Kris Anka Reveals Roughs for X-Force Designs

Kris Anka, who designed the new Uncanny X-Force uniforms, got the clearance to post all his roughs for his X-force designs. First up: Psylocke!

Kris says: Fitting because I started with her when I approached these designs. As the leader of the team, I wanted to nail her design first and allow that to be the foundation for the rest of the team. I think that this would be a good moment to talk about my design style. I have heard a criticism for my designs being that I rely on a go-to stylings and shapes in my designs, and I completely agree. I’m the first person who would own up to my own design style-ings. It was definitely something daunting when they first approached me to do the designs for this. I was worried that these designs would stick out like a sore thumb of something I designed. What sort of turned me around on it are that some of the other marvel now designs are also completely out-there compared to what had come before (I'm thinking about Cable and the X-Force, the new Ironman design, Cap, The Hulk, etc.), and you know what: they picked me to do this. They obviously know my designs, take a minute to look for my art and you’ll find a ton of them. So what this meant to me was that they know what sort of stuff that they’d get out of me, and wanted me anyway. So i took that to heart and thought “By god, if I’m doing this, then I’m making these designs me all over”. So with that, onto the designs:

1. I started off with a straight up tactical suit. The image in my head was her descending out of the ceiling into a dark room to assassinate someone; so I tried to create a design that I could believe in that situation. 

2. With this one I tried to help break up all the black of the costume, and re-impliment some of the skin-stripes that are so quintessential to the Psylocke-look. But I didnt want them to be completely separated from the costume as per the Jim Lee design. I tried to take a page from the design Opeña (I’m assuming) designed for the first volume of the Uncanny X-force. But add a bit more “me” to the shapes of those cut-outs.

3. More of the same. Trying to break up the black.

4. Tried something way more stealth. Visually a lot more effective for an assassin in the dark.

5. And then obviously the design that was picked. With absolutely no notes, I think. This looks pretty much exactly how the final design turned out.