Custom Artwork

Custom Artwork Categories

Custom Artwork refers to artwork made for you by Comic Express, according to your wishes.

Custom Artwork can be created in the following categories:

How it Works

Every job is different and Comic Express are very flexible in how we work to create your Custom Artwork. A basic series of steps take place with every job. Here is our 9 step process:

1. Get A Quote

The first step is to get a quote from us. Use our Custom Artwork Get A Quote form.

To get an accurate quote for Custom Artwork please include the following:

Is this for business or personal use?
Is it for commercial or private use?
Do you wish to own the copyright or is it for one off usage?
Do you want a colour, greyscale or black/white image?
Do you have a specific style in mine? If you have a sample please attach it and send it with the quote enquiry?
Is there a deadline in mind for this image to be delivered?

2. The Brief

After we receive your Custom Artwork Get A Quote form, we will email you and ask for a written explanation of what you are wanting.

This is called a Brief. It can be a very vague or a very clearly detailed instruction.

We will guide you further, if anything is missing or needing to be added to the original Brief.

3. Selection Of A Style

We need to know what kind of style you have in mind.

To select a style for your Custom Artwork, search our special Style Gallery and find a design that look you like.

There are six main Style Categories: Comic, Cartoon, Children’s Book, Traditional, Vector and Modern styles.

If you see an image close to what you have in mind, but want it altered to fit, let us know.

Alternatively, if there is some other image you have seen and want something similiar, send us a link or let us know and we will match it.

We DO NOT COPY but rather create an image in a similiar style, that is our own.

4. Custom Artwork Roughs

School-Kid-rough

A rough is a pencil drawing of the Custom Artwork.
It can usually be a basic a simple drawing or it can sometimes be a very detailed tight drawing close to the final image.
It is used to convey ideas only, or sometimes to show the final image design arrived at, for the client to approve.

5. Custom Artwork Pencilled

School-Kid-pencil

This is a tighter rough of the Custom Artwork for the client to see and approve.

This rough represents the image as it will be seen once inked and coloured. It is usually at this stage that changes are made to the image, as the client wishes.

This is an important stage for any changes or redrawing to occur, because at this stage, changes are more easily made.

The approved image is then to be taken and reproduced as the final image.

6. Custom Artwork Inked

School-Kid-1-Inked

This is when the final pencilled drawing has been approved and no further changes need to be made.

The drawings, depending on style, are inked using Indian ink and pen or brush.

Important to Note:
Any requested changes to the Custom Artwork at this stage may incur further costs depending on the size and complications of the changes.

7. Custom Artwork Computer Process

Computer-Pic-Desktop

Once the Custom Artwork drawing is complete it is scanned into the computer for cleaning up.

Text is added at this stage (if it is not hand written) and a computer file is created suitable for the clients needs.

The computer process involves both saving the size of the image (if given by the client) and the file format the client wants (not always given) such as tiff, jpg, psd, pfd etc.

If the client does not give these details, we have standard formats which meet the needs of each specific area.

8. Custom Artwork Coloured

The Custom Artwork image is converted to rgb or cmyk file formats and is coloured as the client wishes.

If the work is hand coloured eg watercolour, coloured ink etc this will be done prior to step 6.

Once an initial colouring is done the image is sent through as a low resolution file for the client to give feedback, suggestions or approval.

The colouring stage is an important stage in effecting the overall final image.

9. Finished Custom Artwork

Email-for-The-Process

The finished Custom Artwork images are sent for final approval (if requested) by the client. Otherwise they are burnt to CD for mailing, or sent via email (if size allows) to the client.

The invoice is usually sent with the CD or email at this time.

A day or so after the work is sent, the client is contacted to confirm that they have received both the invoice and the image.

Custom Artwork - Sample 1

1. The Brief

Illustration for a fiction book. The subject was the experiences and life of a freelance musician. Illustration to be on the cover for submissions to the publisher. The client wanted the cartoon illustration based on a story out of book text. The style the client wanted was based on the famous musical cartoonist Hoffnung. See a sample of Hoffnung's work. The Client provided a book of Hoffnung's cartoons as a reference.

2. Roughs

Several roughs (up to three) were created with differing poses and looks.
From these one was chosen by the client. Some small changes were made and approved before going on to the final pencilling stage.

3. Pencilled

Pencil tightened up once changes made. Client wanted more ants on the Cello.

4. Inked

Image inked in a loose style in line with Hoffnung style. Once the image was drawn detail was added.

5. Computer

The image was scanned and cleaned up.

6. Coloured

The image is saved as a cmyk file for colouring. Brush, airbrush and pencil tool were used in Adobe Photoshop to achieve a water colour look.

Custom Artwork - Sample 2

1. The Brief

The initial brief from the client was they wanted to update an old logo for their Community Golf Club.
They wanted a modern look for the character, and have it prepared in a way to use for print, web and stitching on clothing.
Upon consulting the clothing business to do the work it was decided a vector image was best for this work

2. Sample Images

A sample image, found on google images, was provided to show the sort of style the client had in mind. This was clearly identified as a Vector style image.

3. Roughs

Several roughs were created initially to recreate the original pose. One rough and an extra eye added in to make it look comic book like.

By having three quick images to compare the client quickly decided what they preferred and chose the one to use.

4. Roughs

From the roughs provided one was chosen by the client. Some small changes were made adding feathers from another rough and adjusting the eyes a little. And so the approved rough was combining all the client liked in the roughs initially provided.

5. Pencilled

The flag and number were now added in as was in the original design. A few minor changes were made at this stage until the client felt it was looking how they liked. Because it was being stitched it needed to be as simple as possible regarding design and linework.

This was approved the pencil tightened up once changes made.

6. Inked

The approved rough as then scanned into Adobe Photoshop. And then opened in Adobe Illustrator to draw all the Vector Linework using a Brush tool.

Once done the client was provided the basic inked drawing to approve. Minor changes to the number on the flag and pole position before final approval was given.

7. Coloured

Once the Inked version was approved the colours were added in. The original logo was opened in Adobe Illustrator and the colours were copied across to the new version to match what was already in use. And this also keep the image recognisable by the members and public.

Minor changes were made to lighten, and clean up, some colours as guided by the client.

A final range of files for web, print and clothing stitching use were provided for the client in black/white, greyscale and colour.

Custom Artwork - Sample 3

1. The Brief

An advertising agency wished to have a cartoon 'Spot the Difference' created for one of their clients. It was to be used for a billboard. The client gave a written brief including a mock-up of what they had in mind. The written brief included sizing they required for the final images.
The finished work was needed within days and the deadline was easily met.
The job scenario for the work was: that if you have enough time to do the puzzle on the billboard, then you must be stuck in traffic and should be using the train instead of driving a car.

2. Roughs

Three 'Spot the Difference' cartoons were created and roughed out. They were scanned and the differences were indicated on the rough for the clients to see rather the repeating the image twice to show differences. Our client showed their client and the jogger cartoon was chosen.

3. Pencilled

A tight rough was created and sent for final approval before inking. This was close to the final image and style the client asked for. See the sample below of pencilled image.

4. Inked

Once the pencilled image was approved it was then inked with pen and ink on a light box. It was scanned into the computer and assembled in Adobe Photoshop. It was then cleaned up and the line work tightened using a Wacom tablet. This image was to be the first picture out of the two for the puzzle.

5. Alternate

The second image was created using a Wacom drawing tablet removing and adding changes to a copy of the original cartoon in order to create the image with differences.

6. Final

The two images were printed and then checked by a few people. The images were burned to CD and dropped into the client's offices with the final invoice. The client was followed up the next day to make sure they got it and were happy with it. They were very happy with it and how the whole project finally turned out. Check out the final two images side by side below.