Teenage Turtles Process

Pencil drawing, taped down and sealed with a plain water wash.

I recently returned to doing commissioned drawings. And it’s been a joy getting to play with ink and paint, after years of making mostly digital art. While my current pieces aren’t quite ready for the public, here’s a peek at the process behind an older illustration I had a blast working on -- “Teenage Turtles!”

I began with a pencil drawing (see above). Once finalized, I taped that down to prevent the paper from buckling and hit it with a wash of plain water to seal the penciled lines to the surface.

Watercolors, with the first bits of ink.

I then moved on to watercolors. As you can see, some of the pencils were washed away by this stage. But that’s okay; I still had a clear roadmap to follow as I began inking. That also allowed room for the drawing to evolve as I tackled each step beyond the initial pencils.

The finished piece.

Once the inking was done, I used whiteout and acrylic inks to add highlights and texture effects. And voila! That’s how I crafted this take on our favorite heroes in a half shell. Turtle Power!!

Be well and stay tuned,
- Dave C.