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Seth Special user 566 Posts |
Hi there guys, do any of you guys have any advice on learning to draw comic strips, ( like the far side or calvin and hobbes).
I've always assumed I couldn't draw but I've been trying to practice and getting slightly better so there may be hope yet... Just wanted to know mainly if there was any book I could read to help me. I saw a book on marvel style comics that advocated drawing the body structure out and general anatomy. Is this necessary in the style I'm trying out? Thanks... |
Dr_Stephen_Midnight Inner circle SW Ohio, USA 1555 Posts |
Seth,
"How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" is expressly for doing their style of superhero art; it's not what you need, unless you want to do superhero-type comics. There are, however, other excellent art books in your bookstores that give comprehensive lessons in cartooning. Don't get one that only teaches you how to draw cartoons. Get a comprehensive cartooning book that also discusses perspective, motion, composition, what materials to use (pencils; bristol boards; brushes; pens; inks), inking, shading techniques, etc. I'm a cartoonist myself. Have a go at it. Steve PS- I recommend sable brushes for inking.
Dr. Lao: "Do you know what wisdom is?"
Mike: "No." Dr. Lao: "Wise answer." |
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
I have no idea where it was or if it is still around, but Joe Kubert used to run a school for comic book art. You might want to do a search and see.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
Partizan Inner circle London UK 1682 Posts |
Oh! I thought you were talking about the popular sport of comic baiting!
There is a move called drawing the comic where you throw punch lines at them in an attempt to draw them into the comic trap.
"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."
- Mark Twain |
shawlie New user Netherlands 99 Posts |
I draw a lot of comics/cartoons, and learned the most by looking at how other people draw and practicing all the time. I work on a small-press Dutch comics site (www.stripster.nl). A lot of the submissions we get aren't great, but when they keep at it, they always improve.
If you want to draw three-panel strips, draw as many as you can. Keep doing it. Look at other people's work. If you draw everyday, you'll get better, you'll develop your own style. Jack Hamm made a book on cartooning that I always liked Will Eisner (who sadly just died the other day) made a great book on comics, "Comics and Sequential Art", and Chelsea's "Perspective for the Comic Book Atist" is really handy. The Eisner and Chelsea books might be too involved if you just want to do Calvin / Far Side stuff, but they've always inspired me. Good luck! ----------Charles. |
Seth Special user 566 Posts |
Thanks for the advice guys, I'll have a look for eisner's and chelsea's books.
Also I saw a book by Chris Hart on drawing comic strips. In it he sort of advocates drawing characters by first drawing their basic shapes. i.e. drawing basic geometrical shapes to outline them, kinda similar to a scaled down version of what happens in the how to draw the marvel way book. Is this necessary for the type of simpler comic strip thing I'd like to do? |
Burnt New user England 66 Posts |
The How to Draw Manga series is very good. It starts with the basics of drawing characters then moves to backdrops, speach bubbles, action sceanes, cover design etc
You can find them in Waterstones or comic book shops like Place in Space or Forbidden Planet. |
shawlie New user Netherlands 99 Posts |
Like I said, you don't really need the Eisner and Chelsea books if you're just into Calvin and Hobbes and the Farside, but they are great books. The Eisner book doesn't teach you to draw, per sé, but teaches you a lot about making your comic book art a lot more effective.
It's not a bad idea to start off with basic shapes. Add to them, and see what you come up with. If you scetch something you like, draw it again and again. Pretty soon you'll have a real "feel" for it. It takes time. And don't forget to really look at other people's work. That's really the place to learn for cartoonists/comic artists. Take a look at my site to see some of the stuff I do (www.guthrie.nl). Good luck! -----------Charles. |
Dr_Stephen_Midnight Inner circle SW Ohio, USA 1555 Posts |
When you come down to it, it ALL starts with shapes.
It's best to learn the rules before trying creative ways to break them. Steve
Dr. Lao: "Do you know what wisdom is?"
Mike: "No." Dr. Lao: "Wise answer." |
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