I had the chance to illustrate several Spider-Verse cards for Arachnid Anarchy, the new Marvel Snap season, and in this workshop I’ll walk you through one of my favourites: Spider-Punk. I’ll break down the key steps, as well as the challenges that come with creating a detailed, Marvel character-focused illustration. Because my workflow is a hybrid of traditional and digital techniques, I’ll also go over the tools I use: pens, paper, digital brushes and more. That said, every step can be done fully traditionally or fully digitally, so don’t worry if you don’t have the exact tools I mention. What matters is the intention behind each step, not the specific equipment you choose. It’s also worth noting that even though my workshop focuses on creating Marvel Snap card art, the overall process (sketch, line-art and colour) is essentially the same one that I use for most illustration work, especially in comics and the video game industry. The only difference is that some projects involve more or fewer feedback rounds between stages, depending on the client. This tutorial is for artists of all levels, from beginners to pros. I’ll explain my process clearly, but I recommend studying anatomy, composition, values and colour theory to get the most out of your illustrations and grow consistently
01. Know your character
Before I start any illustration, I try to learn as much as possible about what I’m about to draw. In this case, as a Marvel fan, I already knew about Spider-Punk, so I didn’t have to do much research, but I highly recommend doing some reading or watching videos about the character to know which type of situation you can put them in.
