Article:
The Art of the Sketch Card!

 Not that long ago Alltern8.com brought you a seriously sweet look at NEW-GEN. A web comic that is making major waves in the comic world as the folks at A.P.N.G. Enterprises continue to roll out their unique Sci-fi Superhero franchise. Well as promised we've got some more NEW-GEN goodness as Alltern8.com brings you a behind the scenes look at the making of a sketch trading card by artist Nicole Goff.

"Typically a 2.5x3.5 card containing an original sketch on it. And some companies hire artists to supply a given amount of original sketch cards so they may sell them in single packages in which the buyer doesn't know who's sketch they're going to get out of the card set. Or they may use the sketch cards as chase cards or rare cards in which will be randomly inserted in X amount of pre-printed trading card packs. There's other applications, but those are the common ones. And the themes may be directly owned by the publisher of the cards or public domain (like horror figures and/or mythology) or may be rights obtained by them through other companies. Some may be based off lisensed characters and/or celeberties ranging from sports, movies, TV series, comic books and the like. In the end, the collectors are not much different from those that collect sports cards or the old school Marvel cards...always looking for a good pull." says Nicole.

As the Graphic Designer for 5finity productions Nicole's done skecth cards for Voltron, Dead@17, and Zombies vs. Cheerleaders trading cards, her work has also been used by trading card mega company Upper Deck.

"I used to do the big sets for Marvel, but now [I] enjoy doing the small press sets like 5FINITY and Sadlittle.com. It minimizes the work load, thus opens up creativity without being bogged down by the amount of cards needed...and creates a more personal atmosphere with all those involved. " Nicole adds when asked about her current work.

You can check out Nicole on Deviant art and the offical 5FINITY production blog (http://5finity.blogspot.com/) Plus you can check her personal Youtube channel for some totally awesome videos of Nicole doing skecths of some of your favorite characters.

"You can always learn something from another artist...regardless of the differences in style, technique, genre etc. Creativity translates across all platforms of expression. The world's stance on competition with many things can hinder growth, if no one is willing to share knowledge along the way. Knowing what others both like and dislike can help you decide what to keep and/or improve on....or even change completely. It's up to you on how to take the words of others emotionally and responsibly."

“Mini,” is one of the many Nanopowered characters found in NEW-GEN. He is a leader who often relies on his animal instinct when heading into battle. He is a fierce force to be reckoned with yet he remains a stalwart and loyal companion to his friends and fellow teammates. You can check out more on Mini and the rest of the A.P.N.G. (Association for the protection of New Gen) in the hit web comic NEW-GEN on www.newgenuniverse.com
 

Check out the next page for an exclusive behind the scenes video of Nicole at work.