By Jim Beard
A unique series like MARVEL HER-OES, arriving April 14, calls for unique artists to delineate its characters, and that's where Craig Rousseau and Sara Pichelli come in.
Rousseau, penciler on HER-OES, and Pichelli, rocking the covers beginning with issue #2, opened up their sketchbooks to give Marvel readers a rare glimpse into their design process. It's all your favorite heroines, including She-
First up: Craig Rousseau. Take it away, Craig!
| Rousseau: "I got an email from Sana Amanat, editor extraordinaire, asking if I wanted to be involved in [the] new MARVEL HER-OES project and she wanted to see some sketches and designs. This was my first pass at Jen, Namora and Janet, just trying to get a feel for them as teen characters, trying to keep them fun and distinctive and not repeat myself from the SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE stuff." | ||
 | Rousseau: "After a bit of feedback from editors Nate [Cosby] and Sana, I took another pass at the girls with a closer eye on some of the current fashion trends, playing to each girl's personality and tastes. Luckily, my girlfriend has much better fashion sense than me and would offer her spot-on feedback and suggestions!" | ||
| Rousseau: "Before getting into the regular pages, I got to draw the cover to issue # 1 in a bit of a time crunch. Images labeled A and B were two of the more fun and energetic 'action' sketches I submitted, and it was decided A was the way to go-although I kind of dig the design of B a lot, too." | ||
| Rousseau: "Since this was being done before any of the pages had been done, some quick costume sketches were needed not only for the main heroes, but Ms. Marvel and Valkyrie, playing on the traditional looks, but keeping it a bit more grounded in this story's reality with no real costumed super heroes as of yet." | ||
 | Rousseau: "And that's the finished line art for the cover to issue #1, with our heroes all costumed up and back in high school!" | ||
 | Rousseau: "The sequential pages are a fun challenge, trying to ground Janet as a regular girl in suburbia who's not so regular; a new take on an established character." | ||
 | Rousseau: "Having that splash with Janet shrunk down and flying was fun, showing her let loose and enjoy her abilities. Sana wisely suggested adding elements to stress her size change, so here come the bees." | ||
 | Rousseau: "And what says 'high school drama' more than a confrontation between the hip outsider and popular princess? As fun as this was, I really like the small things like drawing all sorts of different types of kids in the background." |
Next, Sara Pichelli stepped in to design those covers and provide as much fun with the exteriors as on the interiors. Tell us all about it, Sara!
"When I have to draw a cover I usually have to send a preliminary sketch of the cover for the editor's approval," she says. "At this point I usually feel embarrassed because when I draw something the final image is far, far away from the first idea I had in mind when I started it! So I have to keep in mind the sketch I sent to the editors and make myself respect it!"
 | Pichelli: "In this piece I decided to set the cover in a green field with flowers because I really needed something that could help me to understand that the hand is not a giant's, but it's just the Wasp who became smaller!" |
 | Pichelli: "My first idea was to draw the hand in silhouette with a hard light behind it, but it was too dark and it didn't fit well with the target of this book." |
 | Pichelli: "In this step, my editor and I were trying to figure out the right poses of the girls! Actually my editor was giving me a good telling-off because I had drawn the girls too sexy, and they are teenagers here!" |
 | Pichelli: "I had a lot of fun in creating the first home-made costumes of the heroines! I'm so proud of them, especially of the Wasp's!" |
 | Pichelli: "In this piece I was trying to communicate the power of the fight without forgetting that they are young girls. In fact their body language should be different from that of an adult-it was a good challenge! And I love the suit I drew on Namora-I want one for me!" |
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