The Creation Journal of 'The Marvel Trio: Winter Soldier, Captain America, and Black Panther&#39

Lauren Cahill
Sep 13, 2017
9 min read

I am beginning the Trio Drawing using Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils (FC) and Prismacolor Premier Pencils (PC) on Daler-Rowney Langston Prestige Hot Press Watercolor Paper size 16x20".

This entire project took 94 hours over the course of two weeks.

I am utilizing for the majority of the piece, 56 total pencils made up the 3 heroes (not including the background).

Color Palette:

All-

FC: Black, White

PC: Black, White

Winter Soldier:

Hair:

FC: Cream, Burnt Ochre, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna

Face:

Skin-

FC: Bistre, Nougat, Caput-Mortum Violet, Walnut Brown

PC: Peach Beige, 20% French Grey, Marine Green, Dark Umber

Lips:

FC: Burnt Carmine, Caput-Mortum Violet

PC: Henna, Chestnut, Tuscan Red

Eyes/Mask:

FC: Juniper Green, Helio Turquoise

PC: Slate Grey

Uniform:

FC: Cold Grey II, III, IV, Juniper Green, Dark Indigo, Deep Scarlet Red, Middle Cadmium Red, Dark Red

PC: Cool Grey 10%, 50%, 70%, 90%, Jade Green, Slate Grey

Captain America:

Face:

Skin-

FC: Light Flesh, Cinnamon, Medium Flesh, Burnt Sienna, Nougat, Burnt Umber, Walnut Brown

PC: Peach Beige, Peach, Tuscan Rouge

Lips:

FC: Dark Flesh, Caput Mortum Violet

PC: Henna, Chestnut

Eyes:

FC: Dark Indigo

PC: Slate Grey, Juniper Green

Helmet & Body Armor:

FC: Warm Grey II, Earth Green, Juniper Green, Dark Indigo, Cold Grey II, III, IV

PC: French Grey 50%, Jade Green, Slate Grey, Cool Grey 10%, 50%, 70%, 90%

Leather:

FC: Bistre, Nougat, Burnt Umber, Walnut Brown, Caput-Mortum Violet

PC: Peach Beige

Shield:

FC: Cobalt Turquoise, Helio Turquoise, Cinnamon, Venetian Red, Pompeian Red, Indian Red, Caput-Mortum Violet, Walnut Brown, Middle Cadmium Red, Dark Red

PC: Powder Blue, Light Aqua

Black Panther:

Body Armor:

FC: Indanthrene Blue, Mauve, Helio Turquoise

PC: Blue Indigo, Violet Blue

Creating the sketch requires precision so I do use a lightboard to trace the major details in order to guarantee proportion accuracy and free-hand the remainder of the drawing.

Drawing the Winter Soldier:

Face:

Skin-

FC: Bistre, Nougat, Caput-Mortum Violet, Walnut Brown

PC: Peach Beige, 20% French Grey, Marine Green, Dark Umber

Lips:

FC: Burnt Carmine, Caput-Mortum Violet

PC: Henna, Chestnut, Tuscan Red

Eyes/Mask:

FC: Juniper Green, Helio Turquoise

PC: Slate Grey

I begin by lightly shading in circular motions the side of Bucky’s face then slowly increase with darker tones. I layer the pencils into each other before burnishing with my white prismacolor pencil.

For the mask, I begin with a light green color to create the undertones.

I start first with the eye, then begin blocking in the darkest areas of the nose before beginning the darkest areas of the eye mask.

(Sorry about the order of the image to the right)

I began lightly applying my base skin tones in small, circular motions with a very light touch which start as the highlights. I then gently applied darker skin tones to the nose to structure the shape. I used my darkest rich tones to apply some of the shades and then immediately applied the darkest colors to enhance the shaded areas. I blended the pencils into pencils before fully burnishing with my white pencils and blend the colors together.

After, I started to shade I areas of the forehead by applying darker colors and rich tones together, blending them into one another. I applied shaded values using my darkest brown and black pencils directly underneath the hairline.

I then used my white pencil to create highlights above Bucky's right eye and worked my beige pencils from the forehead into the mask to make sure the two areas were properly blended together.

I used my white pencil to burnish the forehead and blend the colors together. I went back over the hairline and enhanced the shaded values.

I outlined the left eye then applied the earth green undertones to the mask before beginning to shade in the black.

Next, I moved down to work on the mouth, lightly shading the base layer to give it a rough shape as I begin filling in the surrounding skin areas. I used darker colors because the area of the face was shaded, moving the pencil in light, circular motions with the base layer.

Gradually, I continued layering, increasing my tones.

Throughout the face, as I built layers, I increased pressure slightly around the bone structures, allowing more definition into these areas.

When the shading was completed, I used my white pencil to burnish the area and blend the tones together.

Any areas that felt a little too dulled out from the white application, I took my darkest pencils and blended the shadows back in.

After completed the lower half of the face, I returned to finish the lips.

My base color was already applied so I build layers up, but I kept my pencil strokes directional rather than circular to keep a natural motion of how the mouth is formed.

To finish, instead of burnishing with white I used a beige color to retain a more fleshy tone.

Next, I used my black pencil and blocked out the darkest areas of Bucky's hairline.

Uniform:

FC: Cold Grey II, III, IV, Juniper Green, Dark Indigo, Deep Scarlet Red, Middle Cadmium Red, Dark Red

PC: Cool Grey 10%, 50%, 70%, 90%, Jade Green, Slate Grey

For the uniform, I began blocking in the darkest value, black, then proceeded to do the line drawing in Bucky's armor.

Here, I started with the star because in Bucky's armor, it is the only red tones used so I figured it was best to get the colors out of the way. I used the block method here. I started shading in the first area with red, then the next area, a dark part of the star, with black. I continued with the bottom left point with a darker red, then continued on the top right again with black. The bottom left point was initially darker than the color I applied, so I covered it over with black, creating a very dark red color. I then filled in the rest of the star with the brighter red color then blended the pencil in with the red of the star.

Throughout the entire armor, there was a specific layering of color processed used which could not be deviated in any way.

Juniper Green for the mid tones, Jade Green for the highlights, then dark indigo for the deep tones. Layer in some cold or cool grey with the highlighted areas, finish off with some slate grey blended in and finish with white to heighten the highlights. If needed, I would return and deepen the midtones and shadows in certain areas.

Drawing Captain America:

Face:

Skin-

FC: Light Flesh, Cinnamon, Medium Flesh, Burnt Sienna, Nougat, Burnt Umber, Walnut Brown

PC: Peach Beige, Peach, Tuscan Rouge

Lips:

FC: Dark Flesh, Caput Mortum Violet

PC: Henna, Chestnut

Eyes:

FC: Dark Indigo

PC: Slate Grey, Juniper Green

I begin in a very similar way as the Winter Soldier, however, Cap's skin tone is very warm so in this case, a lot more layering is going to be involved.

I started out with the base beige then began layering richer then darker tones into the paper. Instead of using white, after a few layers from light to mid to dark, I would go back over it with the initial beige. For the nose, instead of using browns to shape the nose, I used a red (Caput-Mortum-Violet).

Continue to build up your shaded layers, working your pencils gently into each other for seamless blending. After the layering was completed, I went over it with a white pencil. Sometimes when you do this, it makes the skin look more realistic but you lose some of the initial saturation, so you go over it with some of your ight, mid, and dark tones to bring it up a bit.

The lips are the most sensitive part of the face and it stands for drawing also. I begin with my base tones, shading in small, light circular motions but as I gradually build up the layers, my movement is no longer circular, but directional. It's important to retain the curves of the mouth any time you do lips. The lip should also never be applied in straight strokes, but rather crescent shapes.

I outlined the darkest areas of the eye then began filling in the beige tones. I used my blue/green colors to shape the eye color, using pencil strokes in directional flow. When layering the mid and dark shades into the eye, you want to keep them in a crescent shape but not exactly going from the top of the iris to the bottom, but rather broken into fragments and scattered.

As the same process as the bottom of the face, you begin with your base beige, work up your midtones, fill in your deepest shades, then layer in your dark tones, build the layers back up in the same effect. After, burnish with the burnish with the white then read in some color. Use the white pencil to enhance some small highlights and then make minor color adjustments if needed.

Uniform:

FC: Cold Grey II, III, IV, Juniper Green, Dark Indigo, Deep Scarlet Red, Middle Cadmium Red, Dark Red

PC: Cool Grey 10%, 50%, 70%, 90%, Jade Green, Slate Grey

I didn't do an over-all layering method here, but I did do a blocking method because half of the mask was darkened from shadows and the other half was lighter.

I started by under-painting with green then coloring overtop of it with steel blue. I moved over and worked the base layer with dark indigo then shaded over top of it with black. Afterwards, I continued to use the same colors in the same areas but continually built them up, working them into each other.

Since the uniform undergoes the same coloring process, I will show you the progression before explaining the leather belts.

Only the base layer, underpainted in juniper green, is completed in circular motions. The rest of the coloring process is done in directional flow because captain america's uniform is made of fabric so this process helps to texturize the drawing. It's kind of like cross hatching but a little different. Instead, the color would first be applied vertically and then horizontally for each color layer.

First, Green was applied at the base followed with steel grey. Then I layered with Dark Indigo followed with black. The whole fabric portion of the suit was used with these four colors. After each layer was applied, they would be re-applied again, building up the pigments and texture. This was done over the course of the entire suit.

The plates were also built up in the same manner using different colors. Earth Green, Jade Green, Slate Grey, and Dark Indigo.

Leather:

FC: Bistre, Nougat, Burnt Umber, Walnut Brown, Caput-Mortum Violet

PC: Peach Beige

The process for the shoulder straps differs from the belt. First I used nougat, then layered in walnut brow, burnished with white then added black in for the shadows.

For the belt, I began with indigo undertones then depending on the area, if it was a lighter part of the belt I used Burnt Umber and if it was a darker part of the belt I used Walnut Brown. I shaded in black for shadows and continued working up the tones.

Shield:

FC: Cobalt Turquoise, Helio Turquoise, Cinnamon, Venetian Red, Pompeian Red, Indian Red, Caput-Mortum Violet, Walnut Brown, Middle Cadmium Red, Dark Red

PC: Powder Blue, Light Aqua

I begin here with the star in the middle. I shade in with a cool grey on for the shaded areas leaving the remainder of the start white. I then deepen the shaded area with a deeper cooler grey tone.

For the blue area surrounding the star, I use a powder blue color and begin shading in certain areas, leaving the rest white to act as a highlight. I begin to shade in and work up my layers gradually first with aqua and then turquoise. After, I burnish the white into the areas of the shield.

After each section, I use my black to do a line drawing, blocking out the next areas.

I begin with the red, shading in with cinnamon, always keeping a constant directional flow of the shape of the shield. For this, I start with blocking in the colors, eventually layering them up into darker tones. I then use venetian red, followed with pompeian, mid. cadmium then dark red. I burnish with my white then continue again with dark red, violet, then repeat cinnamon to bring out some of the initial highlights.

Lastly, we begin with the middle layer, filling in with a french grey as a base followed with walnut brown. After, we increase shaded tones on top with slate blue, then juniper green, then dark indigo.

I burnished with white then applied my dark shades and re-worked the tones back up again.

Drawing Black Panther:

Body Armor:

FC: Indanthrene Blue, Mauve, Helio Turquoise

PC: Blue Indigo, Violet Blue

To start, I begin with Blacking out all the dark areas of Black Panther's suit.

The same shading process is completed throughout the remainder of the black panther suit but here, I begin blocking in with mauve then apply a helio turquoise. I fill in the remainder of the area with blue violet then I also use this color to blend the two purple and blue layers together. After, I shade in over top the three layers with indigo blue then burnish with white before shading over top with black.

And there you have it! The whole process on how the whole drawing came to life!

Overall, although challenging, I had a lot of fun creating this Marvel piece and seeing the amazing feedback from my focus groups and from my friends, family, and fans. To date, this is one of the most detailed drawings I have completed and I am very please to be able to share this project with you.

Supply List:

Daler-Rowney Langston Prestige Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper http://www.jerrysartarama.com/the-langton-prestige-watercolour-sheets

Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils

http://www.dickblick.com/products/faber-castell-polychromos-pencils/

Polychromos PrismaColor Pencils

http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismacolor-colored-pencils/

Prisma Graphite Pencil

http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismacolor-turquoise-pencil-sets/

Photoshop Elements

https://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65273274-Photoshop-Elements-15/dp/B01KICI4LQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502849134&sr=8-1&keywords=photoshop+elements+8

LitEnergy 24.3 Inch Diagonal A3 LED Portable Light Table for Drawing with Precise Scale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZDCC75G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1