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Comics 101
Art tips and techniques, reviews and interviews from my studio. Archived here and at World Famous Comics.

Comics 101 Archives

Comics 101 for 02/05/2004
Comic Book Art Advice and Lord of the Rings Artwork
Well, I just got my grades back from School, an A and 2 F's. I'm getting so freakin' discouraged and depressed that my head is absolutely spinning. The good news, if there is any, is I have definitely decided that I have to know everthing about comic books. If I really want to show these jerks that I am talented and that I am creative I'm going to need some help. Is there anything you can help me with? Is there a "how to draw comics for dummies" web site? I have How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, but the book is pretty dated. Are the same concepts still there? How about coloring and inking? I have absolutely no clue how this is done anymore, but I heard a lot of coloring has been moved into programs such as Photoshop, is this true?

-Jake
Hi Jake

Alex Ness forward me your email with hopes I could give you some decent advice. He says your talented and I trust his opinion (most of the time).

First of all, that's great you're turning some of your frustration into positive energy and pushing forward towards your goals. That's the only way to do it so never give up. Art can be really subjective as well as personal and it can often be hard to get a good critique or reading from a peer or teacher if they're not on the same wavelength or as open-minded as need be. But since I'm an art teacher I can safely claim that I don't know of any instructor who would give an F to a student for at least trying, not matter how bad their art sucked.

I have taught some kids in my comic book class in the past who probably couldn't draw their way out of a box and most likely will never make it into comics but they showed up every week, did the required work and most importantly listened to what I had to say and tried their best with a positive attitude. If you are getting F's in some classes but capable of getting A's in others then you most likely need to work on other things *along* with keeping focused on improving your work. A serious, dedicated mind and a positive attitude can go a long way. If you know you are talented and it's not your art skills that are totally lacking, then ask yourself, what else can I do to improve and get these teachers to take me seriously? Trust me, the last thing you want to do is blame others for your shortcomings, especially teachers, since that's an excuse all too familiar and too easy to fall back on.

Part of being a good artist is having good people skills, in fact, it's crucial if you are going to survive in this industry. This kind of skill *should* start with your teachers since they are in fact acting like your editors and art directors for you right now. Once you get real projects (and don't wait 'til your out of school, start sending out samples of your illustration work to publishers *now*) you'll see there's little difference from the instructors who give you assignments to the editors who hire you for work.

As for actual tips on how to draw, ink and color comics, I don't have that kind of time to go into detail but there are plenty of books on the market with lots and lots of great advice. Especially, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema. Sure it's dated but there are so many truths in that book it should be as close to your drawing table right now as possible, especially if you are just starting out. Trust me, it's got all of the basics you're gonna need.

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

Also check out Klaus Janson's DC Comics Guide to Pencilling. He's got a very unique, visceral style which I love but there's a chance you may not like it. What's important is if you can look beyond his style, you'll see he has A LOT of great advice on the essentials of storytelling.

DC Comics Guide to Pencilling

Check out Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. Both books do a great job of breaking down the myth, mystery and appeal of comic book storytelling and offer lots of philosophical insight on why comic books work the way they do and what makes us, as comic book storytellers, tick.

Understanding Comics   Reinventing Comics

You need copies of Will Eisner's Comics & Sequential Art and Graphic Storytelling.

Comics & Sequential Art  

At least pick up Volume One of Dark Horse's Art of Comic Book Inking by Steve Rude. There's a second volume but the first one will be more useful to you starting out.


Always keep an anatomy book on hand, draw from it, draw from life too - constantly. Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life is worth getting.

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life

Any and all drawing books by Burne Hogarth. Check them out, they are incredible and you'll find them very resourceful for your comic book art work. Off hand his Dyanmic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing, Dynamic Light and Shade, and Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery are the ones to pick up.

Dynamic Anatomy   Dynamic Figure Drawing   Dynamic Light and Shade   Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery

Finally, study comic books. Draw from comic books. It's OK to dupe other artist's work or be more derivative in your inspiration from your favorite artists if it's for practice and training. It's a great way to learn. It's actually key to learning the process of comic art when starting out. In order to be confident and eventually successful with your work though you need to draw from life and reference too, moreso than actually drawing from comics obviously. But to really understand the language of comics you need to study them and appreciate a variety of styles. That's how you will eventually find your own voice.

Read Sketch magazine, buy these books I mentioned or borrow them from your local library. Check out my Comics 101 archives for past columns on creating comic book art and for tutorials on digital coloring if you'd like more info on the Photoshop and Painter programs and how they work for this medium.

Good luck with your work!

Also this week I thought I'd share some of the latest artwork from my pal Cynthia Cummens. Especially since 'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' has recently received it's Oscar nomination kudos it so richly deserves. Take a look at these beautiful pieces and then hop over to Cynthia's site and check out the rest of her excellent work.

www.CynthiaCummensArt.com

Saruman Pippin

See ya next week for a new Comics 101 feature!

-Joe

<< 01/22/2004 | 02/05/2004 | 02/12/2004 >>

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