Different Strokes

The great thing about comics is that the drawing and writing styles can be so different. If there one thing I can’t stomach, it’s a comic book artist who draws in a certain style and then says that all comics should be drew that way (sadly it happens.) My work leans more to realism but doesn’t mean I think I’m above enjoying a comic drawn in a more cartoony style. What I think these guys miss is that without verity, comic probably would of died out ages ago. I’ve read certain comic book artist saying that all comics should be drawn cartoon like and simple. I’ve read\heard realistic style comic book artist dismiss simpler style’s as novelty and childish. It’s like west side story or something. I’m glad it only a small number (I hope) of comic artist who dismiss other work\style but it still depresses me when I hear it.

Although I would say it always wise to have a look at anatomy, even if you are drawing in a cartoon style (in fact believe it or not sometimes it can be harder in that style as you have to get across more with less.) The figure tends to be one of the hardest things for an artist to work out. So like many artist who recommend life drawing classes I would agree or failing that at least some serious time put in to studying the figure. You can always tell who learnt anatomy from life and who learnt it from reading comics as this ‘inbreeding’ thing start to happen. They’re style an exaggeration of an exaggeration and they start to look grotesque (unless that was actually the artist intended idea and lets face it 99% of the time it wasn’t.)

I just thought I’d say that before I put up this video I came across the other week. I don’t think you have to map out work to be a comic book artist. You could draw a comic with ink, a bent fork and a feather duster with your eyes shut and I’d still give it a read (I'm no snob). But for those that do or had wanted to give it a try, I think this video is a pretty a good example of setting out the figure.



In other news I’ve got sunburn for the third time in two weeks. You’d think I'd learn but nope. Not my style.