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Creative Process
When I’m given a commercial assignment, the first thing I do is
figure out a storytelling context for the work. I define or pick out
the pertinent, relevant, and then most dramatic—in that order—
storytelling elements for any given piece. Then I create a mental
visualization that incorporates as many of those elements as
effectively as possible.
I don’t tend to think in terms of layout or design in particular.
Some people find that strange and unusual. Layout and design
must come naturally to me, because I don’t consciously make
that effort in my head. It just happens. In the course of laying out
the drawing, I also define the prerequisites of all the storytell-
ing elements—what needs to be highlighted, what needs to be
focused on, and all the production aspects of a particular piece of
artwork are precipitated by that effort.
W
riter and artist Michael Golden, cocreator of
Rogue of X-Men, has legions of devotees
composed not only of fans, but other artists
as well. Known for his detailed pencil work on The ’Nam,
Micronauts, G.I. Joe, and Dr. Strange, among others,
Golden never admits to a personal favorite project, but
according to one collector, “Everybody in the business has
been influenced by Dr. Strange #55.” Most artists who
say that Golden had an impact on their illustration career
single out that issue.
Other milestones include the creation of Bucky O’Hare
with Larry Hama, which led to an animated series and a
toy line designed by Golden. The comic has been optioned
for film by Continuity Studios.
As a cover artist, Golden has penciled everything from
Batman and Captain America to Vampirella. Currently
finishing Spartan for Image Comics, which he is also writ-
ing, and a personal project, Tunuki, Golden is constantly
breaking new ground with creations that stay as fresh and
exciting as ever.
Michael Golden
52
Creating Comics
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Job:05-19413 Title:Creating Comics
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Creative Process
When I’m given a commercial assignment, the first thing I do is
figure out a storytelling context for the work. I define or pick out
the pertinent, relevant, and then most dramatic—in that order—
storytelling elements for any given piece. Then I create a mental
visualization that incorporates as many of those elements as
effectively as possible.
I don’t tend to think in terms of layout or design in particular.
Some people find that strange and unusual. Layout and design
must come naturally to me, because I don’t consciously make
that effort in my head. It just happens. In the course of laying out
the drawing, I also define the prerequisites of all the storytell-
ing elements—what needs to be highlighted, what needs to be
focused on, and all the production aspects of a particular piece of
artwork are precipitated by that effort.
Part and parcel of this process, I pay attention to any particulars
of copy elements, trade dress, or editorial/client priorities that
need to be addressed in the work. For instance, Rogue of X-Men
would have to wear a certain costume, and Spider-Man has a
certain chest insignia. But the layout, the rendering, and the color
are all used to define the storytelling elements. That is what is key
to me as the architect of the piece.
Title: Vigilante 2
Client: Wildstorm Publishing
Medium: Pencils, inks, Photoshop
Other milestones include the creation of Bucky O’Hare
with Larry Hama, which led to an animated series and a
toy line designed by Golden. The comic has been optioned
for film by Continuity Studios.
As a cover artist, Golden has penciled everything from
Batman and Captain America to Vampirella. Currently
finishing Spartan for Image Comics, which he is also writ-
ing, and a personal project, Tunuki, Golden is constantly
breaking new ground with creations that stay as fresh and
exciting as ever.
Michael Golden
53
Michael Golden
Job:05-19413 Title:Creating Comics
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Job:05-19413 Title:Creating Comics
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54
Creating Comics
Step Two: Pencils. The considerations here
were how the ultimate image would look. That was
a no-brainer. Getting from the basic structure of the
layout to the finished image includes the rendering
and the coloring. I don’t start with any storytelling
priorities in particular. Sometimes I start at the top of
the page and go down. Sometimes I work foreground
to background. There’s really no rhyme or reason to
it because, at that point, I already have in my head
what the finished image will look like, once again.
The only time I really start with anything in particular
in this stage is if I am doing a female figure, in which
case I start with the girl’s face. I like drawing a
female’s eyes, and for me that is important to draw
first, but for some reason I don’t generally do that
with male figures.
Step One: Layout. For Silver Agent, the editorial
parameters or art direction were that this character
should be an iconic figure, like Captain America, and
that all of the bad guys should be similar to HYDRA
agents, all harkening back to the works of Jack Kirby.
The idea in this piece is that Silver Agent is the lone
hero fighting an overwhelming onslaught of bad guys,
and the best way to approach that is to have the good
guy being swamped by the villains. So it was natural to
use a circular design on this, with the hero in the center
of the action, and basically fighting his way out of the
sea of goons. That is the main guideline that inspired
me to choose the layout that I did.
It was also natural in the sense that the bad guys
were all one color and Silver Agent is another color. To
make that more noticeable for the color stage later, I
chose a light source, indicated in the layout, that was
sort of a spotlight on the main figure, indicating where
it would be rendered with color at the last stage. For
me, all the stages are basically the same. I don’t even
put pencil to paper until I know exactly what I’m doing.
When I started this layout, I had a picture in my head
of step four already. Also, I cropped this piece close
in, because you need the larger-than-life figure—the
close-up shot—to define the drama and accentuate
the action. You also need to close in on the characters
to give it a more frenetic and violent context and make
it more life threatening.
Michael Golden
STEP-BY-STEP
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Title: Silver Agent
Client: Wildstorm Publishing
Media: Pencil on paper, Photoshop
55
Michael Golden
Step four: Finished piece. The coloring on
this piece was very simple: all the bad guys were one
color, and the good guy another color. The only thing I
had to keep in mind was conceptualizing the color so
that it would spotlight the hero. My goal here was to
make a color effect out of what was basically a two-
color piece. The focal point had to be Silver Agent. The
chain mail was done as a separate line art channel,
and then I selected it and did it in color as well.
I was pleased with the way the elements worked
together here; but then, as most folks could tell you,
I never turn in anything unless I’m ultimately satisfied
with it.
Step Three: Inks. In a general sense you
have to be aware of your line weight and how it works
in relation to the color. You can get away with some
things in black and white that you can’t in full color,
and vice versa. In the line work, and why I prefer to use
line work even when working in color, you can use the
lines to accentuate dramatic movement. When you are
using line art you have to understand that that is gen-
erally the thing that everybody sees. Even when you do
painted color over line art, it seems like the line art still
draws the attention.
Michael Golden
STEP-BY-STEP
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