notes on X-Men3/Buffy magazine cover artwork

This artwork was made for the manipulation/coverartwork at Imaging Buffy, challenge is as described in following.

Challenge: Create an imitation magazine cover using a promotional picture of a BtVS/AtS star. Manipulate the picture in some way, such as erasing flaws, changing clothes or background colors,and/or even changing the clothing or body itself. You might also want to add text to simulate a magazine cover - it might be fun to throw in some amusing "Just shoot me" like phrases with the image. Also include a link to the original promotional picture used.

I've taken the challenge to not manipulating the picture but doing so on character traits.

I am a huge X-Men fan, like you might already have guessed from my two Buffy/X-Men manips and with my excitement about the upcoming new movie and not having my fave character in it again, I chose taking matters in my own hands and putting them into the next X-Men movie. Still in mind that poll about which comic book character James Marsters could play (Gambit from X-Men being in the lead when I’d seen that), I decided doing another manip with that theme. I took the shot of JM from that French magazine (with the playing cards) and worked to transform him into Gambit. I changed the eyes to the trademark red on black and darkened the hair a bit (didn’t do all that well on that one without it looking funny) and darkened the clothing as well. I also worked on the playing cards he holds in his hands to make them look kinda glowy or so to match the powers he needs to have for the role (being able to charge things kinetically by touching them). Now I had this month’s Wizard magazine in front of me (which I took the title from) I felt something missing on the cover and thought of adding Rogue to go with Gambit (as a Spuffy shipper that role naturally went to Buffy) and took the latest shot of her from Entertainment weekly and worked on her to fit her for Rogue. I made her eyes greener and darkened her hair a bit to leave the trademark white stripe. After putting some X’s to her shirt and smoothing the whole pic of her like I did before with JM, I placed her next to Spike/Gambit and put together the cover of the issue of Wizard that could be sold should that become reality (Wizard is a magazine for comics, in case you’re wondering, so outing myself as that sort of geek here *gg*). Me quoting JM is something I made up as is the reference of Bryan Singer directing the third movie as well, just to make sure (I’d love seeing him directing the third one though).

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