Usagi Yojimbo Color Special Cover step-by-step

[Steve Hubbell]

2 hours ago
Here's the cover for the upcoming Usagi Yojimbo Color Special from Dark Horse.

Ink, watercolor, and splattered on white cel vinyl stars on 4-ply 500 series Strathmore cold press bristol board.



Rough drawing. I changed the wings a few times. I would have preferred them in the "up" position, but that would have interfered with the logo.



Tightened pencil drawings, with three point perspective lines.



Inked with Koh-i-noor Art Pen and Badger Black Opaque ink (old formula).

2 hours ago
is this over the pencils or are there actually 3 seperate drawings (rough, tight pencils, inked) ?

It is all done on the same art. I just scanned each step of the process.

[Mayhem]

Ah... are the kimori making a return?

[Otter]

I didn't know there was a new colour special coming.

And komori coming back would just be icing on top!

[Stan Sakai]

No, the komori are not coming back. I just put them on the cover. The Color Special will contain the short stories from DH Presents that had not been collected before. Stormy Night--was that in color? If it was, it should be in it as well.

[Casey Burns]

I put together a list a while back of color stories that hadn't been collected in color in either the series of paperbacks or in a special:

Return to Adachigahara Plain, Book Four Hardcover, 1990, 8 pages (reprinted in Art of Usagi)
The Guardian, Trilogy Tour Book, 1998, 8 pages (reprinted in Art of Usagi)
Netsuke, Wizard #97, September 1999, 3 pages
Tsuru, Dark Horse Extra, 2000, 4 pages?
A Lesson In Courtesy, Dark Horse Extra, 2002, 4 pages?
Saya, Myspace Dark Horse Presents 3, 2009, 8 pages
One Dark and Stormy Night, Free Comic Book Day, Dark Horse, May 2009, 6 pages
Cut the Plum, Myspace Dark Horse Presents 6, 2010, 2 pages
Buntori, Dark Horse Presents 7, 2011, 8 pages
The Artist, Parts 1 and 2, Dark Horse Presents, 2014, ? pages

Do you know which of these made the cut for the special?

[Maka]

I put together a list a while back of color stories that hadn't been collected in color in either the series of paperbacks or in a special:

Return to Adachigahara Plain, Book Four Hardcover, 1990, 8 pages (reprinted in Art of Usagi)
The Guardian, Trilogy Tour Book, 1998, 8 pages (reprinted in Art of Usagi)
Netsuke, Wizard #97, September 1999, 3 pages
Tsuru, Dark Horse Extra, 2000, 4 pages?
A Lesson In Courtesy, Dark Horse Extra, 2002, 4 pages?
Saya, Myspace Dark Horse Presents 3, 2009, 8 pages
One Dark and Stormy Night, Free Comic Book Day, Dark Horse, May 2009, 6 pages
Cut the Plum, Myspace Dark Horse Presents 6, 2010, 2 pages
Buntori, Dark Horse Presents 7, 2011, 8 pages
The Artist, Parts 1 and 2, Dark Horse Presents, 2014, ? pages

Do you know which of these made the cut for the special?

That's quite a list! Thanks for putting it together. I hope a lot of them get in the collection. It is nice to see Dark Horse doing it part to produce a lot of UY/Stan Sakai content this year in celebration for 30th anniversary and to help out Sharon and Stan. I like companies who take care of their people. Peace, maka

[Otter]

Still cool!

When is this book due?

[Stan Sakai]

I regret the color choices I made. I should have toned down the red a lot and darkened the castle rafters more. That would have shone the spotlight on Usagi's face a lot more.

The komori are not in the book, however I am drawing them now in UY: Senso #4 so had them on my mind when I did this cover. I don't know when this is coming out.

[Usagi]

That looks very nice <3