-
Showing posts tagged comics
-
Excellent advice!
I’m asked this at least once a day, and I always respond with a variation on the same answer, so here it is for the record: My advice.
Draw every day. Not once a week, not when you feel like it. Every single day. Draw when you’re happy. Draw when you’re sad, or angry, or excited. Draw on every surface you can find with every available tool. Study comics. Read as much as you can, find artists you love and then figure out why you love them. Apply those concepts to your work. Push yourself. If you aren’t satisfied, don’t get frustrated; try something new. Take classes, draw with your friends, show your work and accept constructive criticism. Carry a sketchbook with you at all times. Buy art, make friends with comic artists, show them what you do.
Promote yourself. Put your art online and tag it. Link to it. Send it to artists you respect. If you’re using tumblr, submit your art to every possible relevant blog and get it seen. Make fan art. Try new platforms and social media. Start with single-panel gags, work your way into sequential art. Always want more from yourself. Never get too comfortable.
Above all else, don’t get discouraged. It’s impossible to rid yourself entirely of moments of doubt, but know when to shake them off. Remind yourself how much you want to improve, how much you love to create. Think about the first time that something you drew made someone smile. That’s all it takes. I can’t paint like Alex Ross, I haven’t got the technical skill of Jill Thompson, I can’t colour like Dave Stewart, but I can draw on a post-it note and make my coworkers laugh. And that’s all you need. Webcomics and indie publications are proof that you don’t need a wealth of artistic ability to reach an audience; you just have to connect. Who knows - in ten years, maybe you will be just as good as your favourite artist. They all had to start somewhere, too.
Draw from experience. Draw from your heart. Redraw the same subject a dozen times. Treat yourself to some decent supplies. Never stop looking for inspiration. Never, ever talk down your work in front of anyone, especially yourself. Keep perspective. You will improve, you will develop, so don’t get impatient with yourself. In five years, your art will be better, so get excited for the change instead of being angry with where you are now.
I’ve only been putting my art online for seven months, but I work very hard and I’m proud of myself. It’s taking me to some incredible places. You can do it, too.
-
I'll tumblr for ya: How media clearly reflects the sexism and the racism we cannot see in...
How media clearly reflects the sexism and the racism we cannot see in ourselves.
I wanted my first-year film students to understand what happens to a story when actual human beings inhabit your characters, and the way they can inspire storytelling. And I wanted to teach them how to look at…
(Source: letthetruthlaugh)
-
Here’s an old comic cover idea I’d been working on. Until I realized holy crap, perspective! Augh! Also, drawing individual figures and trying to photoshop them into a scene really wasn’t working for me.
Edit: The characters are Paramour and Nisan from ‘Sly Kiss’ and ‘Inheritance Blues’ re-imagined for a mash-up comic I made where they were in a punk band together.
-
It isn’t fair that only Superman gets a pony. Well, horse. You know Batman would master dressage!
-
Wonder Woman doesn’t need any fancy old dressage! Or a saddle! Or a bridle and reins! Amazons ride bareback and wild! Superman isn’t the only super hero who could use a pony! There needs to be more Justice League pony adventures.
-
GO MAKE SOME COMICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got some spare time? Make a comic!
Download the sample printable comic right here!
Reasons for doing this?
1: My followers can finally have a printed comic by me.
2: It seemed like a fun activity to do, specially with young kids.
3: It might be cool if interweb folks shared tiny little mini comics with each other. And a whole bunch of people can print each other’s comics and maybe we could collect ones by other artists. So… ya know. Why not?
ahhh cute
Yesss…
Oh
oh
I know now how to create the mini-est of comics with the idea I just got an hour agoThis type of comic is SO MUCH FUN to make! If you make it with a little kid you’re a WIZARD to them!
-
WWAC Castle Waiting: A comic you should read
The very best kind of comic is the one that transports you to another place, delights you with excellent character designs, and has a story that keeps you turning pages to find out more.
A truly excellent comic is one that will do all of that and connect with your heart.
Castle Waiting is a truly excellent comic.
Written and illustrated by Linda Medley, Castle Waiting is a story about what happens to everyone not involved in the happily ever after of fairy tales. The castle in the title is the one abandoned by Sleeping Beauty when she runs off with the prince who woke her from her cursed sleep with a kiss. The castle was maintained, for a while, by her faithful servants but one-by-one they left until only her handmaidens and a steward remained.
Over the years, the castle became a sanctuary for those who didn’t quite fit in elsewhere.
In the first volume we follow Jain, a lady on the run from an abusive husband, as she journeys to find the sanctuary her father had told her about from his travels. Through Jain we meet the three little pigs, halflings, a demon with a cushy job, and Jain turns out to have a few tricks up her sleeve, as well.
Later in the volume we get the fascinating tale of a rare sect of nuns that will keep you turning pages to see how it all turns out!
The second volume delves into the back story of the local plague doctor and sets up so many mysteries that when I finished the book I sat in stunned silence because I WANT TO KNOW MOAR!
Linda’s art style is clean, detailed, and reminiscent of some of the folk-tale illustrations I pored over as a child.
Speaking of those folk-tales and fairy-tales, Linda has marvellously woven references to those age-old stories all throughout her books and it’s a delightful game to pick them out. When you do run across something original it feels so true it could have been from fairy-tales, too!
There is very little violence in these books and what there is tends to happen off-page. It’s refreshing and the stories don’t suffer one bit for it.
Linda Medley has won two Eisner awards for Castle Waiting, has received a Xeric Grant, and was nominated for an Ignatz award.
There are two, collected, volumes currently available through Fantagraphics, Amazon, and your local comic shop. The collected volumes are wonderfully bound hard cover books with ribbon place-markers. Volume one is well over 400 pages and volume two is well over 300 pages, making both books a good, solid read on a weekend afternoon.
Check out other underrated comic pitches over at Women Write About Comics
