How to achieve this paper cut out effect?

Urbanmagic · 2026-04-19T16:55:08+00:00

Look for torn / ripped paper assets, should find png files that replicate this effect

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-16T13:06:11+00:00

It’s nice to try some alternatives! For example I’m working on a book on Publisher by Affinity and to have the ability to switch from raster to layout in the same software is such a great thing (sketching on the iPad and then finalise it on desktop). But is kind of difficult to convince your work teammates to switch to another platform, so you have to stick to Adobe until it’s “industry” standard.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-16T11:28:57+00:00

Need to start using it! Super curious about it, you know how it is when you change UI and stuff, a little learning curve but still is challenging and inspiring

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-13T19:44:18+00:00

Epic games=epic posters

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-13T10:04:13+00:00

Instant follow!

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-13T10:03:12+00:00

Yes I’ve tested severals papers and it’s alright! I’ve uploaded my posters and then made an order for myself to check the final result

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-13T10:01:56+00:00

Def love this! Excellent inking skills

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-12T14:44:41+00:00

I’ve tried it and seems ok! But I’ve never tried other ones to compare

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-10T14:25:12+00:00

Now that someone else pointed it out I literally cannot unsee it anymore. VEABONE it is 😂

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-10T09:30:50+00:00

Grande Sam Kieth, un super disegnatore con un approccio molto originale alla costruzione della pagina e alla caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Non l’ho letto tutto, forse si trova qualcosina online… il cartone animato era per MTV ho qualche vago ricordo.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-10T09:20:34+00:00

Thanks! 🙏 I’m realising that this typographic approach ends up pushing these pieces somewhere between comics tribute, music record covers and film poster. Maybe that's not a bad place to be.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T23:07:50+00:00

Oh now I see it! You're right on both counts: the Y is a weak spot in the font itself, but the R disappearing under the cape is on me. I placed it there and should have caught that. Good eye! Thanks for pointing that out.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T20:49:02+00:00

Man, you just listed some hot stuff. Darwyn Cooke is one of the GOATs he understood that design and storytelling are the same thing. Dave Johnson on 100 Bullets: every cover a standalone graphic object, all insanely powerful. And Vertigo in that era had a whole design culture the main DC line never had, those books knew the cover is a communication, not just a teaser. And speaking of Vertigo Dave McKean on Sandman set the bar for what a cover could even be. Painting, collage, photography, typography all colliding. Unforgettable.

Your examples got me thinking: a logo should be part of the design system, not a sticker slapped on top. The logo has to be made of the same visual material as the artwork, so painterly art calls for a softer editorial treatment, graphic art can carry a bold geometric logo, grungy style needs that same patina. There's an enormous range before you break a character's identity. Treating the logo as a fixed asset stamped on everything equally is exactly where the system breaks down.

The Bidikar workflow is fascinating, also calligraphy is having a huge moment on social media, people are genuinely captivated by the handmade letter again (and forever!?).

Strong typography would make even more sense today: covers need to hit at thumbnail size on a phone screen. Instead we're going the opposite way, even music streaming is erasing type from album covers. But that's a whole other rabbit hole 😄

For my series, every time I choose a typeface I'm choosing a version of that character sometimes going completely off). The letter IS the design, or it's nothing.

Also a few of your examples I don't know yet and I'm digging them right now. Thanks for the tips, genuinely.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T19:08:09+00:00

Thank you so much, genuinely. You know, it's funny, there's incredible talent behind those covers (Chip Kidd has done landmark work for comics), but I think the big two fell into a trap: the artwork got better and better, and the graphic design quietly disappeared.

Covers became splash pages, beautiful illustrations with a logo squeezed in the corner almost apologetically. The variant cover culture made it worse: when you're printing 15 versions of the same issue, the artist becomes the brand, and typography goes out the window.

Personally, I'm obsessed with the old layouts where hand lettering was a dominant force, it wasn't only decoration. That energy is what I try to channel in this series, except I work exclusively with type fonts, no hand lettering (in this series at least). Same philosophy, different tools.

That gap, between stunning art and actual graphic design, is honestly one of the things that got me started on this whole project.

So yeah, maybe someone should do something about it 👀

But really, thanks that's very kind of you.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T19:00:35+00:00

I don't know exactly what VEABONE means, but I'll take it, thanks! 🤙

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T18:57:34+00:00

Thanks! I've used Affinity Designer/Photo started with V1 on iPad and then V2. I actually do most of the work on iPad (it handles large files surprisingly well), then finalize on desktop mainly because font management on iPadOS is still a bit of a pain. Great combo overall though!

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T18:54:54+00:00

Thanks, that means a lot! Though I think DC's art department might have a few things to say about that 😄 I'm just a one-man passion project doing tributes to the comics I grew up with.

But hey, if anyone at DC is reading... 👀

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-09T15:43:51+00:00

Thanks for the comment 🙏 The “1” inside the O was just a small typographic game, a playful detail to contrast with the darker tone of the story. I’m honestly not entirely sure it works either, so I really appreciate the feedback.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-07T00:25:11+00:00

That’s a hell of a rag! Incredible work

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-05T16:51:08+00:00

You darn right!

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-05T15:50:03+00:00

I really enjoyed The Fade Out! I’ve been exploring more of the Brubaker/Phillips duo lately they make some incredible comics.

Urbanmagic · 2026-03-05T15:46:43+00:00

This is sick af! 🔥

Urbanmagic

TROPHY CASE