Elements of Gesture

— Made by Devin Larson

In my opinion, there are three phases to drawing the figure: gesture, construction, and rendering. None of these phases is independent from the others. Gesture captures the essence of the figure’s pose — it records the kinetic energy of a moment in time. If anything can be said to breathe life into a drawing, it’s gesture. Construction is the phase where knowledge of shape and anatomy are employed to methodically build a three-dimensional figure within the page. This is the part of figure drawing where many of the visual “problems” of the figure — problems that involve not just anatomy but perspective — are solved. Rendering draws focus to issues of appearance, primarily lighting. Proper lighting grounds the figure and accentuates depth.

Often, these phases overlap. Gesture and construction can happen at the same time, with rough lighting and shadows added before either phase is fully resolved. Some people skip construction entirely and rely on rendering to establish the form. However you choose to approach things, know this: gesture is the most important. More than a rough sketch or plan to be finalized later, it is the soul of your drawing. Everything else builds off of it and threatens to diminish its impact. read more»

Dialogue That Writes Itself!

— Made by Marisa Brenizer

Dialogue can, in essence, make or break a comic. To graciously sidestep the pitfalls of comic speech, it’s a good idea to heed these pieces of advice:

Keep genre in mind

Where is your story set? How, realistically, would your characters interact with one another? Let’s say that you’re writing a period piece set in 1800s England. Quite obviously, you would like to avoid any anachronistic words such as “derp”, or “bro”, or “hashtag.” Unless, of course, your protagonist is a time traveler. (“Hashtags! Bloody hashtags everywhere, bro!”)

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Creativity

— Made by Neil Kapit

The most common question that creative people get asked by “normal” people may well be, “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a difficult question to answer, because it assumes there is an easy answer, some kind of tangible oasis that transforms visitors into brilliant artists. In my experience, ideas for comics (and other art forms) aren’t found in one place, but in EVERY place. And if one wants to be a creator, then one should constantly be seeking out new experiences in life and art alike, actively seeking inspiration instead of expecting it to arrive.

[Tweet “Ideas for comics aren’t found in one place, but in EVERY place.”]

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Drafting Work Towards Completion

— Made by Patrick Yurick

One of the central truisms of being an artist is this:

You will have to do many drafts of your work.

It’s unavoidable. There is this myth among artists about how the masters of the craft were gifted from the beginning — that they went into their studios and produced works of greatness in a matter of hours. This is exacerbated by videos like this one, where it’s possible to watch a master like John Romita Sr. as he quickly busts out perfect drawings of Spider-man with a felt tip marker. Amazing, right? And deservedly so! John Romita Sr. has created comics since 1949 and has been drawing Spider-man since 1966. He’s had a lifetime of practice in order to reach a place where he can draw something amazing with minimal revisions. read more»

Scriptwriting Software (That Won’t Break The Bank)

— Made by Kevin Cullen

When it comes to writing comic scripts, there’s no “one program fits all” answer. The reason for this is because scriptwriting software tends to cater to the stage or the big screen. Times are changing, however. Recently, there was a Kickstarter (successfully funded!) that promised to produce a program designed for comic book writers. It’s called ComiXwriter, and it’s slated for release in April/May of this year. Exciting news for comic writers everywhere!

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Anatomy Of A Storyboard Part 2: Continuity

— Made by Devin Larson

Part one of this article discusses the ways in which storyboarding relates to comics as a visual, storytelling medium. Check it out for an explanation of storyboard frame dimensions, shot terminology, and camera movement.

Not everything about storyboarding translates perfectly to making comics. All movement is implied in comics. Although storyboards are technically just as static, film literally captures movement.

Actually, scratch that. Comic panels may not observably move, but in the mind’s eye, they do.

Think about it. Through the composition of the panel, the viewer is forced to move their eye in the direction the artist wants. This may or may not coincide with the implied path that the character will follow out of frame. The size, shape, and sequence of panels determines the pacing of the story for the reader. You can control movement, of a sort. read more»

Anatomy Of A Storyboard Part 1: Terms & Techniques

— Made by Devin Larson

Don’t look so confused.

Sure, an article about storyboarding may not be the first thing you’d expect on a site about making comics. Art, writing, marketing — these clearly apply to comics as they do many other creative pursuits. But storyboarding? That’s a movie-making technique.

While it’s true that storyboarding is an efficient process for visualizing a movie or television show prior to filming, storyboards actually share many similarities with comic books. They both tell stories through a sequence of drawings, using the same composition and framing techniques to help the audience follow along. Another shared attribute, one few people realize, is that each medium is transitory. Storyboards are meant to be tools that facilitate a film. They aren’t intended for public consumption, and exist only to serve the final form of the project. Comics are storytelling tools as well. No individual panel or drawing is meant to interfere with the story. The action exists in the imagination of the reader. read more»