Six Flags: Heroes and Villains
It’s a comic book kid’s dream! Our lead designer and illustrator, Nathan Owens, was asked to create illustrations of iconic DC Comics characters in his signature Trophy Head, metallic linework style for merchandise in Six Flags theme parks. While Six Flags provided the reference material, Gold Sheep added their creative spin on some of their most beloved characters, from Wonder Woman to The Joker, who made their appearance on shirts in the Six Flags theme parks nationwide.
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THE SCOPE
Illustration
LICENSEE
Entertainment Apparel
The Process Case Study: The Joker
The Reference Photo Selection
It all starts with selecting the right reference. We received a set of reference photos to choose from and Nathan set out to imagine how each would look in his metallic linework style. He also took into consideration iconic imagery- like The Joker’s signature smile.
The Line Work
It all starts with choosing the defining lines for each particular piece. In the case of The Joker, that would be his wicked smile that defines the cheekbones, the lips, the outline of the nose, eyes and ears. Those are drawn using a custom line brush in Illustrator.
From there, internal lines are added at about 1/2 to 1/3 width to fill the remaining areas. The blend tool was used to create transition lines, but sometimes those need to be altered, depending on the area. All together- it’s a whole lot of MF lines.
Color & Gradients
The last step is to fill in the color. We want to stay true to the reference material, so we eyedrop those colors, figure out the highlights, shadows, and midtones, and define the gradient. Then the gradient is applied to every line. Yes- every single line. Angles are adjusted as needed for the metallic treatment, giving the faces and logos that 3D effect.
Heroes and Villains: The Collections
Batman Art | Six Flags Illustration
The Joker Art | Six Flags Illustration
Cyborg Art | Six Flags Illustration
Flash Art | Six Flags Illustration
Wonder Woman Art | Six Flags Illustration
Wonder Woman (Variant) Art | Six Flags Illustration
Batman Logo
Superman Logo
Green Lantern Logo
Wonder Woman Logo (Classic)
Wonder Woman Logo
WHAT AN HONOR
Working on this project was a blast and it was an honor working with Six Flags to bring DC Comics to their parks.
“I have been in the decorated apparel industry more than 40 years. We are always looking for unique and creative design talent. I came across Nathan’s work and immediately sought him out.
His work was outstanding. I am very pleased with the results and hope to be able to utilize his skills again.”
Barry Zagerman – President – Entertainment Apparel
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