Following on from my last post covering Arik Roper, it’s now time to take a look at the amazing work of New Hampshire-based Joshua Belanger. I’ve commissioned a number of underground artists to illustrate my forthcoming novel, and Joshua landed an important character. The character in question features in some pivotal scenes, and I’ve been desperate to get him visualised ever since I wrote them. I had no doubt Joshua was up to the job and he didn’t disappoint.
We briefly discussed those scenes and I gave a few options. I had a pretty clear idea how they should look, which is not necessarily useful, as the idea frequently fails to match the artist’s interpretation. Still, I didn’t want to be prescriptive so gave Joshua only limited guidelines and direction. In response I got six very loose thumbnails (above) – almost stickman scribbles – giving a range of different compositions, poses etc. In itself this was useful, but what struck me was the sketch-up of the character alongside – very impressionistic but, even at this early stage, Joshua had somehow captured a certain attitude and essence.
Next I got a scene worked up into a bit more detail. Although it wasn’t the one we finally went for, it provided a great insight into Joshua’s style – very dramatic, animated poses and interesting perspectives. From the thumbnails I opted for the scene shown bottom-left, where the character leans out from the top of a church tower. At this point Joshua got to work on the serious business of the final linework. This is his core strength I think – huge amounts of detail coupled with those dynamic compositions. When I finally saw the black and white render I was pole-axed – it is truly awesome:
But the application of colour took the piece to a whole new level. Joshua had thought about it carefully, going for a restrained palette of reds and browns, but incorporating lots of detailed Photoshop effects and flourishes. You can see a glimpse of the final coloured piece here but, as always, you’ll need to wait for the book before it’s available in all its glory.