Mystic is a digital reinterpretation of a stunning piece by comic artist Carlos Gomez. I first saw the original on DeviantArt and was drawn to its subtle emotional tension—Mystique sitting in front of a mirror, with her true form reflected back. It’s a clever, introspective take on identity, and one I really wanted to explore through color.
Digital Inks & Colors
To bring it to life digitally, I used Illustrator to vector the lines and shapes. This process—what I refer to as digitally inked and colored—allowed me to build a cleaner, flatter style with solid fills. After completing the full-color version, I also created a monochrome one. This let the linework stand alone and mimic the feel of traditional ink on paper.
Mystic by Carlos Gomez
Black and white
Final version
Digitally colored
Background Additions & Process
This time, I added a few extra touches to the background—like the picture frames and patterns—to give the piece more visual context. These details helped support the mood of quiet reflection that Carlos conveyed in the original.
To better illustrate the transformation, I included a side-by-side slider. You can easily compare the original black-and-white art with my colored version. It’s always interesting to see how tone and depth shift with color.
Reflecting on the Piece
Working on Mystic reminded me that great comic art doesn’t always need action to be powerful. Sometimes, a quiet scene—with the right pose and framing—can carry just as much weight. I approached this project as both a study and a tribute. Every line I traced and every color I added was done with respect for the intent behind the piece.
This was one of the more emotionally nuanced works I’ve colored, and I’m glad I was able to add my own layer of storytelling through digital tools.
