cover illustration for Paris' "Liberation" newspaper (Angouleme edition)

last time i was in Paris for the big “Hey” show, the editor from Liberation came to say hi and invited me to do the coveted “Angouleme edition” of the newspaper.
here’s one of the first things i came up with that i really liked. usually when i take on a gig like this i try to think of a way to make something that will work for the client, but that will also be re-usable in one of my art books or graphic novels. in this case i thought the drawing might make a nice splash page in the Eddy Table compilation that i’ve had in mind for years.

once i have some nice doodles that feel right, i print the original rough out in light blue and re-draw over it, referring to the nice loose doodles. this is how i try to retain the loose, spontaneous feel leading up to inking.

and here’s the most rewarding stage, where everything tightens up. hopefully in a loose way, if that makes any sense! i like things to look playful, but have a strong foundation. i’m going for an ink look, but in fact, i do all my final drawings with graphite on polypropylene (“Yupo” paper) these days.

there was some last minute tweaking. the head honchos had me brighten stuff a little, remove some of the ladies to make room for text, but i’ll leave that version for just French newspaper readers. this is the version i like best.