Ok, while I was sketching a few panels out for the Overcomers GN, I began thinking, wouldn't someone like to know what to work on to get good angles? Perspective? etc, so I figured I would put up some hints, tips and helps, even though I have a lot to learn, here are some things I have found helpful:1. Learn the power of Perspective and Vanishing Points! ( one point, two point and three point perspective)2. Play with and distort the vanishing points to create the "illusions" of one being closer to the reader than the rest or to create a dream like sequence or panel.3. Use basic shapes to define poses and structure to character.4. ANATOMY!! Learn your anatomy and NOT from comic books directly ( sure comic books are good as examples and REFERENCES, but not the source to learn from...well, not completely.) Take courses or go buy some Anatomy books with different muscle group details, poses, etc, or life drawing, look at yourself and then at others, no two people are the same, men and women are different in MANY aspects of anatomy, example:A mans chest is more of a block where-as a female is more of a triangle ( use as basic shape and mold later to fit the character).5. Use references if necessary ( I use them quite a bit on poses and action scenes) BUT completely form your own character, don't take the one on the picture as your own!6. Pray,Patience, Practice and Perseverance!! ( 4 P's of art! LOL)7.Dont' forget to eat and drink and do your potty now and again ( I get so engrossed in work, that I forget these things, lol! At least until my stomach knaws through my backbone ^^)8. Panel layouts- Figure out what the page will look like as if you are watching a movie, ever notice the different angles to each scene? (overhead view, profile of a certain character, static face or eye shots, angled panels to show out of control situation, etc.)10. Put some music on or whatever relaxes you and helps you focus!11. Relax and have fun with it, there is plenty of paper, don't forget to use both sides to conserve when doodling or sketching a pose/action.Well, I hope that this albeit, erratic, little list helps some of you, but then again what works for me may not work for you, so find your own "Happy little place" in the world of comic art and...DRAW HOW YOU WANT TO DRAW AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANY DIFFERENT, THIS IS HOW YOU DISCOVER YOUR OWN STYLE!!
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There are some great tips here! Just going to add a few of my thoughts. If you are struggling with drawing in general or feel like you are not improving, go back to the basics. Review the principles of design and the elements of art. Focus on each one; note where you are strongest and weakest. Use that information to improve. Don't rush your style, it will come with time. If you are just starting out, draw in many different styles! Your style will be a mixture of many styles, and you won't know what you like about a certain style until you draw it. Over time, the components that you like will stick around and the others will fade. Everybody ends up favoring certain lines and shapes, which is why each person has a different style. It might be hard to see your style, but it's there, you just have to discover it.
just wanted to say hello from a new member. Thanks for the great website. Wow, Sam Keith. I remember when The Maxx debuted in Darker Image ( Wow I feel old ). Not only Sam, but Todd, Jim, Rob and the others that helped define that generation of comic book artwork. Oh, and in case anyone needs a good reference to proportions and poses, I STRONGLY recommend looking at a guy named Riven Phoenix. He has a DVD set out for about $45 ( I think you can download it as well). It really dumbed things down for me and made my understanding of human anatomy much better. Anyway, take care and God Bless.
This is such good advice. I never really had anyone point these out to me, except for the art books I read, but I find I use the advice you mentioned, and often. I seem to like to use stick people when I draw, it works out better for me, plus referencing several sources to get the character I want. The first lesson I learned to adapt is the very last advice...DRAW HOW YOU WANT TO DRAW AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANY DIFFERENT. I always tell people "Be your own fish!" and to be a Salmon and swim up stream.
I totally with all of these. These methods are tried and true. Although i admit, i still need to work on my perspective.:( But #3 is a vital but often overlooked step in drawing. I used to just draw the body and sometimes it would turn out halfway decent, but as soon as i started using skeletons and frames, there was a noticeable increase in the quality of my work pretty much overnight. Although i still have to wonder sometimes how some of these artist who use those kind of exaggerated art styles become so popular, despite the fact that its not really proportionate. Sam Kieth comes to mind immediatly. His art is fantastic. But its far from realism.
Christina Cheek > Anthony RodriguezOctober 17, 2007 at 8:25pm
lol, I think it just depends on how you want to portray what you are drawing or how you see the comic, I don't know who Sam Keith is, you will have to name the comic or character, lol, but I used to draw just what I saw a lot and not really mess with basic shapes, I actually thought it was very preschool-ish to use the basic forms, but I soon came to realize that isn't the case :D
Sam Kieth is the mastermind behind "The Maxx", one of the best comics of all time, and a big influence on me. I also used to draw just what i saw, and also thought it was a waste of time to draw the basic forms. "WHAT?! YOU WANT ME TO DRAW THE SAME PICTURE 3-4 TIMES?! WHY NOT JUST DRAW IT ONCE AND BE DONE?" But it does make a big difference when you use the basic forms.
Christina Cheek > Anthony RodriguezOctober 18, 2007 at 1:58pm
yes, it does, drastically. Though I don't know the comic the Maxx, didn't get much priviledge when I was a kid to get comics, and there isn't many available to me here local either, I am still going through a learning curve with forms and poses, hence the reply in the forum post you made about what references do we use, lol. Soon, hopefully I will be able to just let er fly and not use references, but it helps to have a few training wheels when you need them ^^
Yes it does help. And speaking of "letting'er fly", one of my personal goals is to be one of those guys at the cons that do the sketches in, like, ten seconds.
Christina Cheek > Anthony RodriguezOctober 19, 2007 at 10:47am
lol, well, never been to a con so...lol I dunno ^^
Replies
There are some great tips here! Just going to add a few of my thoughts. If you are struggling with drawing in general or feel like you are not improving, go back to the basics. Review the principles of design and the elements of art. Focus on each one; note where you are strongest and weakest. Use that information to improve. Don't rush your style, it will come with time. If you are just starting out, draw in many different styles! Your style will be a mixture of many styles, and you won't know what you like about a certain style until you draw it. Over time, the components that you like will stick around and the others will fade. Everybody ends up favoring certain lines and shapes, which is why each person has a different style. It might be hard to see your style, but it's there, you just have to discover it.
Excellent advice, Christina! Another thing I use when I'm not sure of the perspective on a person I am drawing is drawing figures. This helps a LOT.
Erik
Everyone have a great day.
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