Get Graphic: How Artist C.P. Smith Uses A.I. To Build 'The Resistance'

Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen

Throughout the month of December, Get Graphic will be reintroducing you to the creative talent behind AWA's Upshot universe! Utilizing a collection of mini-series, Upshot is less about big, cosmic crossovers and more about building an expanded universe that is driven by themes and engaging storytelling. This means you'll experience every corner of this world imaginable! From the zombie apocalypse and the supernatural to criminal underworlds and high-flying heroics -- the tendrils of upshot are diverse, and the talent behind these titles are masters of the format.  

Talent such as artist C.P. Smith of The Resistance Uprising. In the following interview, C.P. shows us his artistic process and gives readers a glimpse (just a glimpse!) into this flagship title.  

Firstly, what is your name and where do you hail from?

My Name is C.P. Smith and I'm from California.

How did you get into comic books as a fan?

When I was a kid everyone read comic books.  

What can you tell us about The Resistance books? What are they about?

There is a global plague and the survivors develop superpowers.  It reads as many small personal stories set on a worldwide stage.

How did you get involved with AWA as an artist?

Quite a few years ago, [Chief Creative Officer] Axel Alonso told me he was going to make a comic book company and he actually did!

What tools do you use to draw?

For The Resistance: Uprising, the main challenge was keeping the 43 named characters clear and with unique faces and bodies. To add to the challenge, the characters didn't have graphic costumes to differentiate them in small panels. To solve this problem, I sculpted the characters from traditional and A.I. generated photography. I used the sculpted meshes for reference and drew, traced, and photo-bashed the pages together in Clip Studio, Studio Artist, and Photoshop on a Wacom Cintiq. The backgrounds were made in Blender and rendered in EEVEE, Unreal or Twin Motion.

The Resistance Uprising, the second volume in AWA's Resistance series, is available now at your local comic shop.

The Resistance Universe: Origins, the next installment in The Resistance series, hits comic shops on December 14, 2022. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox. 

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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes MF DOOM: All Caps, Public Enemy's Apocalpyse '91, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.