Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 438

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 438

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

ACTION COMICS #1061 (variant cover). 2023.
Ink, gouache, & watercolor on illustration board, 11 × 17″.

Four weeks. In a row. What is going on? (A gig fell through, is what 😅). Anyway, I've always enjoyed doing these, so I shall continue. While I have more Hello Darkness covers to share, I wanted to break things up with some Bizarro fun.

Backgrounds from Superman: TAS and the Fleischer Superman show.

For ink & color work, I usually do lines first, but this had a more painterly background, and so I proceeded cautiously. I knew the main figure would be outlined, but hadn't yet decided how I would render everything.

painting work in progress

I "pencil" everything in Photoshop and print out the final onto illustration board. At the time, I was using an Epson P400, but have since moved up to the P900 (after the former died on me). That series of printers has the option to feed thick board (up to 52 pts) through the front. It's not perfect, but it's faster than a graphite transfer or projection tracing, both of which I've done in the past.

digital pencils in Photoshop

digital color study in Photoshop

Digital layouts are how I start everything (sine about 2012, when I got my first Cintiq). I had a pretty solid idea for a gag, so it was just a matter of finding the best angle. I still think the pigeon would've been nice, but it would probably fight with the trade dress. Hope y'all are enjoying the consistent posts! Hourly breakdown below.

digital layout

Total hours: 41.5

layout: 3.25

pencils:10.5

print & prep:0.5

paint: 25.25

digital edits: 1.5

⊡ 6:00:00 AM