Bruce Timm Art question 0

[Samoyed Sabaka]

Hi everyone!  I just won this Bruce Timm piece on Comiclink tonight.  It's my first color piece, though I have quite a few penciled and inked artworks by Bruce already in my collection.  I know that this cover was done in tonal markers over what I assume is a xerox of the original inked work.  My question is, could anyone explain to me Bruce's usual process for his color work?  For example, with the $1800 color pieces that he does for Albert every year for Comic Con, is he coloring over original pencil and ink (ie: 100% original work)?  It's a bit confusing for me because I've always seen Albert selling the black and white inked versions along with the color ones and they look so similar that I've always just assumed that Bruce is just light boxing when working on the color piece.  But I wonder if he just might be doing the same thing he did for this Tesla Strong cover, which is to color over a xerox or stat copy?

[Madman1138]

From what I have seen, he can have up to 3 pieces for a published cover with original pencils, original inks, and original colors. I bought the blue pencil version of a published cover from Albert for a friend at SDCC a couple years ago. Albert also had the original inks and a full color piece of the same. So I believe he did the blue pencil, scanned and printed for inks, then took that and scanned to print out and color. I am not sure if he always inks a blueline copy of his blueline pencils, which seems a bit redundant, but I know he did with that one at least. And I know there are separate inks and colors, but I believe his colors are always over copies of the original line art and that he doesn't lightbox or draw it again. Most painters also paint over copies of the line art, so it is a pretty standard process.

[Catwoman_Fan]

Dave explained it. 

I too have a blueline cover, which is 100% original.  There is a b&w and color version too, so the colors were not over the inked version.

Also, I had a b&w piece that was xerox, with marker enhancements.  Then a color version also existed (1800 commission), based on my b&w.

so I think Bruce is pretty free with his process (from lightboxing to photocopying).  Plus I heard he doesn't like to discuss his process when confronted with questions.

[Catwoman_Fan]

For many artists the colored art (over a copy) is less valuable than the inks.  I follow Budd Root for example, and the painted art is only more valuable when it contains the original pen/inks.

Bruce Timm bucks this trend.  I think you got a published color cover for a steal!

When I collect his commissions, I prefer his early 90's art which that have bluepencils, markers, and colors on the same page.

 

[ESeffinga]

18 minutes ago, Catwoman_Fan said:

When I collect his commissions, I prefer his early 90's art which that have bluepencils, markers, and colors on the same page.

 

I was going to add, when I commissioned 3 Timm pieces from Albert back in the 90s, they were all penciled, and inked/colored on the same page. Always that 80lb typing paper he liked to use. But I've not seen one of the modern color pieces in person.

And even back then, he was using that paper because it as heavy enough to hold the marker inks, but thin enough to use on a lightbox. I believe his process used to be to do a  series of very fast, really loose gestural drawings to try and get a dynamic shape happening. It might get erased a bunch and that tears up the paper urface. No good for markers.

So once he had picked out his pencil rough pose, he'd take that  loose series of scribbles, and he'd use that as a visual armature under the fresh paper and do his pencil drawing on that fresh sheet. Then ink/or marker color the final over those pencils.

The beef I have is that this often makes things stiff, and feel too posed and polished for my personal preference (see Alex Ross). It's why I love Bruce's pieces like these Mad Love cover roughs (there are at least 6 different original cover concepts out there). He did these all as one would like from most artists. Drawn right on the paper, and then inked right over. For my money, the perfect balance of loose sketchy Timm, and tight "animated" Timm. Some people prefer a "clean" drawig with no pencils and such, but as far as I'm concerened, where's the fun in that. I like to see evidence of the creator's hand, as they say.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=829835

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1246178

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=369534

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=113011

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=136558

 

[Catwoman_Fan]

1 hour ago, ESeffinga said:

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=829835

 

Your Mad Love prelim   These are so good, would make nice covers

 

 

[Samoyed Sabaka]

Wow!  Thanks guys!  Great info!