Matthew Cody's The Dead Gentleman : Illustration, Stage One

I'm trying a little experiment. I'm working on an illustration inspired by Matt Cody's newest novel, The Dead Gentleman, but instead of waiting until it's done and posting the work-in-progress steps after the fact, I'll be posting it as I create it. That means if I botch it, you'll get to ride that train right off the tracks with me.

The first steps I've posted here are the sketch phases of the main characters, Tommy and Jezebel. They're adventurers…but more on them later. First, lemme run down the three basic stages in the sketch phase of this illustration: 1)The loose rough, to establish composition 2) the polished rough, where I fleshed out the shapes a little better and 3) the refined, final pencils where I cleaned everything up. After this I'll post some color stages and maybe some other characters. I still have only a vague idea of how this will turn out.

Now, about the book -- The Dead Gentleman is the second book from Matthew Cody. Cody's previous effort, Powerless, was a fantastic book, well-received by critics and the public alike. I loved it so much it inspired me to create some fan art of my own (this and that). So I've been eagerly awaiting Cody's next book, The Dead Gentleman, and I wasn't disappointed.

Not wanting to give too much away, I'll say it's a book that takes place in two time periods (early 1900s New York and current day Manhattan) and follows the adventures of two teenaged protagonists, Tommy and Jezebel, as they battle dark forces from alternate dimensions, alien planets and beyond the grave. I'll tell you a little more about the book in my next post, but if you can't wait for that, find out for yourself and give The Dead Gentleman a try. It's a fun, creepy adventure that's perfect for night-time reading. -v