Christian Ward is the artist and co-creator of ODY-C with Matt Fraction at Image Comics. He recently wrote about how he is transitioning from traditional materials to an all digital workflow for creating his pages:
Insecurity in art isn’t a bad thing, though. Far from it; it’s what pushes me to be better. To take my work to the next level. To keep improving. It’s what led me to make a jump to working all digital.
We can, it has to be said, partially blame Duncan Fegredo and Jamie McKelvie for this transition. Both are keen proponents of the all digital movement and I’ve had multiple conversations with both about the merits of working digitally. On meeting the former at comic store event earlier this year, Duncan could barely see any reason why I wouldn’t make the move. Sure I’d lose the money made from my original art sales but the time I’d save would be fantastic. Since so much of my work is about the colour – which I already do digitally – why not do it all the way.
This is a great read. I’m sure by now it is obvious that I am a process junkie. Ward’s process is complicated but he produces some amazing artwork. The hard work pays off for his fans. I find it interesting because I was completely digital and have now moved towards something similar to his original process. It is a hybrid of traditional and digital. But I picked up a few ideas from his piece that I’d like to try. That’s the point of sharing these process pieces. There’s not one right answer. Ward himself admits that in his conclusion. Your process is always changing, and there is not one right path.
