Dedication and Discipline are difficult to maintain. So rely on what Inspires you. Even if it is only 1 thing, and you have to watch it 1000 times over, Do It. Motivation is a Powerful Thing.
Everyone has their own Opinions and Values. But is it possible to Stand Up for Yourself without Degrading, Mocking, or Insulting Others? All Peoples should be Respected. But what if someone does something so Heinous, they are Not Worthy of Respect?
My Teenage Heroes all got Old. And Without Warning, so did I. Then my Childhood Heroes Died. Now…it seems I am all that’s left to Carry On.
Many people Work, Make Money, and then Die, unable to take their Money and Material Things with them. But what does a Writer or Artist leave behind? A Piece of Themselves for Future Generations to Experience.
Sadly, most Comic Artists are drawing what a Writer wants. They are giving Visual Form to the Writer’s Vision. When the Artist draws what They want, the Writing is usually Mediocre. That’s Why Comics must be a Collaboration.
Jack Kirby said he was a man who “Got Thing’s Done.” With his Output Level, look at the Mountain of Work he Achieved in his Lifetime. I aspire to be like Kirby, but know I will never even come Close.
John Byrne said he could finish Several Pages per day. I am Astonished. I struggle with One Page per Day, the Comic Standard. How do you Draw So Fast without sacrificing Quality?
Comics, like Writing, is a Medium for Conveying a Message. But what is the Message? A Political Agenda? Hope? Deconstruction? Revision? Good over Evil? Realism? Fantasy? Heroism? Violence? Morality? Comics are what WE make them.
Comics is Juxtaposition of 2+ Images. While beautiful, Pinups, Sketches, Paintings, Single Drawings, Variant Covers, Head Shots, Posters, Commisions are NOT Comics.
If all Comic Stores close, do Comics Die? If the Big 2 Disappear, do Comics Die? Far from it. Comics is a Medium to tell a Story. It will Always Exist, changing as Technology Evolves.
Life, like the Best Run from your Favorite Writer and Favorite Artist, must Inevitably End. Make sure you Do Everything you have to Do before your Final Issue.
Each Artist draws their Own Version of Characters. The X-Men are different through the eyes of Byrne than Silvestri than Jim Lee. The issue is that fans fall in love with a particular vision and want them to always look like that.
A Powerful Lession I learned from Jim Lee is that it is OK to Erase.
Drawing is constant Self-Correction. Nothing is Perfect on the First Attempt. But if you can’t See Errors, you can’t Correct Them.
Often overlooked in an Artist’s Style is their use of Poses. Do the figures stand in a certain way? Do they punch a specific way? Is the perspective the same? Do faces all have the same expression? Poses tie into Composition.
A Comic Artist’s Main Power is to Produce. If you are not producing, what are you doing? Studying? Watching? Learning? We must Constantly Create. That is both our Gift and our Curse.
One of the Main Flaws with Comics is the Size of the Panel. How many Speech Bubbles and Captions have been jammed into a single Panel? How many figures are half-inch or less due to the Panel Size? This is why Splash and Spreads are Favored.
Many Artists suffer from Stiff Neck (Iron Neck Syndrome) from being hunched over while working on their artwork. This is why we are supposed to sit up straight in our chairs with our tables tilted up at an angle toward us.
Yes, it true that it’s Faster to Write a Page of Comics than to Draw One. But Good Writing has a lot of Prep Time. So does Drawing. Some Artists are Fast. Some Writers are Slow. Best to Not Compare the Two.
Cartooning is the Simplification of Lines down to Essential Elements. Unless Comic Artists are using Real Photos, they are ALL Cartoonists (to some degree). From Jim Lee to Marc Silvestri to Humberto Ramos to Skottie Young, they All are Cartooning.
Art Style can involve Exaggeration. This means Proportion is no longer Valid. People give Rob Liefeld a hard time over Giant Chests and Thin Waists. But he was Exaggerating. His New Mutants in the beginning was not like this.
Someone said that during Kirby’s 1st time at Marvel, he produced 8000+ pages. During his 2nd time, Kirby was required to finish 13 pages per week. If true, these numbers are Mind-Boggling! (and Inspiring)
How is it that people of the past achieved More with Less (tech, convenience, etc.)? Discipline? Determination? More Focus? Or are people today just of a different caliber? Softer, Weaker, Lazy, Spoiled? Sadly, I fall into the latter.
I have an Age planned (Full of Heroes) on the scale of Marvel in the 60’s (Even Larger!). But there are Complications. Namely, Copyrights, ISBN’s, Trademarks, Printing, Shipping, etc. Not to mention the Work to Create All the Pages.
Stan Lee said he mixed Fantasy and Reality. He meant What would Real People be like with Superpowers? What Problems would they have? How was Real Life be different from Super Life? They are not Perfect People without Problems. My Age will be the Same.
Stan Lee said the advantage of Comics over Movies/TV (in the 60’s) was that you could take them anywhere with you and reread them over and over. Now, 60 years later, iPhones and iPads make that possible. That leaves Comics where…?
Jack Kirby said He Knew those Characters First. That They Lived Long Before They were Drawn on the Page. There is Wisdom in this. One Preceeds the Other, Not the Other Way Around.
What is a Master (Penciller) in Comics? Someone who has put in the Long Hours (per Day), Hard Work, and Dedication (in Years) to Master their Craft. Ultra-Talent Without the Above is Not Enough. Sadly, I am Not a Master (Yet). Maybe Oneday…
Comic Drawing is a Solitary, Lonely Existence. Only Certain People can Do It. Perfect for Introverts, Torture for Extroverts. Luckily, Technology has given Artists Company while they Draw.
Does it Matter if I make $550,000 or $1 on a Comic? No, Money is Not All that Matters (but would be nice). The Highest Priority is to Realize a Dream Before It Is Too Late. Making Money is Secondary.
Can the Comics of the 60’s have a Renaissance? Values are Different, Kids are Different, Adults are Different, Technology is Different, Society is Different, Politics are Different. Will they still Resonate with People? I have to at least Try.
Of all the Image Titles, Spawn and Savage Dragon are Still Going. While Todd oversees his comic, Erik still does most of the work himself. After all these years, these Accomplishments should be Commended.
Stan Lee said that Readers like to be Surprised. This means Stories should not be Predictable. This Lesson is Valid Today. Of course, any Twists must make Logical Sense, not be Randomly Crazy Without Reason.
Stan Lee commented how kids were reading less due to TV (in the 60’s). He said Comics helped with that. Now, it’s 60 years later, and kids are reading Even Less. What does that mean for Comics today?
To those of you who want to know what Comics are REALLY About, check out Scott McCloud’s UNDERSTANDING COMICS, REINVENTING COMICS, and MAKING COMICS. ‘Nuff Said!
For those of you wanting to learn How to Draw, check out Mark Crilley’s THE DRAWING LESSON. This short and easy to read book will LITERALLY TEACH YOU HOW TO DRAW. A Fantastic Book on So Many Levels!
A little on the pricey side, the 6 Correspondence Courses offered by The Kubert School are MORE THAN WORTH IT. Superheroes, Story-Graphics, Horror, Penciling, Inking, Supervillains. Get Them ALL!
Kim Jung Gi said to gain Experience to improve your Art. He said Limited Experience means Limited Art. Of course, you will need 2nd & 3rd Hand Experience, not just 1st. I am still contemplating this. I believe he means Understand Reality to Draw It.
Jim Lee said he could Negatively Critique nearly anyone. But what Good would that do? I agree. It’s hard enough to keep drawing, frustrated by mistakes, chasing your dream. Getting put down doesn’t help. Instead Uplift Each Other, Motivate, Encourage.
(Comics Rocky Music while Running) …byrne…miller…byrne…miller…byrne…miller…Byrne…Miller…Byrne…Miller…Byrne…Miller…Byrne…Miller…BYRNE…MILLER…BYRNE…MILLER…BYRNE…MILLER!!
The Shadow Suggests the Form. You don’t Always have to Draw the Form. Per Jim Lee, David Finch, and Marc Silvestri.
It has been said that Complicated Rendering, at times, is used to Cover Up Bad Form. I don’t think this is true with any of My Masters, but I can definitely see it happening. Will have to Stay Aware so I don’t fall into this Bad Habit.
David Finch said the Comics Page is the Medium to Convey the Idea in the Artist’s Mind. Therefore, the Penciller, NOT the Inker and NOT the Colorist, is best suited to Translate that Vision. This is why he Details As Much As He Can.
When Promoting on Youtube, it has been said that since the Comics Audience is So Small, Channels have resorted to covering Movies, Star Wars, TV, and Video Games. Have Comics Fans shrank so much? Where are the Millions of Fans of Yesteryear?
Sometimes, Perfect Perspective, Perfect Form, and Perfect Rendering leads to a Boring Comic. Sometimes, Imperfect Perspective, Imperfect Form, and Imperfect Rendering leads to an Exciting Comic. Which is Better?
It has been said that the Most Important Things about Comics are Emotion and Drama. This forces a New Viewpoint. Beyond all the Technical Details, the Panels, and the Writing, lies ultimately HOW YOU MAKE THE READER FEEL. Is this True?
There was a time when you would think a Comic is Cool. You would Marvel at Kirby, Ditko, Adams, Romita, Perez, Byrne, Miller, Jim Lee, McFarlane, Liefeld, and say “WOW, that’s COOL!” Doesn’t seem to happen anymore. My Upcoming Age seeks to be COOL.
More important that Perfect Anatomy, Shading, and Perfect Rendering is a Dynamic Pose. This is how even Cartoons turn Great, despite Simple Art. The Figure has to Come Alive, not remain a Static Lifeless Statue.
Comics have Limited Frames (Panels) while Cartoons/Movies have nearly Endless Frames. So if you have 4, 6, or 9 Panels to work with, CHOOSE THEM CAREFULLY. For Action, Story, Plot, Mood, Drama, Suspense, or Character Development.
Comic Artists are Perfectionists. They try and try to get it “Just Right.” Sometimes they achieve it. Other times, Deadlines, Laziness, or Fatigue force them to say, “Good Enough.” They wish they could Do More, but Circumstances Prevent Them.
David Finch said it’s fine to use Photo Reference or Models, but he prefers not Be Reliant on Them. Learn to Do As Much As You Can From Scratch. Jim Lee also isn’t Reliant on Reference (A Cabinet), but memorizes “General Shapes.” This is Great Wisdom.
Max Dunbar said it’s fine to use a Computer for Perspective. I think if you can Figure Perspective Without the Computer, and just use it for Shortcuts, that’s Fine. But if you Cannot Do It Yourself, then you are Too Reliant on the Computer.
Jim Lee and David Finch said memorizing Muscle Names wasn’t as Important as memorizing Muscle Shapes. But Muscle Shapes Change depending on the Pose and Camera Angle. Ah, the Human Body is a Complex Machine indeed!
How do you Separate Art from the Artist? You Marvel at an Artist’s Work for Years and then find the Person is Unlikable. In the Old Days, you didn’t know the Artist except for a Rare Interview. Now with Social Media and Cons, they are Intimately Known.
I love Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri, but my Goals Dictate that Speed is Needed in order to Churn Out Comics Regularly. So a Kirby or Ditko Style is Preferable. But what about all that Awesome Rendering?? Maybe a Balance is Possible…
Jim Lee said Drawing Comics was Labor Intensive. I didn’t understand. Drawing is Fun! Then I drew Trees, Backgrounds, Complicated Costumes, Armor, Weapons, Rendering, and Figured Out Perspectives. I said, “WOW! This is LABOR INTENSIVE!!!”
What am I Doing? Trying to make the Past Live Again? Trying to Relive My Childhood? Trying to help Others Relive Their Childhood? Make New Generations Aware of the Past? Make Jack, Stan, and Steve Proud of Me? Maybe Some of ALL of these Things…