Fans got a special glimpse of comic book cover magic recently, with x-men artist Pepe Larraz shares a behind-the-scenes look at his variant cover for WolverineThe latest event from has come to life in Marvel Comics. In the age of social media, fans have more access than ever to their favorite works and artists. Larraz, however, has taken it to the next level with an awesome breakdown of how he created one of his recent epic covers.
Larraz is currently the main artist of x-men flight. 6, written by Gerry Dugan. While Larraz gets a chance to shine on the cover of the main X-Men series, he recently showed off a variant cover he designed for X lives of Wolverine #5by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara, Percy’s double-header series finale (alongside X Wolverine Deaths) about the famous Canadian mutant. Including tons of work-in-progress images and concept art, fans received a huge treat from Larraz on Twitter.
Larraz’s presence on Twitter is already a delight, with tons of art not just from himself but from artists from all over comics and manga, but by Larraz thread on epic X lives of Wolverine the cover could take the cake. The cover features Wolverine descending on a team of ninjas, claws ready to rip through the unprepared mercenaries.
Inks for a variant cover for X Lives of Wolverine. This one is pen and paper. I will create a topic on the steps. Sundays are like that. pic.twitter.com/hQ5IcG5gCk
— Pepe Larraz 🌱 Viva Krakoa (@PepeLarraz) April 10, 2022
In the thread, which explains how Larraz arriving at the black-and-white, pen-and-paper version of the cover, he shows three different versions he’s considered, commenting that he’s keeping the rest to himself, in case he uses them for a future piece.
Sketch: I had several ideas, but in the end it came down to these two. I chose the one with the strongest move pic.twitter.com/YMnPy98RnB
— Pepe Larraz 🌱 Viva Krakoa (@PepeLarraz) April 10, 2022
Larraz also shows off the refining process, with incredible progress footage that shows the finer details come to life.
I apply the main black areas with ink and brush. Then I apply the rest of the ink wash thinking about tonal value and layer separation. By doing this before the final inks, I can see where more contrast is needed. pic.twitter.com/UpcVUgUHYQ
— Pepe Larraz 🌱 Viva Krakoa (@PepeLarraz) April 10, 2022
In this case I added halftone stickers because I bought them for some reason and they were rotting in a drawer. They look cool and wanted to try some moiré effects. They admit many effects, such as scratching, to obtain points of light pic.twitter.com/k8EcKeC3YA
— Pepe Larraz 🌱 Viva Krakoa (@PepeLarraz) April 10, 2022
After showing off the halftone stickers he uses to give the drawing an old-school feel, Larraz shows off the most satisfying part of any artwork: Peeling off the tape!
Fans on Twitter showed their love for Larraz’s work and insight, with one fan calling him “crazy” for his work, and quite a few people elated by the artwork in the foreground – in particular, the dismayed ninja in the lower left corner.
Fellow artist Bruno Redondo, currently does lead art for DC night wingalso showed his respect for Larraz.
This isn’t the first time Larraz has shown behind-the-scenes work: In 2021, he shared a treasure trove of sketches and inks for his variant cover for Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #1, by Charles Soule and Luke Ross. In these Tweets, Larraz shares the process of being rejected and refining his work, an incredible insight into what goes into the perfect cover.
Regardless of the source material, this level of insight is an absolute delight for comic book fans. It’s easy to find amazing artists and their portfolio of work these days, but Larraz gives readers a unique look at what it takes to make an instant classic. x-men cover.
Source: Pepe Larraz, Pepe Larraz
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