A Walking Dead Sketchcard, Step-by-step.

Cryptozoic Entertainement contacted me to do a set of sketchcards for The Walking Dead, based on the comic book (not the series). Joy oh joy, I love zombis and I love The Walking dead. As usual, I've decided of a pattern which would be the same for every cards, creating my own identity for them. Here it would be dark and red, something very primal, very "punk".

First, the pencil. Since it's a zombi, I let things go loose, I don't do that much constructions. I establish lights from behind him, hiding a lot of the face in shadow.

Then inking with the pitt pens. Same here, for a zombi I go very fast, allowing me to not follow the pencils. Since there's difformity in death, it doesn't bother me.

There we are... Some parts became automatism: thick eyelids (à la Jack Davis), cheekbones, torn ears, bone structures on the cranium....

 Erase and fill the black areas.

I add ghastly background with a dry brush.

Pantone red. Mix of 2 reds actually. I would have like to stop at this stage.

Then the Copic markers do their magic. Usually for a skin tone, I don't use above a grey W5 (even for black people). I really push the dark tones on the face for zombis, around the eyes in particular

And voilà!