Batman versus Killer Croc

Batman versus Killer Croc

[Workflow: Original art by Jesús Hervás from Suicide Squad - Kill Arkham Asylum #1 (DC Comics 2024) ; minor edits with new words.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Batman Standing on Rooftop Gargoyle

I reimagined Batman standing on a rooftop gargoyle by tracing over a panel originally drawn by Luciano Vecchio from DeviantArt. I made some creative adjustments, including adding a detailed gargoyle, flying bats, and gave him a batarang along with applying various color Fx. To facilitate comparison to the source drawing, I've included a side-by-side image of the original and my reworked version.

• Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]
• Super-rez link [11" x 17" poster version]

Zatanna: London, Two Nights Only (Book 1) [TrUzApalOOza cardstock wraparound variant cover]

[my rough proposal for a two-part Zatanna Zatara storyline for DC Comics]

In the city of magic and wonder, where the lights of the West End shine bright, a legendary illusionist is about to take the stage. Zatanna Zatara, the enchanting mistress of magic, has arrived in London for a limited two-night engagement at the historic Garrick Theatre in the heart of Westminster.  As she prepares for her opening night, Zatanna is approached by an old family friend, the enigmatic and mysterious Sargon the Sorcerer. His eyes gleam with an otherworldly intensity as he whispers a cryptic message in her ear. "Zatanna, my dear, I have a favor to ask of you. A dear friend of mine, a collector of rare and ancient artifacts, has gone missing. His name is Silas, and he was last seen in the city, searching for the Orb of St. Edward. It seems that the Cult of Mithras, a secretive and ancient organization, has stolen the Orb from the British Museum, and Silas was tracking them down. I fear he may have gotten himself into trouble, and I need your help to find him and recover the Orb."

Zatanna's eyes narrow, her mind racing with the possibilities. She knows that Sargon's friends are often involved in the darker side of magic, and she senses that this is no ordinary case. "I'll help you, Sargon," she says, her voice firm and resolute. "But I need to know more about the Orb of St. Edward and what kind of danger we're facing."  Sargon's smile is like a crack of thunder on a stormy night. "Ah, Zatanna, you always were one for the thrill of the chase. Very well, I'll tell you what I know. The Orb of St. Edward is a powerful relic, said to grant the power to control the very fabric of reality. It's been passed down through the centuries, and its last known resting place was the British Museum. But now it's gone, and I fear that if it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be catastrophic."

Zatanna's eyes flash with excitement. She knows that she's in for the adventure of a lifetime, and she's ready to face whatever dangers lie ahead. "Then let's get started, Sargon," she says, her voice dripping with determination. "I'll find Silas and the Orb of St. Edward, no matter what it takes." And with that, Zatanna Zatara sets off on a journey that will take her to the very limits of her magical abilities, and beyond. The game is afoot, and the stakes are higher than ever before. Will Zatanna emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume her?  The world of magic is full of surprises, and Zatanna is about to find out just how true that is...

I am proposing this would be written by Paul Dini, interior art by Jamal Igle, and exclusive painted covers by TrUz ApalOOza.

[Workflow: A series of image prompts from Bing Co-Pilot and NightCafe to give me a chunk of starter images, which I then composed and merged within Affinity Photo. Lots of layers, overlays for shadows and lighting, texture layers for lens flares, sparkles, fireworks, distorted/warped/twisting all over with a large dash of masking.]

Image list:

1. final TrUzApalOOza cardstock variant wraparound cover of Zatanna London book 1
2. raw version of the painting (reduced resolution), without final book layouts/logos
3. front cover view
4. back cover view
5. The series logo which I worked within both Affinity Photo and Designer
6. Letter Z, applied to her tuxedo lapel
7. and a glance at my Affinity Photo layering panels with Fx filters

Glowshard's Awakening

Deep within the volcanic caves of Mount Draconem, a tiny emerald egg began to tremor and shake. Hairline cracks formed across the ancient shell etched with cryptic runes as rays of lava light filtered in. After centuries lying dormant, the hatchling within sensed it was time to break free into the world.

With a final mighty push, the egg shattered apart, and out tumbled Glowshard, a small sky-blue dragon wyrmling covered in glittering crystalline shards. He let out a squeaky sneeze, sending sparkling motes shimmering through the air. His eyes blinked open, revealing brilliant golden irises that reflected the lava flows around him. Despite his miniature size, power coursed through Glowshard's veins, gifted to him by the magical volcano that was his hatching ground. His whip-like tail twitched with excitement as he explored his new surroundings, tiny wings flapping in a frenzy. The cavern walls glowed with mystic runes left behind by ancient dragons of old.

Glowshard's instincts took over. He opened his mouth, feeling the scorching heat building within, and released his first real burst of dragonfire. Instead of a cone of flame, however, brilliant lances of pure light and energy erupted in a blinding flash. Shard-like projectiles ricocheted wildly, fracturing the rocks and causing the entire volcanic cavern to luminesce. Glowshard blinked, startled by the unexpected brilliance. Had he done that? A surge of uncertainty mingled with exhilaration coursed through him. This was only the beginning...

Affinity Workflow: A few cycles of image prompts using NightCafe AI (DALLE-3) to end up with the cute glowing dragon. I then cleaned up some AI artifacts, sharpened some edges, and extended the image vertically a bit to show off his motes of magic.

Hi-rez image link [3298px tall]

Beauty and Brains

Here's something a little different today, created as vector art within Affinity Designer, which I'm calling Beauty and Brains.

Hi-rez image link [4096px wide]

Harley and Ivy Kissing (Harlivy)

I created my own vector version of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy kissing by tracing over a panel originally drawn by Shae Beagle & Roberto Poggi from Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! #2.   I made some alterations to the girls, added some new effects, and labeled this recreation "Harlivy." I've included a side-by-side image for easier comparison.

Hi-rez image link.

Travis Kelce Catching a Football

This one was interesting to create something different on my version of Travis Kelce catching a football.  Took a few photo images, did some rough tracing with vectors to create the main body, and then started using Affinity Designer's knife tool to cut out the detail shape areas, and then recolored things trying to use limited colors.  I only used a couple gradient fills trying to keep most of the coloring plain and simple solid colors.  When you discard my two gradients I think this is less than 12 colors.   This vector image can scale to just about any size and not distort so that is cool.

Hi-rez image link.

Affinity Designer 2.3.0 Spiral Tool

This month's enhancement to Affinity Designer 2.3.0 added a new Spiral Tool, which you can see I used in my previous post.. Check out Spiral Tool Video Feature Walk-Thru.

Hi-rez image link.  

The Last Acorn - Animated Movie Starring Selena Gomez, Antonio Banderas and John Leguizamo

Here is my pre-production copy of the movie poster for The Last Acorn which is an upcoming animated movie starring Selena Gomez, Antonio Banderas, and John Leguizamo.  I brought four separate Bing Image Creator (DALL-E 3) prompt creations of mine into a single combined layout. 

Hi-rez image link.

Batman Wants to Put You In a Coma

Eduardo Barreto had a nice panel in DC Comics' Batman - Gotham by Gaslight, which I pulled out, isolated, and then did a few edits and added fresh dialogue "Why don't I help you slip into something more comfortable... like a coma."

Hi-rez image link.

Rocketship Blasting into Space

Bing Image Creator (DALL-E 3) coloring book drawing built from my prompt "create a coloring book drawing of a rocketship flying to the moon" and then I colored it while watching some TV. Hi-rez link.

Distressed Typography Play

 Some typography with vector play and watercolor washes. Hi-rez link.

Vector recreation of Batman threatening one of Ra's al Ghul's henchmen

I created my own vector version from a panel originally drawn by Dario Brizuela from The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1 (DC Comics 2022).  Just vector brushes, solid colors, and no gradient fills.  I simplified the balloon pane dialogue and made Batman a bit more intimidating.  I also gave the henchman a broken tooth and mangled his left ear.   I added a side-by-side image just to make it easier to compare.

Hi-rez image link.

Orange Kitten colored by TrUzEDIT

My turn to take a simple cat sketch and turn it into an orange kitten sitting on a blue shag carpet finished image while watching some TV.  The full-sized image is available here to get around certain desktop or mobile browser quirks.

Dinosaur Standing in Front of Campire

I found a cute dinosaur image but had trouble sourcing it back to the actual original artist.  Thanks to whoever made this image for today's coloring experiments.  The full-sized image is available here to get around certain desktop or mobile browser quirks.

Dinosaur Color Work

I took a dinosaur sketch from a Cavewoman comic book pin-up and worked on vector flat colors with texture brushwork.

Angelo Di Martino Shark in a Bathtub Colored

Found a #Inktober2023 shark drawing by Angelo Di Martino which I colorized while watching the Arizona Diamondbacks clinch the NCLS.

Jordan Monsel Freddy Krueger Colored

Another #Inktober2023 drawing by Jordan Monsel which I whipped together while watching an episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, playing with some layered vector brushes and finding a classic Freddy dreamscape background.

Batman says Boo.

Original Batman and Robin #2 artwork by Simone Di Meo for my panel extract, minor color tweaking, and then replaced the words with something way scarier. Hi-rez image link.

Tom Bancroft colored alien in spaceship

I found a simple alien design by Tom Bancroft and began coloring it during some of my TV-watching time.