Zee was the first person to welcome us to the shop when we stopped in. He was sitting on the back counter waving and greeting everyone. Like me, he loves superheroes and drawing, and from time to time we’ve traded art with each other.
Last year after I got home from my heart surgery Zee and his grandpa Steve Cubbage made a special delivery to my house and brought me a couple pints of their amazing ice cream in a great zip-up cooler. For Zee’s birthday this year Steve asked me if I could draw Zee as The Flash. I asked which one, and Steve said the TV CW Flash. I told him instead of just doing a sketch of Zee, I could draw him on a Flash sketchcover. He dug the idea.
Steve sent me a few different head shots of Zee. I Photoshopped Zee’s head onto a TV Flash body then drew it in pencil. I used a lightbox to get his outline and the back ⚡ logo cropped/scaled right on the blank cover. Did the rest of the drawing by hand.
My finished pencils. I used a yellow #2 pencil. I was going to do a couple other figures on the back, but thought that having just the logo would be enough and not take anything away from the front image of Zee.
The colors were done in Copic markers. I used a tissue and a Copic refill bottle to do the background and lightning effects. I used some browns and purples for the darker areas of the costume, and then used some of the lighter red markers I got for my Spider-Man sketchcover. The flesh-tones were done with several shades of brown, beige, yellow, pink, and grey.
I ran a beige Copic marker down the lightning, and used some Prismacolor and Letraset markers on the ⚡ logos.
Once the colors were done I inked the cover with Pigma Micron pens. I think I used an 03 pen. That’s usually my go to pen size. It’s a medium one that can do detail and do some thicker lines if needed.
I used a white Gelly Roll pen and white Prismacolor pencil for the highlights. I sprayed some Krylon matte finish fixative to seal and protect the finished cover. Be sure to shake the can well, use in a well ventilated area or outdoors, and don’t spray heavily- a few light and overlapping coats should do the trick just fine.
I heard Zee enjoyed his sketchcover as much as I enjoyed drawing it. He’s a great kid and I look forward to seeing more of his art!
I don’t do commissions, but I do sell many of my finished sketchcovers at The Cellar in Bartlett, TN.
I’ll also have several of my covers with me at the 2019 Dyersburg Comic Con on March 16th. I’ve sold several of my comics lately at The Cellar and have got to really get cranking on more sketchcovers to sell at the show then. Now that my day job isn’t kickin’ my behind I need to spend more of my free time in the Batcave.
Happy belated birthday, Zee- and I hope to see you all back here in a Flash!
Lin
Area 51 Ice Cream
100 E Commerce St, Hernando, MS 38632
(662) 298-3028
“Eat Up Crosstown! Area 51 Ice Cream”- Article in the Memphis Magazine.