Getting it Covered
Whipping up cover art
As I’ve been working on my new comic series Starboob, I always knew I wanted to, first and foremost, put it into a collected printed volumes (even possibly referring to them as tankōbon). So on that note, I kinda sorta neglected creating covers for each individual chapter or “issue” because I’m not printing single issue floppies. However, I came to realize I was overlooking a very important component of creating my own comics, because the comic covers visually can reveal the ebb and flow of the series when displayed together.
Also, a big part of any comic creator’s dream is seeing the vast array of comic covers lined up next to each other, showcasing the vastness of the stories within. It’s an utter achievement to view the work like that, and its usually a big motivation to keep plugging along on a series. It’s a way for comic artists to see the whole “body of work” and it can be motivating and very satisfying.
As I’ve been working on the series I’ve had a few ideas for how the I wanted the covers to look but it wasn’t a big priority like having comics themselves completed. A few instances I’ve drawn some really intricate splash pages, which upon finishing them I thought “this would be a dope cover,” so I took the steps and made them covers.
Another instance I had an idea for a cover but didn’t feel like whipping it out on a sheet of paper at my desk. Instead I sketched it out on Procreate and finished it up completely digitally.
While I don’t care too much for coloring my comics, working on the covers breaks up the monotony of the rest of the post-production process. And once it’s complete I love to stop and stare and see how far the story has come.
I’m definitely not lazy, but these pages conveyed exactly what I wanted for the cover, so why redraw them? Instead I expanded and colored them.
With these covers whipped up in the last few weeks I’ve been on a cover-creating streak. It’s definitely got me thinking about future cover images, and to not treat them as an after thought, but rather create a really compelling image the gets to the heart of the chapter. Hell, I already drew up the cover for Chapter 5, and have a solid idea for Chapter 6. Although my priority is to create the collected books, creating these covers has opened up the possibility of releasing limited edition single issues. We’ll see. Here’s a sneak peak at the cover for Issue 5:
I keep saying after Chapter 5 is done I’ll have enough for the first Starboob collection. We’re almost there!
Chapter One is in Screw Comics! 5 and Chapters 2 thru 4 are available here digitally.