Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - books?

Welcome to ‘Ask an Artist on the 11th, or ‘A3 on 11’ as I like to call it. It's a little early this month, as I'm keen to get right to it.

This month’s question comes to me via Facebook:
“Are there any books on art techniques/comic creating that "you" personally recommend?”

This is a perfect question for me, since I’ve read a TON of art books. (yes, a metric ton, I checked!)I mean, I have a really large collection of ‘em. This is partly due to the fact that I love to learn, and also due to an early phase I suspect lots of folks go through when first starting out.

See, back in the early days I thought if I somehow bought and read JUST the right book, everything would fall into place, and I’d become a great artist. An illustration ‘short cut’ as it were…no such luck. So, let me preface this discussion by warning that books are only 20-30% of what can help you. The rest is a combination of drive, focus and talent in my opinion. And practice! Lots of practice! I heard somewhere that every artist has 1000 bad drawings in them, you just have to get them out before you can really see improvement. I don’t know if this is true, but I sure choose to believe it.

I also believe that part of what will make a book ‘good’ for you, is where you are with your art. I’ve read a few books where it soon became apparent that it was a case of ‘too much too soon’ for it to benefit me. Basically, it was ahead of my time. I’ve gone back to books like this later on and they were much more helpful. Only THEN was I ready to internalize what they were trying to tell me…know what I mean? I think this is worth keeping in the back of your mind while you read art books. Sometimes it might be the right book at the wrong time.

By now you are probably thinking, GQ just say what damn books you like already! OK, alright! There are 2 books that I continually refer to, and probably couldn’t live without.

The first is ‘Gesture Drawing for Animation’ by Walt Stanchfield. This was available out on the web as download at one point, and that’s when I first read it. My copy is well loved, and I refer to it constantly. Basically, it helped loosen up my figure drawing, and helped me make a quantum leap forward with my art. With chapter titles like “Go for the Truth”, “A Visual Vocabulary for Drawing” , “Elements of the Pose”, & “A Sense of Story - talk to your audience through drawing”, I can’t think of a better more comprehensive art book. The first page of my dog eared copy says:

”Draw ideas, not things; action, not poses; gestures, not anatomical structures”

Reading that was like a light switch going off in my head. If that quote appeals to you, try and track this book down.
It has since been collected, updated and formally released as a 2 book set called Drawn to Life (The Walt Stanchfield Lectures) I bought these books, but I still prefer my old, worn, highlighted original copy the best. ;-) All the same material is in the new releases, but they messed up the order of the lectures and it doesn’t seem to flow as well to me . Still worth a place on your shelf though!


The 2nd book that really helped me advance my comic art was- and is- 'FORCE -Dynamic life drawing for animators’ by Michael D. Mattesi. This book really helped me figure out why some art has more energy and well…force, than others. Since energy and motion are elements I really like to play with, it helped give me a few tricks and tips to use to help turn up the volume in these areas as it were. (This one goes to 11…it’s one louder!)


With chapters like “Seeing life”, “Forceful Form” and “Forceful Shape” it stays very close to what the title promises. It deals with rhythym, balance and straight vs. curved lines -how to use them to maximize the force of your art. You know, the stuff that Bruce Timm and other great cartoonists seem to do effortlessly. For some inexplicable reason the author put a section about animals as the last chapter which I skipped over. Hey, it’s his book, I guess he can do what he wants. Don’t let the livestock section fool you… I highly recommend this book .


Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked!

See you next month!



Commercial break- If you'd like to support small press, please go here and grab a copy of Undertow #1.

If you missed last month's 'A3on11', it was all about the process of creating a page of comic art from the script to the finished page...it can be found right here.

Undertow #1 and the Organ Grinder

I can FINALLY tell the story of the Organ Grinder, Undertow #1 and 7th Wave comics! This comic has been over 8 years in the making…literally. I’ve been waiting a while to talk about this one.

Back when I was first starting out ( around 2002), I hooked up with a young writer named Luke Donkersloot through Digital webbing. He sent me a great little story and concept about a one armed gunfighter with a cursed organ and a chain smoking monkey. I LOVED the story, and signed on to do it. It was, I think, my 2nd or 3rd penciling gig. Luke and I were really in sync creatively. I drew and inked the first installment, and 10 pages of the second issue before the comic was shut down before ever seeing the light of day. Slightly crushed, (OK…very crushed!) I moved on to other projects and the Organ Grinder ( O.G.) pages sat in my drawer. A great story without a home.

*Sigh*

Fast forward to about a year ago, when Luke got in touch with me again, completely out of the blue. He also contacted all the other artists whom he had commissioned work from, and said he was arranging to get the work published in Undertow #1 with 7th wave comics. www.7thwavecomics.com Great news! So I grabbed my art from the archives and………realized that it wasn’t as strong as I’d remembered. *Double Sigh* I said to Luke,
“Wait! Don’t publish THAT! You have to let me rework the pages first before you go to print!!” Being the good guy he is, he agreed. I left the art's story telling alone as it worked well, but a few art tweaks/redraws were definitely in order. what I'm trying to say is that these pages represent a very unique hybrid of my raw rookie work and my art style now, 8 years later. Have a look and see what you think.





Good story so far, eh?

PLEASE support this comic by ordering one… right here! You need this book in your life! ;-) If you are of the opinion that more folks SHOULD support small press, here is your chance. Prove it by clicking over and grabbing your own copy. Good Karma awaits.

This is the first story (and first appearance) of the O.G., and we have big things planned for him over the next few issues. Check back for more O.G. updates shortly! In the mean while go grab the UNDERTOW #1, and tell them Gibson sent ya.

Wasted # 6 now out!

Wasted #6 is now out at newsagents all around the U.K. and from Badpress’s website.


I have 3 pages in this one. For the benefit of North American readers, I’ll post up a sample page here. Due to an inking delay, the WOD ‘Narcobitch’ story mentioned below has been pushed out to issue 7.

My favorite story this issue has to be “Judge Head – He is the Blaw!” with art by Jon Haward. Shoulder pads that look like spliffs? Sweet design.

Alan Grant, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Kerr, Jamie Grant, and Simon Bisley are just some of the great talent found in this issue. Do yourself a favor and grab it when you see it!

WASTED 8 COVER ART

Ok, this cover I'm really excited about! I can't wait any longer to show it here on the blog. I landed the cover gig for WASTED #8, published by the fine folks at Badpress . On this one, Frank Quitely was the cover editor, Jamie Grant was on colors and I did the rest. Yes....that 'All Star Superman' artist Frank Quitely and colorist Jamie Grant. We were just missing Grant Morrison, but what can you do?

Anyways, this is definitely not my first cover, but it will be the one that has the highest profile of any cover I've done. It'll hit the streets of the U.K. in about 7 months or so.

Oh, and I'm also told that Wasted #6 is now out. As soon as I get a copy, I'll put a sample page up here, and blog about it a bit. Check back soon.

Ask an artist on the 11th !

Welcome to the very first ‘Ask An Artist on the 11th’! Or, as I like to call it: “A3on11”. I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month for the next year. I think the questions will range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. In order to shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about will just depend on what gets asked.

This month I’m going to answer both these questions:

‘What does a comic Script look like?’
and
‘Does the writer tell you exactly what to draw?’ ( which I think really means… ‘How do you know WHAT to draw?)

Alan Grant has kindly allowed me to put up part of his actual WOD script which will see print in an upcoming issue of WASTED. It looks like this:


This is Step 1. Get a good script to work from. Check. As I start reading I usually make little sketches/ thumbnails in the margin if I get a quick clear image in my head as I go. Inspiration and first instincts have always served me well in the creative process, so I try and capture them when I can. I didn’t do it too much here, but I knew I wanted to go for a big sexy glam shot to introduce Narcobitch.

I’ll generally read the entire script, then re-read it, then read it 3 more times. Gotta make sure that nothing gets missed! Alan always uses CAPITAL LETTERS in the script to make key items ‘pop’, and I find this VERY helpful. I recommend all comic writers do this.

At the top, the number of pages Alan suggested is 3 or 4, and the amount of panels required per page is not mentioned. Alan leaves this part is up to the artists. I could jam 17 panels onto page one in order to save room for a lovely full page splash on page 2 if I wanted. Hmmm….No, I’d never do this. I COULD, but I wouldn’t.

Please note how most of the design elements are vague leaving more room for the artist to work. It doesn’t say ‘crowded beach’ or ‘beach in the early afternoon on a cloudy day’. It’s left to me to design it visually. Since Narcobitch is going to murder someone in broad daylight, I decided it best to leave the beach pretty unoccupied. Especially since the next page is folks trying to figure out who killed the hippy agent. I’ve worked with writers who try and micromanage all the elements on a page. I don’t enjoy working this way. I think that if the script leaves room for interpretation, you get better results. Artists can then invest some of their personality and ideas. It is a collaborative medium after all.

I generally try to keep scene and same locations all on one page, but it wasn’t possible this time around. I thought about it, (hence the pencil mark above section 4) and tried it, but the last few pages became too tight and the story didn’t flow well visually.

I played around with the layouts for a while as evidenced by the very rough layout below. At this step I’m really just worrying about Narrative flow and word balloon placement. No actual drawing has been started yet. I also decided at this stage that an extra ‘beat’ would work well, so I split panel #3 into 2 parts by adding the silhouette panel and the close up panel with the smoking gun. I don’t do this often, but I felt it worked better in order to show her emotion as she spoke the dialogue. I used to minimize this layout step in my haste to draw stuff, but I’ve since realized that this is the MOST important part in making a good page of comic book art.


Now comes the fun part! I’m now confident that the eye will be pulled around the page as I want it to, and the dialogue is sorted. (ie: no crossed tails on word balloons. This keeps letterers like Jim Campbell very happy!) Now it’s all about cranking up the energy and emotion. Basically, just trying to make a cool page that will tell the story well!

Does this answer the question?

Sex, Violence, Wickedness and Suffering in Murky Depths #14 -out now!

MURKY DEPTHS issue #14 is out now and on sale here. This issue features a 5 page story called ‘Performance Anxiety’. For this story, I penciled and inked over layouts by long time industry pro (and all around talented guy), Ty Templeton. The grey tones were done by artist Eden Bachelder, and it was written by Greg Dunford - he of Hard Drive fame!

This was originally commissioned for the ‘Sex, Violence, Wickedness and Suffering’ comic, which somehow never saw print…imagine that! It’s like the censors were just waiting to pounce. Anyways, this story features a naked man at work, violence, naked women-also at work, sex, a nuclear explosion, the end of the world…AND it has a touching ending. All in 5 pages.

I had to look hard to find a bit of to show that wasn’t too graphic for my taste here on the blog. I found this part of page 2 which I cropped, but it’ll give you an idea of what to expect…

For the complete story, please be sure to go here!

SCI-FI art now book ...out now!

I blogged about the John Freeman's Sci-Fi art now book way back in April of this year. They selected art that I drew (and Keiren Smith colored) to be included in the book. I'm very jazzed about this, as it's my first coffee table 'art book'. Well, I'm happy to report that it's out and available right now. (just in time for Christmas!) Please click over here to order...

There are so many artists included, I can't begin to list them all. There is some really nice stuff in here. Also included are 4 out of 5 of my artist pals from the Fractal Friction webcomic...Kev Levell's entry is a personal fave of mine.

A great way to get a feeling for the artists invloved is to read through some of the terrific interviews with almost every contributing artist. Start here, and click around. It's facinating to hear directly from these creative folks. I've spent alot of quality time on the site .

Here is a brief blub about the book: SCI-FI ART NOW brings together for the first time the finest, freshest, and most exciting talents in the world of sci-fi illustration. Artists from around the world-from China and Singapore to the United States and Europe-are represented in this volume, which focuses on the latest and most imaginative work being produced today.

This book brings to light the most groundbreaking and talked about sci-fi art, ranging in media from comic books, movies, and TV programs to art, posters, toys, literature, collectibles, board games and video games. SCI-FI ART NOW is a comprehensive compilation that reveals fascinating background information, anecdotes, ideas, and inspirations relied on by the crème de la crème of contemporary science fiction painters, illustrators, and creators (whether established professionals such as Brett Norton, Liam Sharp, Paul McCaffrey, Klaus Hutter, and John Picacio, or brave new talents forging into the future).

This lavishly illustrated anthology shows the creative processes of speculative fiction’s hottest up-and-coming stars, and showcases some established creators who are breaking new ground to expand the genre’s already vivid visual landscape. Crammed full of exquisite art from around the world and fascinating insights from the artists and creators, SCI-FI ART NOW is perfect for the many fans of science fiction.