Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Hey everybody

Hey everybody, decided to post something un-word-of-the-week related... Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, I'm working on that comic right now for the Down With Detroit. I'm currently working on the story-line, so far I'm calling the comic: Road2Detroit... Anyhow, these were inspired by Randy.

5 comments:

Randy said...

Hey pick up this book when you can. It's a bit old-school in terms of the style, but it's better than most of the new books because it really teaches you to draw, not just how to draw one style. I read it when I was a teenager, and was really dumb and didn't actually do the examples. I'd have been better off if I had done the work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671530771/sr=8-1/qid=1155246045/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8283759-9185652?ie=UTF8

A couple of years ago I went to a studio and tried to get a job and basically got told I didn't draw well. And they were right. Save yourself the trouble of those kinds of experiences and work through things very thoroughly NOW. You can improve very quickly if you work at it.

Draw every day, and get used to drawing people, plants, animals, buildings, cars, and anything else you can sit down next to and draw. Don't do these things from imagination only. Draw your friends and family sitting on the couch. Draw a skeleton like those you posted, but copy their position on the couch. And draw the couch.

I continualy find myself trying to draw something from imagination and realizing just how much I don't know about it. Get things in your hands and turn them around, learn their shape, their size. Draw things from hard angles. No comic book is entirely drawn from the front and the side. Learn to draw things from underneath, learn to draw them from behind. Push yourself to learn.

This sounds like a lot, but just do it a little at a time.

Pick out one thing I've said and do it for a month. Come back to this post down the road and see what new thing you're ready to try.

Keep it up, young sir. Glad to see you working through the under-drawings/skeletons. And thanks for the kind words over on my blog.
~R

Randy said...

Hey, I read my post and thought a little of it came off a bit heavy and harsh.

Don't take that as a slam on your stuff, it's not meant that way at all.

Just a lot of ideas for you to start working through so you can keep getting better. You've got time, stick with it.

David said...

hmmmmm, so am I drawing better than you were before that studio event?

And now that you provided that link, I believe I've seen a more modern day version of that book. I've also been told a couple of times, that if I really want to improve, I might have to read that book.

Another question though, I've been thinking lately about getting one of those graphic tablets... Would you suggest me getting one of them?

Randy said...

Um, I'm not sure about the graphic tablet. I have one, but honestly it's hard to draw from life with those, because you're tied to the computer.

But anything that makes you draw more is helpful, I suppose.

First, let me qualify what I said earlier. The studio people said I didn't draw nearly well enoguh to work there. But they said it less with words and more by showing me how off a lot of my drawings were. And showing me just how good theirs were.

So, I'd have to say no, you're not better than I was when that happened, but I was 21ish. I'd had more experience, and should really have done a better job with the stuff I showed them.

Keep working now and you'll get to where I am in no time.

The guy at the studio who told me I didn't draw well enough has now told me on several occasions that he's worried about me taking jobs away from him. Two years changes things, pal.

Keep it up!

David said...

Thanks for the advice Randy. I'll be working on all your tips, and I'll be sure to post them as soon as possible.