This is one of my favorite past times in all the world. To have a piece of paper in front of me and a pencil, to create whatever comes to mind. What joy, what bliss–what sheer mental power and freedom!
Now, for me—penciling and inking are two subjects I do not feel I have a right to teach. Art is a continual process, and I learn each and every day. I know what it’s like to start from the beginning…twice—having surgery on my hands and losing the fine motor skills for many years…it’s been very hard to get back up to par with my own expectations.
Each artist has their own style. I have my own idols, such as Dave Sim and Katuhiro Otomo (man, I hope I said his name right…if not—sorry bub.). I have youth and adults send me artwork, asking me what I think. That’s a very dangerous question and the results are not always pleasant…I know from first hand experience on that one.
So, I will not be giving an art lesson…but rather, will explain what I do and why.
I do not learn my drawing from comic books. I love comics, I have a huge collection, but I don’t learn to draw from them. I have learned to story-tell from them, but drawing, I learn from real life. Sketchbooks, reading and imagination, free expression…and I never use an eraser. It’s the death of me. The more critical I get with myself…it’s like a landslide of mistakes. I simply won’t use one. Not even when I’m doing WANTED:HERO.
I take a sketch book with me—or something I can scribble in, everywhere I go. To dinner, the movies, church—you name it. If I go—it goes.
Now, the key to drawing…is to do it.
A lot.
That’s it.
Personally I don’t think a degree from some school is going to make you any better if you don’t practice. Just do it. Get art books from the local library and just do it. Get some fine art books and try to decipher how the artist did what they did. Practice using various holds on your pencil and using different grades of paper.
I have a very tight schedule when it comes to creating the monthly comic. I want to do my best—but still have a life. I’m a husband and father of nine kids, regardless of my work load, and I want as much time as I can get. So the schedule is simple…I get 4 days to draw the whole comic for the month.
That’s 5 pages a day, plain and simple. I don’t use layout pages…I just get my page plot, read it over and over, until I can imagine the page in my mind, and then I stare at the white page until it forms for me.
I use a 2h pencil almost exclusively. I don’t use an eraser, unless I mess up in a major way, or I start over on a page. I use the ruler to draw the panels, and then I …draw. I only stop unless I’m done for the day, reaching my goal, or my hands have swollen so badly I can’t grip the pencil anymore, and I need a break.
Some days I just can’t wrap my head around a page. So instead of burning brain cells, I leave it for the next day and do something completely different.
The last tip I can give you is an important one: when you FEEL like drawing DRAW!
Take it one step at a time, one bite at a time. Just remember that the comic will never get done, if you don’t do it. Your idea is only an idea…if it’s not in pencil. Then it’s a WORK IN PROGRESS…and that is very motivating. It’s as simple as that.
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