I got tired of not posting comic pages so here’s 3 pages of the first issue of Mage!

I’m also going to start reclaiming this art blog!

scarygoround:

1. Keep a sketchbook. Buy the most expensive one you can, but don’t draw in it. Ideally it should mock you from the shelf for a decade or more. Moleskine make the best sketchbooks for never drawing in. They’re almost comically overpriced.

2. Everything you draw must be perfect. If it’s not perfect, never show it to anybody.

3. Comics are a balance of writing and art. Getting the balance right is tricky, but if you’re not a good artist, get as many words on the page as possible. More words = less drawing. A no-brainer!

4. A really good comic will “read” even if you take the speech bubbles off. Does your comic do this? No? Then concentrate on splash pages. On a splash page, there is no need for coherence from one panel to the next, because there’s only one panel.

5. Anatomy is bloody tricky stuff. The human body is complicated! Avoid difficult anatomy issues by keeping your figures in stiff, unchanging poses. If you’re working digitally, ie, on a computer, you can copy and paste figures, then change the expressions on them - a bit like South Park. If you’re working traditionally, use the age-old skill of “tracing”.

6. Pen, brush, digital, or not at all - there are lots of different ways to finish (or “ink”) comic art. They’re all a waste of time. Just get the pencil drawing perfect (see point 2).

7. Even seasoned artists struggle drawing people of different races, ages, even genders! Most people’s early efforts are characterised by a “cookie cutter” approach. Avoid the issues of generic art by writing each character’s name across their t-shirt. If your comic is a hit, you’ll be able to merchandise these garments and make a pretty penny.

8. Know your audience. If your comic is a webcomic, pop-up a poll when they visit your site that won’t allow the reader to view the comic until you’ve “harvested the data”. If you’re printing books, include a mail-in survey in the back, and sell the book in a stamped, self-addressed envelope. This has the benefit of making the book look “artisanal” and will allow you to double or even triple the price/sell to people who neither like nor understand comics but are visiting a “zine fair” because it’s something to do.

9. People love cats. Toxoplasmosis makes some people love cats so much that they lose the power of reason and basically think cats are people! Put a cat in your comic. Or make it entirely about cats. Congratulations: you have just bought a ticket for a gravy train with biscuit wheels.

10. Pop culture mashups!

I hope this helps.

BONUS TIP:
“The thicker the black line around a drawing, the better it looks”
- Walt Disney

Way back in Middle School and High School, I really got into creating my own super hero comics. Enter, Heroes Inc, an Avengers type group of heroes based in Baton Rouge. As a young artist, I was heavily influenced by the Marvel Comics, cartoons and other artists i liked at the time. As such, I tended to…. rip off existing characters, put my own spin on them and add them to my growing fiction.

It got to the point where I was so excited about the stories in my head, I never could finish an issue. I literally tried to make full comic books! I would often copy exact poses and panels from other comics. This practice really helped me draw certain things and I studied artists like Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larrcoca and others. Those guys taught me how to draw fingers, and faces and other comic booky stuff! SO with that, let’s take a look at some of my old characters and how they lead me to be the cartoonist I am today.

Here is the very first “issue” of Heroes Inc…. From 1998!

Next is the time I ripped off of Spider-man’s Hornet Suit.

Then I ripped off of Iron Man.

I REALLY ripped off of Marrow here.

Here are a few more original characters…

This was a drawing of Sue Storm that Salvador Larrcoca drew in Fantastic Four.

Here’s the worst offender of ripping off…. X-Man, Nate Grey. Also LOL at “MAC!”

Nitro was a combination of Luke Cage and Cyclops. Look at that arm! lol

And finally, in 2000 I did another cover with more updated characters.

So, looking at other artists work and studying how they draw things is a helpful practice. The important thing is to take what you learn from practicing and apply it to new, original ideas that aren’t copies of the things you like. 

And remember, no matter how cool you think your super heroes are, if their logo go is “HI” then no one will take them seriously!