2000 AD Online Forum

Let's get the ball rolling with a brief review for what I think are pretty essential books for anyone thinking of trying their hand at comic art.

• How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema
  This is a great place to get acquainted with the basic nuts and bolts of it all. You might be thinking, ahh, that's just a kids book... well, in tone perhaps you're right. I think it's an invaluable resource and I'm not too proud to admit that I've used it very recently - if you haven't already seen, D'Israeli (http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com/2009/02/lowlife-creation-part-two-old-dogs-new.html) chats about how he found something instructive in it not too long ago either!
• Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner
  I'm pretty sure that anyone who hasn't read this is missing a trick (writers included). This book is an indispensable manual of how to build your comic strip correctly. It deals with everything from pacing and gesture to layout, frame function and established conventions. A further volume - Graphic Storytelling is also well worth a look.
• How To Draw and Sell... Comic Strips by Alan McKenzie
  Not quite as good as the previous two but still pretty informative in a idiot's guide kind of way and in many ways a bit more practical in the advice it gives.
  

Admittedly none of the volumes I'm recommending deal with the digital revolution - but here's a bit of Luddite mentality for you: No amount of fancy machinery is going to help if you don't have the basic skills associated with telling a story. Forget drawing for a moment, if you can't make a basic story flow smoothly and your reader ends up frustrated with confusing flashy page layouts - YOU HAVE FAILED!

There are a few other books, I've read and found useful, key amongst these and all worth at least borrowing from the library (if they have them) are:
Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics all by Scott McCloud
Artists on Comic Art by Mark Salisbury
and The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics by Klaus Janson.

Please feel free to disagree and add to the list in the healthy spirit of discussion. Also please give tips to things you've found helpful or inspiring. Or ask a question like:

Why does Adam Hughes pay homage to Alponse Mucha so often?
Is an exhibition on at the moment worth a look?
Should I try to make my stuff look more like <insert creator's name here>?
Are all those figure reference books I keep seeing worth buying?

Equally, if you've had a chat with an artist/creator at a convention and picked their brains... Let us know about it!

Good suggestions there, KevLev. I can vouch for your suggestions of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way and Comics and Sequential Art although I haven't seen them for years as my brother used to have them. There is one great tip in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way which stuck with me for years, which is to ink more heavily on the underside of a character to add weight. It really works.

Back in 2000 when I went self-employed I bought Artists on Comics Art thinking I'd have much more time to practise comic art. As if. The book is Mark Salisbury and consists of interviews with Bolland, Dillon, Gibbons, Jim Lee, Dave McKean, Miller, John Romita JR amongst others. I can't remember how many artists were using only computers back then, but nevertheless the book contains tons of interesting tips.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Artists-Comics-Art-Mark-Salisbury/dp/1840231866/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249588370&sr=1-1

I just dug the book out. Now was thinking of a good holiday read. That just might do the trick.

I was given the How to Draw and Sell book a few years ago but it seems rather dated, even though it is much newer than the Marvel and Eisner books of course, if that makes any sense.

I'd add Janson's DC Guide to Inking to that list. The Amazon reviews are full of people complaining that it doesn't tell you which number Windsor & Newton brush is best for rendering hair, but what you actually get is a thoughtful discussion of the inking process by an industry heavyweight, usefully illustrated with examples of other major inkers' work.

Definitely recommended.

Cheers

Jim

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 06 August, 2009, 09:16:18 PM
I'd add Janson's DC Guide to Inking to that list. The Amazon reviews are full of people complaining that it doesn't tell you which number Windsor & Newton brush is best for rendering hair, but what you actually get is a thoughtful discussion of the inking process by an industry heavyweight, usefully illustrated with examples of other major inkers' work.

Definitely recommended.

Cheers

Jim

Thanks for that as i was after the title of that book as i want to buy it.

I wish there were some books about inking and sketching etc in relation to UK comics because they are 2 very different things in terms of style etc.


As for going to Exhibitions if you are learning then go to as many exhibitions as possible and look at and study as much original art as you possibly can because you can learn so much from just looking at it in detail .Things like how artists ink and sketch and create certain kinds of effects can become apparent when you do because a lot of these subtleties and details are lost on the printed page and reduced in size.

Matt Badham has a great interview with Rufus Dayglo (http://www.downthetubes.net/features/interviews/artists/rufus_dayglo270709.html) over on Down The Tubes, he touches on a lot of important points about drawing comics and it is well worth a read.

Just a thought. Wouldn't be best to be a well rounded artist who then applies themselves to the comic narrative art as opposed to trying to learn to draw as well as trying to learn the specific technicalities of comic art?

QuoteJust a thought. Wouldn't be best to be a well rounded artist who then applies themselves to the comic narrative art as opposed to trying to learn to draw as well as trying to learn the specific technicalities of comic art?

I'm going to go with... no. If you want to be a comic artist, figure out storytelling/how art can drive the narrative of the story THEN figure out how to draw. If you want to be an artist that dabbles in comics, sure, go the other way, but they're two different skillsets. And in comics, being able to tell the story is far more important than being able to draw really well.

-pj
(obv being a brilliant story teller and a brilliant artist AREN'T mutually exclusive)

Quote from: pauljholden on 09 August, 2009, 05:50:45 PM

QuoteJust a thought. Wouldn't be best to be a well rounded artist who then applies themselves to the comic narrative art as opposed to trying to learn to draw as well as trying to learn the specific technicalities of comic art?

I'm going to go with... no. If you want to be a comic artist, figure out storytelling/how art can drive the narrative of the story THEN figure out how to draw. If you want to be an artist that dabbles in comics, sure, go the other way, but they're two different skillsets. And in comics, being able to tell the story is far more important than being able to draw really well.

-pj


As I said it was just a thought. I do actually agree with you about the storytelling/narrative aspect and then learning to perfect one's drawing skills, if one wants to be a "comics artist". But then, that does sound like one actually wants to be a writer, not an artist. As someone who drew as a child, I did to an extent learn to draw by looking at comics. But that didn't mean I wanted to draw my own comics or even become a comics artist. It did however give me a desire to draw, which eventually led to art college and then led on to drawing my own comics. I don't admit to being a great comics artist, but I do hope my other artistic intrests help to bring something interesting/different to it. If comics were only done by people who came from comics, then I think the genre would be much the poorer.

Kindest regards
A dabbler.

Although an "artist" of extremely limited ability, I had a Damascene revelation a few months back that I'm trying to bring to bear on all my drawing -- what little of it I can find time for.

Like all such things, it's utterly bleeding obvious once you know, but revelatory if you don't already:


... And that was the source of a substantial amount of frustration with my own artistic efforts. All care and attention to anatomy and perspective, loving detail and attention lavished on the inks, none of it can camouflage a poor, or uninspired, composition.

Keep working on, and re-working, the very roughest of thumbnails until you have a composition that is dynamic, or explosive, or menacing, or whatever you're trying to convey, but do not try to move onto more detailed pencils or inks until you are absolutely happy with the composition, because nothing you can do in the later processes will rescue that initial deficiency.

Cheers

Jim

Quote from: KOF on 09 August, 2009, 05:45:24 PM
Just a thought. Wouldn't be best to be a well rounded artist who then applies themselves to the comic narrative art as opposed to trying to learn to draw as well as trying to learn the specific technicalities of comic art?

yes! you have to look at LIFE to be successful at drawing and story telling anyway, and limiting yourself to 'styles' and 'accepted norms' within comics is a bbaaadd idea. + any editor will spot it a mile off. absolutely understand the sequential medium, but absolutely DON'T draw all your inspiration from other comics.

Some useful advice for budding illustrators from Rob Davis:

Quote10 ways to stay busy

Ordinary folk I meet when I venture out of my shed ask me how I manage to earn enough money drawing pictures to support my three children. I'm the only wage earner so I need to stay busy. Here are my 10 ways to stay busy as an illustrator:

http://dinlos.blogspot.com/2009/09/10-ways-to-stay-busy.html

I literally finished a strip composed of talking heads minutes before I saw this: http://joeljohnson.com/images2/wallywood22panel1600.jpg (http://joeljohnson.com/images2/wallywood22panel1600.jpg)

Some solid ideas and advice there, worth printing out and leaving by the sketchpad/drawing board.

A video of PJ Holden drawing:

http://eclecticmicks.blogspot.com/2009/09/ohhh-thats-terrible-rash.html

Thinking of heading to BICs with a portfolio of samples?
Here are some tips I found in passing, it's worth a look around down the tubes at any time - and there's some really good stuff in the side column on this page too.
http://www.downthetubes.net/writing_comics/portfolio_advice.html (http://www.downthetubes.net/writing_comics/portfolio_advice.html)
All pretty simple stuff, but nice, concise and most importantly - helpful.

Quote from: KevLev on 17 September, 2009, 11:06:47 AM
Thinking of heading to BICs with a portfolio of samples?
Here are some tips I found in passing, it's worth a look around down the tubes at any time - and there's some really good stuff in the side column on this page too.
http://www.downthetubes.net/writing_comics/portfolio_advice.html (http://www.downthetubes.net/writing_comics/portfolio_advice.html)
All pretty simple stuff, but nice, concise and most importantly - helpful.

That's a really good link, Kev (and the follow-on links from that one aren't too shabby either) Have printed it out! Good luck at BICS.

Good stuff - John has probably had to wade through an awful lot of portfolio's so it is handy getting an editor's view of this.

This is a good one:

QuoteI cannot emphasise enough how great it is for an artist or a writer to give an editor a fanzine they've had a part in. For one thing, all editors like freebies. For another, it shows that you, as a creator, have the commitment and belief in what you're doing to get right down to it and draw a strip people want to see.

While I assume Tharg has a droid tasked to nose through some of the British small press comics (they may even keep copies in the sump draining room) but it can't hurt to have a few copies of a Zarjaz or FutureQuake featuring your work in your bag to hand out - editors often have more time in their hotel rooms or journeying home and might peruse the comics at their leisure. Why not go one better and make a few bookmarks (print a design off onto stiffer paper and cut them up) to slide in on your page and include your website and email details?

The Bryan Talbot link is broken, here is the working one:
www.bryan-talbot.com/articles/bryan_advice.html

Also CB Cebulski (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._B._Cebulski) is Marvel's artist hunter (he holds ChesterQuests at Comic Cons) and it is interesting to read what he has to say, especially when they closed their submissions (note their open submissions never found a new artist):

QuoteHalf the time people don't know or don't care who they're submitting to. We've gotten illustrated haiku, Star Wars poems, manga, furry stories, fumetti, picture books, illustrated hardcore porn... you name it. We also get lots of pitches and artwork for original and creator-owned ideas which we just can't look at, let alone publish. It's not what we do.

www.newsarama.com/comics/090403-cebeulski-marvel-submissions.html

He even did a "How Not to Break Into Comics" comic:
www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=27040

More on the new subs policy:
www.popcultureshock.com/cbclub/?p=454

Cebulski has also recently had to step in as the Editorial Talent Co-Ordinator at Marvel:
www.bleedingcool.com/2009/09/10/hey-marvel-wants-to-restructure-too-chris-allo-gone-cb-cebulski-back-new-candidate-sought/

So he is very much the guy to keep an eye out for, especially if you are an artist (he is also on MySpace if you are over there).

Illustrated haiku?! As a submission to Marvel?? There's a certain twisted genius to that, or somebody had way too much time on their hands...

Quote from: Emperor on 17 September, 2009, 01:18:33 PM

He even did a "How Not to Break Into Comics" comic:
www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=27040

That is brilliant!!

Odd that Cebulski neglects "get in through editorial and learn to write later" as a tip for writers.

It's worth noting that he does tend towards the more manga-influenced and abstractly-stylised artwork when doing portfilio reviews, too, and relies heavily on pre-existing talent pools or local networks of artists to find new talent - even art schools.  Marvel submissions policy seems to mirror this process, too - chances are if you don't have published work already or graduated from something akin to the Joe Kubert school, you'll have difficulty getting anywhere with the Mouse of Ideas (do you see?).
I also gather webcomics are frowned upon for some reason or other, but buggered if I can tell you why.

The Guardian has a free guide to drawing booklet today. There is nothing specific to comics (although they should do one on this!!) but there might be some useful general tips. If anyone wants my copy let me know and I'll bung it in the post.

There is a massive interview with Bryan Talbot on the FP blog which I'm still digesting (well worth a read). One thing that struck me and made me think it was worth posting here was his talk about the sheer amount of work that went into his Sandman work, even on things that no one will have noticed (consciously anyway):

QuoteMy favourite Sandman story that I drew was August (contained in the Fables and Reflections volume – Joe). I used quite a few subliminal storytelling devices in that one, including eye level placement and the use of horizontals and verticals in the compositions. Most of the story takes place in a market place in Rome over a whole day. I placed the light source in such a way to simulate the sun low in the sky in the morning, climbing to its zenith at noon and setting in the evening, a left to right movement that happens gradually over about twenty pages. I doubt if any readers noticed this consciously but it would have had a subconscious effect on their perception of the story.

http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2009/the-road-from-wigan-pier-bryan-talbot-talks-with-padraig-o-mealoid-part-one/

Like D'Israeli I'd love to see him produce a book passing on all the little artistic tips and tricks he has developed over the years. Hell if anyone arty is looking for a book idea then one where you sit down with an artist and draw out all the information you can presenting a chapter on each would be a winner by me (I suppose it'd be a bit like Durwin Talon's Panel Disucssions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panel_Discussions) but with British artists).

Pete Ashton is a bit of an expert on British small press comics and an online communications advisor, so it is interesting to hear his thoughts where these two crossover, specifically on the topic of what Neil Cameron has been up to recently. It might be something to palpate the old thoughtpods of our blogging artists around here:

QuoteNeill's one of the cartoonists who's been doing some interesting stuff with his blog and Twitter lately. I don't think he thinks it's interesting – I think he thinks it's just stuff he finds fun to do – but I think other artists in all sorts of disciplines could learn something from him.

The first thing to remember is this has all grown out of his blog which he uses to share the by-products of his work. Like most artists he can't really publish the stuff he's paid to do – that's for the client – but he can post rejected versions of work after the fact and stuff he does for fun. (In the latter case it's interesting to note that a few months after posting what amounts to Doctor Who fan art he's recently done some paid work for Doctor Who...) Like most cartoonists I know he can't help drawing so his blog provides an outlet for that.

http://ash10.com/2009/10/neill-cameron-accidental-social-media-win/

Makes for interesting reading. Cheers for the link, Emperor.

Got this great book by Burne Hogarth that finds solutions for drawing the clothed figure. Its called dynamic wrinkles and drapery. It analyses crossing, bend compression, fragmentation and direct thrust wrinkles boomst other things. It has a great opening chapter understanding kinetic forces. Some amazing figure study and well explained.

This is a youtube step by step on how to create characters from scratch in Photoshop. You don't have to like the genre, (Warhammer in this case), to be able to pick up more than a few tricks and tips about colours and development as this piece goes along.

It's split into 8 seperate videos (other 7 in the right hand panel) - I seem to rememeber the artist saying somewhere it took him 10 hours start to finish.

Mind blowing if you skip to the end, but if you watch the whole eight episodes (I have!) it's invaluable if you dabble in Photoshop, or indeed any other bit of art software.

http://www.youtube.com/user/daarken#p/u/12/I8tn6oMcr3Q

Quote from: Emperor on 17 September, 2009, 01:18:33 PMCebulski has also recently had to step in as the Editorial Talent Co-Ordinator at Marvel:
www.bleedingcool.com/2009/09/10/hey-marvel-wants-to-restructure-too-chris-allo-gone-cb-cebulski-back-new-candidate-sought/

New Talent Co-ordinator, learn his face well, add it to your stalker card you slip in your portfolio to spot these guys as they are eating or taking a piss:

www.bleedingcool.com/2009/11/03/marvel-hire-harris-editorial-director-as-new-talent-co-ordinator/

Thanks to Dave Gibbons' twittering, I found this:

http://sevencamels.blogspot.com/2009/11/basic-staging-principles-part-1.html (http://sevencamels.blogspot.com/2009/11/basic-staging-principles-part-1.html)

When you get there, you'll see why it's both valid and relevent, plus it has Dave Gibbons' seal of approval... Now go!

Good link Kev.

Its a classic and has done the rounds numerous times but it is well worth posting here - Alex Toth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Toth)'s critique of the work of Steve Rude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Rude) on Jonny Quest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Quest_(comics)):

http://conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1017276

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0399507914/ref=s9_qpf_gw_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=right-4&pf_rd_r=0AXSF1AFF31H802FT8GR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469296593&pf_rd_i=468294

I thoroughly recommend this book. Well worth getting hold of.

This was recommended on the Comics Scholars mailing list (where I lurk plucking out the tasty chunks for later rumination):

Character Design for Graphic Novels*
http://www.twentysevenletters.com/design/index.htm

*Although there is no reason it can't work for comics too ;)

Pretty soon I'm gonna write up a blog entry about art books I've found helpful and why, cuz I find there are alot of very crappy art books out there. I grab them from my library and I can't believe how LAME some of them are!

Until I get to the bloggin, I will suggest to all artists that this book is fantastic, and has helped me alot. The book is : 'Gesture drawing for animation' by Walt Stanchfiled. Don't let the animation part fool ya, it works great for comics and any artist, really. The best part? Its free to download!  :)

Google it, or check out: www.floobynooby.com/pdfs/gesturedrawingforanimation.pdf

Cheers,
Gibson

Blimey, well done Gibson Quarter this is quite a find.

Quote from: IAMTHESYSTEM on 03 December, 2009, 08:54:02 PM
Blimey, well done Gibson Quarter this is quite a find.

I've only had time for a quick glance through the PDF, but that's some good stuff.

Cheers!

Jim

great pdf

It reminds me I had this bookmarked

Loads of downloads and useful stuff

http://www.fineart.sk/

Not sure where to put this but here seems as good a place as any.

John Freeman has had a book project greenlit to produce a sci-fi themed art book:

Quote"We want the book to feature the very best samples from both new and established illustrators,"

Editorially, ILEX ... would prefer to see more aliens and human SF visuals -- strong, inspiring characters from modern SF -- rather than spaceships and alien vistas, although there will be space for those too.

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2009/12/scifi-art-now-book-gets-green-light.html
http://downthetubes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/scifi-art-now-book-gets-green

Quote"ILEX tell me contributors to the other books in the series have secured work as a result of being in the collections," says John, "which I hope is incentive to artists to get involved."

Well following on from my previous post I see a number of familiar names seem to be on board, both established droids and up-and-coming talent:

QuoteMo Ali, Chris Ashkam, Martin Baines, Mark Beer, Bob Bello, Max Bertolini, Conor Boyle, Nickolas Brokenshire, Al Davison, Paul Drummond, Bob Eggleton, Gary Erskine, Nelson Evergreen, Fran Gonzales, Nicholas Gracey, Jim Hatama, Stephen Hickman, John Higgins, Frank Hong, Syd Jordan, Kevin Levell, Duncan Long, Don Maitz, John Maybury, Bill McConkey, Iain McLumpha, Tony McGee, Metaphrog, Jeff Michelmann, Ron Miller, Lee Moyer, Nemons, Mike Nicoll, Keith Page, Amy Pearson, Miguel Angel Perez, Tim Perkins, Gobson Quarter, Chris Reynolds, Rodrigo Diaz Ricci, Stev Sampson, Andrew Skilleter, SMS, Tony Suleri, Dylan Teague, Oliver Wetter, J.K. Woodward and Micha Zimmerman.

http://johnfreeman96.livejournal.com/12024.html

Gobson Quarter? Certainly sounds like a proper thug!!

And there is still time, especially if anyone has any Steampunk ideas:

http://twitter.com/johnfreeman_dtb/status/8071988241

It's not sci-fi but if you want traditional tutelage and books featuring impossibly glamorous women then Andrew Loomis' How To books are briliant. They've helped me with my art a great deal and they are just gorgeous to look at. Loomis worked as a magazine and ad illustrator in the 40s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Loomis

Although his family are protective of his work and reluctant to reissue the books (they'd make a mint if they did) or allow people to issue them via creative commons there are still bits and bobs that have leaked out onto the internet....

This looks an intriguingly "different" kind of offer and a chance to get your work seen by a whole different audience and generate some press (you could even argue it'd be good for comics as a whole, so you'd be a comics ambassador):

QuoteCALL FOR COMIC ARTISTS!

firstsite wants to hear from artists working with comic imagery and media, who are interested in undertaking a unique residency as part of our next project

WHAAM! Comics, art and popular culture : Artist Residency

    * Minimum of 10 days between 12 April - 1 May 2010, to include some evening and weekend work
    * Based at firstsite, 4-6 Short Wyre Street, Colchester, Essex
    * Artist Fee £3,000 + expenses (including materials, accommodation and per diems as required)

The opportunity

firstsite is hosting an artist residency as part of their forthcoming programme, WHAAM! Comics, art and popular culture.

The selected artist should be able to demonstrate a professional artistic practice working with comic imagery and media. During the residency the artist will be expected to develop and produce an artwork that can be printed or reproduced at the end.

This artwork could take the form of a comic book or graphic novel (approx. 8-12 pages), wall drawing, storyboard, animation, projection, installation but must be rooted in the language of comic art. The subject matter of the artwork should develop from Colchester and its urban landscape, using this as a backdrop to develop a new narrative.

The total artist fee available can be used by one artist to produce the artwork; any fees associated with a collaborative work must come from the allotted budget.

The residency will be hosted in firstsite's Project Space. This is a semi-public space and the appointed artist would be expected to engage with audiences and visitors, discussing their work and the project they are developing. During the residency (12 April - 1 May) it is expected that the artist will be working in firstsite's Project Space for at least 10 days, which should include at least two Saturdays. The artist will need to run a 'masterclass' for the public (to include all ages) on Saturday 24 April.

This residency is part of firstsite's Artist Space programme which was piloted at the Minories Art Gallery and will be an integral part of the programme planned for firstsite's new building. It seeks to be process-led and developmental, continuing to occupy the space between an open studio event and an exhibition.

firstsite is open to a range of career stages, practices and activities. All activity needs to be planned and proposed to firstsite in advance so that it can be prepared for.

www.firstsite.uk.net/comic_art_callout.html

That looks like a good opportunity...
I'm bumping this for the other arty bods in case they missed it!

Quote from: staticgirl on 23 January, 2010, 06:18:26 PM
It's not sci-fi but if you want traditional tutelage and books featuring impossibly glamorous women then Andrew Loomis' How To books are briliant. They've helped me with my art a great deal and they are just gorgeous to look at. Loomis worked as a magazine and ad illustrator in the 40s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Loomis

Although his family are protective of his work and reluctant to reissue the books (they'd make a mint if they did) or allow people to issue them via creative commons there are still bits and bobs that have leaked out onto the internet....

His drafting and painterly approach puts me in mind of some James Jean. Someone else I never get tired of looking at. The Moleskine sketchbooks are formidable.

Old blog - http://www.processrecess.com/blog/blog.html (http://www.processrecess.com/blog/blog.html)

Process Recess - http://www.processrecess.com/index.php (http://www.processrecess.com/index.php)

(http://blog.wdka.nl/minorschilderen/files/2009/09/jamesjean1.jpg)

Ol

Some may deem it a little... overblown perhaps but this... manifesto from Paul Pope (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Pope) (in connection with his THB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THB_(comics)) comic) has a lot of good points to take away and chew over.

Quote6. POP
I used to want to deny coimcs' link to Pop Art, particularly out of a misunderstanding of artists like Warhol and Lichtenstein, who continually used comics imagery in their work. Now I believe we must embrace and assimilate Pop as our direct graphic tradition if we are going to surpass it within our own medium. Pop stoles comics. We need to steal it back, along with the crown Pop gave itself.

...

8. DESIGN CONTAINERS
There is the artform of comics, there is graphic design, there is drawing, and there is the economy of packaging ideas as products. Inspired primarily by Yokoo, and fellow artist-designer Teruhisa Tajima, I've begun to think about presenting comics as part of larger print tableaus which I'm calling "Design Briefings" or "Design Containers." I think of these as the non-linear atmospheres in which ideas float. A comics story is a narrative told in the comics medium, but a "comic" is more than that. It is an idea vehicle, a reading machine, a design container, and an art artifact. I'm approaching THB as a kind of "down loading," the purpose of which is not necessarily to tell a direct story, but rather to persuade one to the ideas of the art itself, to suggest a mood, to uncover a state of mind, to evoke a sense of the time and place in which the stories were created. To create a world. A design container is a kind of time capsule, a graphic broadcast, a signature.

9. A PROVISION
The answer to the question, "What is comics?" can never fully be answered, or answered in some way which will inhibit future cartoonists. I reject that notion of Post-Modernism which asserts that all art possibilities have been discovered, leaving us merely the freedom to recombine pre-existing elements borrowed from different sources. I find that notion truncating and jealous, and simply wrong. There are as many new art solutions as there are artists to attempt new art problems. We don't fully know what is comics, only what it has been, and what it could be. This provision is true for all the arts. All art media must have a starting point here on earth, but an end point stretching some where into infinity.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=6495

The mention of Pop Art reminds me of Grant Morrison's Marvel Boy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh-Varr) series about which he said:

QuoteWe've only started to experiment but already MARVEL BOY looks like nothing else around. Some of the stuff J. G. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.G._Jones) is doing is like an update of the whole Steranko Pop Art approach to the comics page. Instead of Orson Welles, op art and spy movies, J.G.'s using digital editing effects, percussive rhythms, cutting the action closer and harder, illuminated by the frantic glow of the image-crazed hallucination of 21st century media culture and all that. Comics don't need to be like films. They don't need to look like storyboards. ... I wanted to go back and explore some of the possibilities of comics as music

Granted there is more than a touch of his showmanship in there but the series is certainly interesting and exciting and the ideas they tinker with could be pushed further and expanded upon, although it'd take a lot more effort and a special artist.

The bit about post-modernism is also key - everyone seems on the look out for "the new Alan Moore" or "the next Watchmen" but that kind of thing seems to horrify the beardy bard of Northampton (no stranger to post-modern tinkering himself of course but to a higher purpose not for the sake of it) and I think he'd rather everyone take the broader inspirations and try and do something original of their own.

And in the end you can't argue with things like this:
http://pulphope.blogspot.com/2009/10/muad-dib.html

Anyway chew that over.

Quote from: Emperor on 02 March, 2010, 04:52:58 PM
Some may deem it a little... overblown perhaps

I would deem it 'bollocks'

Christ on a bike, a "design container"?! It sounds like something you'd pay too much for just to put your f***ing lunch in...

Grumble, harrumph etc.

EDIT: No slight on you, Emps, obviously :)

Paul Pope is, and always has been, Full Of It.  Happily he's also full of arty genius, so I reckon he's allowed his bizarre self-aggrandising rants.  His Adam Strange stuff in Wednesday Comics was fab, his self-published graphic novels  like Sin Titulo were amazing, and his surreal oversized THB-related comics (such as Pig Dog Parade) were a joy.  The guy's the genuine article, for all that he spouts egotistical crap from every orifice.

I seem to remember PJ spouting about how much he dislikes Pope in a Sunnyside podcast.

Quote from: uncle fester on 02 March, 2010, 05:52:26 PMEDIT: No slight on you, Emps, obviously :)

None taken. My intention was to... provoke debate and it has already done that, although I am now waiting to hear what PJ might have to say on this with some excitement/trepidation. ;)

It does make me want to take a peek at THB because it better tickle my balls while I'm reading to be worth the hype (and I mean that metaphorically and literally). You'd better produce something that blows someone's socks off (not sure if that is metaphorically or literally) to live up to that.

I still stand by the contention that once you get over the more visceral reaction to it, that there are good points in there. Although it could be summed up a lot more simply: Let's go and make some good comics people. ;)

You want it to tickle your balls and blow your socks off? :)

I think the 'design container' idea seems a bit unformed which is why it is obfuscated in waffle. I can't argue with t'others though.

Quote from: staticgirl on 03 March, 2010, 01:13:25 PM
You want it to tickle your balls and blow your socks off? :)

Darn tootin' - if the neighbours aren't complaining it ain't good comics (or design containers).

Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way sounded interesting but might not quite lie up to the description:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/03/13/how-to-break-into-marvel-drop-the-s-bomb-it-seems/

Worth checking through a copy to see if it is what you thought it was.

RE: Paul Pope

There's a collection of short essays and anecdotal tales dispersed between the pages of artwork in Paul Pope's PulpHope.

I believe the content is accessible and for the most part quite honest and self-effacing. Amongst the subjects he talks about are his experiences within the Japanese industry and trying to strike the right balance between commercial big business and art house scenes *and* not always getting it right.

Perhaps a bit romantic in places but hardly egocentric or over-blown.

I can appreciate why some folk feel like he over intellectualises his role as an illustrator and writer, but coming to it as I do in this instance from an art school perspective there are times when the quality of content and prose style wouldn't seem out of place in an academic text - is that such a bad thing?

I just read it as the guy's trying to better understand and qualify his practice as an artist.


Ol


Oh, and good luck trying to track down a copy of PulpHope now - the state side book dealing bandits on Amazon UK are pitching Used at between 70-140 notes.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0977030431/sr=1-1/qid=1268568832/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1268568832&sr=1-1&seller= (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0977030431/sr=1-1/qid=1268568832/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1268568832&sr=1-1&seller=)

Something to ponder - art through instability:

www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527523.100-how-to-move-the-brain-with-a-japanese-line-drawing.html

Although I don't think they can teach Gibson Quarter anything as he is the First Lord of Fighting While Falling.

It's been mentioned here before, but I'm going to plug it again.

Rad's blog (http://radhowto.blogspot.com/) is just crammed with fantastic drawing advice. Bookmark it and thank me later.

Cheers!

Jim

QuoteAlthough I don't think they can teach Gibson Quarter anything as he is the First Lord of Fighting While Falling.

Sounds like I'd better do another fighting while falling piece of art!

Quote from: Gibson Quarter on 27 March, 2010, 01:25:05 AM

QuoteAlthough I don't think they can teach Gibson Quarter anything as he is the First Lord of Fighting While Falling.

Sounds like I'd better do another fighting while falling piece of art!

Damn straight - it has been a while. And if you can make it work for the current art competition then you've got two wins for the price of one. :)

Bloody hell. Stumbled across this by accident, and have only had time for a very cursory glance at the books in question, but respected and influential illustrator Andrew Loomis' books are currently all out of print...

... So some kind soul has made them all available to download as PDFs (http://alexhays.com/loomis/).

I think that's my reading matter taken care of for the next few weeks!

Cheers

Jim

Much obliged ;)

I already have Figure Drawing and Drawing the Head and Hands and I recommend them. They're beautiful.

Quote from: staticgirl on 21 April, 2010, 05:00:57 PM
I already have Figure Drawing and Drawing the Head and Hands and I recommend them. They're beautiful.

I had my head in those for about an hour yesterday -- fantastic stuff!

Cheers

Jim

Excellent stuff, Jim. I've had a quick browse through but can't wait for a proper read.

Great find, Jim. Even for non-artists, there's plenty of fascinating stuff in those books.

downloaded! wahoo! Great find Jim - cheers!

http://www.lforlloyd.com/news/2010_04.html#kickback_the_video_slideshow

Link to David Lloyds Kickback slideshow. One of the British greats and a patient Teacher for those who would listen.

Emerging from the recent C2E2 Con we return to the Wisdom of CB Cebulski on the "Breaking into Comics" panel:

QuoteDon't pitch editors directly, Cebulski said, because of the legalities. "Send us your work, we will read it, and we get in contact if we like it and will ask you to pitch," he said. "It has to be something non-Marvel related that shows you know how to write."

...

Quoting Skottie Young, Cebulski said, "As an artist, there's no such thing as over-exposure," and artists should post their work in every venue possible. But when submitting, a blog is best, "because it's one place, and as an editor I know it's organized chronologically—the top piece is going to be the newest." Cebulski offered his email address (cbcebulski@marvel.com) and said to never send links or attachments, just introduce yourself and remind him or the editor where you met them, asking if it would be ok to send a link at that point.

...

Cebulski also recommended Penciljack, Deviant Art, and the Millar and Bendis boards as venues to showcase and receive comments on one's work. "You will get a really good critique," he said of the latter two.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25830

So pretty solid advice there.

Although the first one also applies to writers it is one to remember for artists too - Marvel don't want to be sent a Marvel story or it is going to make life for them tricky, so be sure to have something else to hand.

With the second one get yourself a blog!! It is wise to have a DA (http://www.deviantart.com/) account too just be sure to make sure all your putting yourself about is linked in (perhaps using the blog as a hub and put all your links in the sidebar then you need only link back to the blog). Also on forums add a link to your blog in your sig as well as your forum profile.

It is also a good idea to post on other forums - if you want critiques you can get great ones here but you'll also get top quality exposure elsewhere.

I don't know much about Penciljack (http://www.penciljack.com/forum/) though but they have stickied instructions at the top of most forums so make sure you read them first - they have a lot of forums for different aspects of the process and a "blog" forum so an artist can have their own thread and keep posting to it. It does look to be busy and full of talent, always a good sign.

The Millar creative forum is here (http://forums.millarworld.tv/index.php?showforum=19), have a read, introduce yourself and then you could start a thread to show off your art.

I'm not sure what the score is over on the Bendis Boards (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/), there is no obvious place to ask for critiques of your work. They might be hidden until you register or my quick skim was too quick.

Some general tips and ideas:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/13/pond-life-4-by-martin-conaghan-art-for-arts-sake/

I think as a lifelong artist one of my greatest attributes is self-hatred. The will to adapt and change and progress is incredibly important - driven by a positive disgust of everything you come out with.

Potentially more important is the facet to not suck at drawing - which I've not yet mastered. One day though, one day...

I think if i hated my own work I wouldn't be able to produce anything.  I'm having difficulty with a page of my comic at the moment because I don't like it no matter what I do to it so it's taking forever.

Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 16 May, 2010, 03:16:54 AM
I think as a lifelong artist one of my greatest attributes is self-hatred.

Most creative types suffer from this, but more as a dissatisfaction with the end result.  As long as you can learn from mistakes you'll be fine, but the greatest skill you can master is the ability to let go and move on from work with which you're not 100 percent happy.

Aye I don't get bogged down and I try to learn from every dissatisfying reaction I get - but I seem to be on a plateau of disinterest.

Quote from: Professah Byah on 20 May, 2010, 05:18:25 PM

Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 16 May, 2010, 03:16:54 AM
I think as a lifelong artist one of my greatest attributes is self-hatred.

but the greatest skill you can master is the ability to let go and move on from work with which you're not 100 percent happy.

I dont find that difficult as i have done exactly that and once or twice i have torn it up and started all over again.If you are learning and developing your art you should be focussing on the next piece instead of dwelling on past work.

The learning curve can be painful but if you keep at it you should see yourself improving all the time so nothing you create is a waste of time as its part of the process.The better you get means you should have less self hatred as you go on.

Its incredible when you think about it just how many areas a Comic artist has to be competent in yet its still considered as low art in the art world.

Quote from: Emperor on 15 May, 2010, 10:28:00 PM
Some general tips and ideas:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/13/pond-life-4-by-martin-conaghan-art-for-arts-sake/

I took the opportunity to ask Ian Sharman some extra questions (because I'm cheeky like that) in particular on portfolio viewings (a topic we touched in recently), which is something on a lot of artists' minds at this moment:

www.bleedingcool.com/forums/showthread.php?17251-Pond-Life-4-by-Martin-Conaghan-Art-For-Art-s-Sake&p=83695#post83695

Quote from: Peter Wolf on 20 May, 2010, 06:49:38 PM
Its incredible when you think about it just how many areas a Comic artist has to be competent in yet its still considered as low art in the art world.

I completely agree! You have to be an awesome all rounder. In Japan you'd probably have assistants to do the backgrounds for you. Most fine-artists will find their 'voice' and rarely move on and do anything hugely different after that.

Somebody posted this link on John Wagner's Facebook page, and I thought it deserved wider exposure:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/20/brian-bolland-takes-on-erro-and-wins/ (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/20/brian-bolland-takes-on-erro-and-wins/)

It's all about some evil sod swiping comic artists' work uncredited for his own profit, and then getting owned by Brian Bolland.

Quote from: Richard on 22 May, 2010, 01:23:25 PM
Somebody posted this link on John Wagner's Facebook page, and I thought it deserved wider exposure:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/20/brian-bolland-takes-on-erro-and-wins/ (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/20/brian-bolland-takes-on-erro-and-wins/)

It's all about some evil sod swiping comic artists' work uncredited for his own profit, and then getting owned by Brian Bolland.

It is being discussed here:
http://www.2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,28386.0.html

Quote from: staticgirl on 21 May, 2010, 03:05:44 PM

Quote from: Peter Wolf on 20 May, 2010, 06:49:38 PM
Its incredible when you think about it just how many areas a Comic artist has to be competent in yet its still considered as low art in the art world.

I completely agree! You have to be an awesome all rounder. In Japan you'd probably have assistants to do the backgrounds for you. Most fine-artists will find their 'voice' and rarely move on and do anything hugely different after that.

I find that i am able to only focus on one aspect of it at once.Get the hang of it and then move onto the next as its too much at once.I am still working on brushwork and will be for some time yet.

A possible opportunity - a writer is looking for an artist to draw a mini-series to be published by Markosia:

http://forums.millarworld.tv/index.php?showtopic=93441

"I'm looking for a specific style, something along the lines of Alex Maleev, Jason Shawn Alexander, Tomm Coker, or Ashley Wood."

That's me out.

Umm ...


"I'm looking for a specific style, something along the lines of Alex Maleev ..."

Naffing all my backgrounds and half my figures off a Google image search and taking photos of my mates for the rest, then running the "Photocopy" filter over the page and pretending I drew it.

"...Ashley Wood."

Most emphatically doing none of the above. That's not terribly specific ...

Cheers!

Jim

I did think that.

Given the other two:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Shawn_Alexander
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomm_Coker

I suspect he is looking for either a more fully-painted style (Wood/Alexander) or a loose/naturalistic style (Maleev/Coker). However, it hardly helps narrow it down and for more of a back-end deal you might want to: a) describe it so people don't have to guess and b) put out a more general call, ask for links and take the one that best fits the vague notion in your head.

QuoteArtist Needed For Publisher Accepted Comic Book Series....

We are in need of one talented individual to take up some slack on our publisher accepted comic book series, "Enter The Hero." This six issue series will be published by Arcana Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcana_Studio) upon completion. We hope to have this wrapped up by December 2010 if not earlier. We need someone willing to do pencils, inks, and colors for three of the six issues. We can not pay you up front for this work, however we are willing to give you a percentage of royalties after publication as well as credits in the book. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone wanting to break into comics.

To learn more about our book, go to: www.entertheherocomic.com
To apply for the position send sample art to: info@entertheherocomic.com
You may also send questions to the above address.

http://www.comicspace.com/enterthehero/bulletins.php?action=read&id=46734

I don't think it is exaggerating to suggest a number of you chaps can produce art superior to the work in the samples.

Quote from: Emperor on 01 June, 2010, 05:00:26 AM
I don't think it is exaggerating to suggest a number of you chaps can produce art superior to the work in the samples.

ComicSans...

*sob*

Jim

Interesting tips on Twitter, principally around San Diego Comic Con reviews but generally applicable:

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23SDCCreviews

One that struck me:

QuoteEarly in your development editors will jut be encouraging, when you are almost there they'll be harsh.

http://twitter.com/TopCow/status/17102948142

QuoteMost artists have a transition from talented amateur to weak pro, so expect reviews to shift from encouraging to critical.

http://twitter.com/philhester/status/17101175543

Also:

QuoteAlso, take the #*!*$ pinups OUT of your portfolio! Comics is about STORYTELLING, & pinups & covers are rarely given to n00bs.

http://twitter.com/cully_hamner/status/17095163688

And:

QuoteI understand that young artists will wear their influences on their sleeves, but I'm much more impressed with distinctiveness.

http://twitter.com/cully_hamner/status/17101323801

There is also some advice for writers - it is more difficult for you and you should get something in print. However, remember these points (that I assume Jim agrees with):

QuoteBut be aware that your story will be judged by the art and even the lettering that accompanies it.

http://twitter.com/ronmarz/status/17102463605

QuoteIf the art & lettering is half-assed, so is your story. Work that looks amateur generally will be judged as amateur as a whole.

http://twitter.com/ronmarz/status/17102694850

Always helpful and impressive in equal measure, Dylan Teague has some step-by-steps on his blog (http://dylansdrawingboard.blogspot.com/).

Cheers!

Jim

Video of Frank Quitely showing how he works digitally, including a bit on the Meg 301 cover (which I'm sure Pete Wells will be going into more detail on at some point):

www.tcj.com/superhero/craft-of-comics-frank-quitely/

Came across this and wasn't quite sure where to post the link - hope it's okay here:

"Keep them in the dark" — what some very bad publishers are really thinking
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2010/08/09/keep-them-in-the-dark-what-some-very-bad-publishers-are-really-thinking/

Quote from: Emperor on 10 August, 2010, 12:01:55 AM
Video of Frank Quitely showing how he works digitally, including a bit on the Meg 301 cover (which I'm sure Pete Wells will be going into more detail on at some point):

www.tcj.com/superhero/craft-of-comics-frank-quitely/

7 part masterclass at Thought Bubble from Frank Quitely, he is quite frank (no pun intended) about his mistakes (like part 3)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ExAmZWAtc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bnfRpREZpk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwa1BYg8T68
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcrR0KsQPx4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3upr6K2A5BQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz0aVRO7wT4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Un4FzuR74

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 10 August, 2010, 01:41:06 PM
Came across this and wasn't quite sure where to post the link - hope it's okay here:

"Keep them in the dark" — what some very bad publishers are really thinking
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2010/08/09/keep-them-in-the-dark-what-some-very-bad-publishers-are-really-thinking/

angers up the blood >:(

Cheers for those Quitely link Emp...if it werent for you, I might have missed 'em!

Time-management tips for artists:

http://mcahogarth.blogspot.com/2010/08/time-management.html

Interesting:

QuoteArt illustration agency Pickled Ink has launched a new award in a bid to find an artist to draw a new graphic novel by Super Gran creator and writer Jenny McDade.

Working with Jenny, the creator/writer of the TV series Super Gran, who cut her teeth writing strips for the British girls comic Tammy, and comic book author and editor Pat Mills, the agency is searching for an outstanding character-led artist to illustrate Jenny's first graphic novel script, Party Girls. The winner will be awarded £1000.00 and a contract of representation at Pickled Ink

What they want:

QuoteIn brief, they're asking for: character design of two lead characters; and a 20 frame sample sequence and a front cover design. The winning artist must be an existing or recent graduate, able to draw modern fashion, facial expression, great storytelling, and be generally '2011'.

Which seems a rather specific criteria though and one which rules out an awful lot of good artists round these parts who would be great for this. Although this may be for a good reason:

QuoteBear in mind we often have to go outside the regular artpool to find the new look we are after in comics. I went outside the regulars to find Glenn Fabry to draw Slaine. The editor of Eagle went to his local art college to find Dan Dare artist Frank Hampson. With a new artist, they will often put so much more into their work because they have so much to prove.

More details:

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2010/09/art-agency-pickled-inks-hunt-for-new.html

Uncle Pat is right though:

Quote"There's a huge gap in the comic market," notes Pat Mills. "In my view, 50 per cent of the population are largely not catered for. Female comics were once massive - more popular than male comics. But because the industry is now so male fan-based, this whole market disappeared.

"Girls comics like Tammy were selling 250,000 copies a week, compared with 2000AD once selling 200,000 copies a week," he points out via Facebook. "People still read 2000AD, but there's no female equivalent now. Yes, there's Manga and female fantasy, but nothing - to my knowledge - that could be called mainstream female drama, aimed at an audience who would not describe themselves as fans.

Should be worth watching anyway.

That's a bugger - I never studied illustration.

*reads character description. Marco Pierre White's animal magnetism?????*

*reads rest*

Yuck. Not interested as a reader or artist but then I'm a nerd. I hope it's a massive hit all the same.

Worth having a look at this early Jack Kirby story for the excellent fight choreography on the last few pages:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/09/23/free-simon-and-kirby-story-from-1954/

Ex-droid Lee Garbett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Garbett) has written a book on drawing comic book action, including kicking someone's face off apparently (good to know if you are ever going to draw a Pat Mills' script ;) ):

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/05/lee-garbett-teaches-you-how-to-kick-someones-face-off/

I'll be looking out for this. Looks good.

Quote from: Emperor on 23 September, 2010, 02:34:42 PM
Worth having a look at this early Jack Kirby story for the excellent fight choreography on the last few pages:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/09/23/free-simon-and-kirby-story-from-1954/

Fantastic stuff.

A great offer for any of the younger board members interested in a comics/illustration career:

QuoteThe London Print Studio  is looking for five enthusiastic 21-25 year olds from a variety of backgrounds who are interesting in a career in comics, arts education, publishing or illustration.

More details:

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2010/10/london-print-studio-seeks-new-comic.html

Do you ever find yourself spending long hours with your hand on the plastic surface of your wacom, find your finished penciled page covered in smudges from long hours of work, or suffer from sweaty palms? well never fear I wanted to share a useful tip with you.

materials
cheap white cotton glove
pair of scissors

what you do
Cut off the the thumb index and middle finger of the glove. Slap that baby on your drawing hand and draw away. It takes a little time to get used to but if your drawing for ten hours a day this thing is invaluable.

:D

Shawn Aldridge has lost the artist who was working on his graphic novel, no money up front but the book has a publisher:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/vic-boone-needs-an-artistwill-1

One artist's account about how he found his own style:

QuoteIt wasn't enough to simply emulate the stuff I was a fan of. I had to channel my most basic instincts, and concentrate on what was unique about my drawings to develop my own art style.

http://mackids.squarespace.com/mackidssquarespacecom/2010/10/22/yob-dave-roman-finding-my-art-style.html

A pretty arsom opportunity:

QuoteTalenthouse has once again joined forces with the Stan Lee Foundation  and Prismacolor to offer talented fans, designers and illustrators the unique opportunity to meet the legendary Stan Lee and create a comic book character for the foundation.

To participate, graphic designers, illustrators and fans -- and this does seem to be a worldwide comptition -- are asked to submit their original character designs to http://tlnt.at/bN1qeU , by 9th January 2011.

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2010/11/artists-challenged-to-create-super-hero.html

Must have missed this first time around:

QuoteBehind the job title: comic-book artist

Late nights, self promotion and taking criticism. Marvel artist Gary Erskine paints a picture of his working life in the comic-book industry

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/behind-the-job-title-comic-book-artist

Artists wanted for sports comic:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/artists-sought-for-new-sports

Quote from: Emperor on 06 December, 2010, 01:00:27 AM
Artists wanted for sports comic:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/artists-sought-for-new-sports

Follow-up on that:

QuoteThis is a message primarily for the many comic creators on the downthetubes forum.

My longtime comics co-creator Nick Miller sent me this appeal from Clive Ward for artists from Comic Football. Please feel free to forward: you can contact Comic Football via Nick (teamsputnik AT tiscali.co.uk) and he will pass replies on.

I strongly urge you to check out the website - www.comicfootball.co.uk for details of what the company does, or at least how it pitches itself. (The website is about to be expanded into something much larger and with more scope).

Nick says he can vouch for the "expansion plans" mentioned. "Big things are happening right now and even more is afoot, and they're keeping me very busy at the moment. Actually, for probably the first time in my life, I'm too busy! They really need more cartoonists just to work on the titles they've got at the moment, I could do with a break!"

In his experience he also says  they really do pay promptly. "I usually get paid around a day after submitting the artwork," says Nick. "Bit of a weird business plan for a comics publisher I know, but Clive likes to play a straight bat. "

Anyway, here's the info:

QuoteComic Football - www.comicfootball.co.uk - creates comic strips and characters for a new generation of football fans and we are growing.

    We now have a client base of more than 10 professional football clubs, including 8 Premiership clubs. Producing full comics for 3 of them and supplying strips for club publications and match day programmes for the others.

    As a result of our planned expansion for 2011 we are looking for more contributors. We are in discussion with more clubs and will shortly be launching our own monthly publication. We also intend to pitch our services to various other sporting organizations.

    Our current rates are between £60 and £80 per page, or £20 for a 3 frame strip. As some of the strips are used for a variety of our clients we also have a royalty payment structure in place. We pay promptly!

    We already have a number of regular contributors, but need to recruit further cartoonists now. We obviously need to meet our current standards of artwork, but reliability and hitting deadlines is also a major factor.

    If you can live with the rates, and want to be a part of a dynamic, ambitious company....then get in touch, send us some artwork or a link to your website...and we'll take it from there.

E-mail Nick with samples and questions and he'll pass them on: teamsputnik AT tiscali.co.uk

Please fee free to re-circulate this message but if you post it on a public site, please replace the @ in Nick's address with 'AT' - that will keep the spam down! :)

Cheers,

John Freeman

Visit downthetubes British Comics Forum at: http://downthetubes.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Sounds like a sweet gig, if you can draw and know something about football, so I'm out...

Quote from: Emperor on 10 December, 2010, 02:01:00 PM

Quote from: Emperor on 06 December, 2010, 01:00:27 AM
Artists wanted for sports comic:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/artists-sought-for-new-sports

Follow-up on that:

QuoteThis is a message primarily for the many comic creators on the downthetubes forum.

My longtime comics co-creator Nick Miller sent me this appeal from Clive Ward for artists from Comic Football. Please feel free to forward: you can contact Comic Football via Nick (teamsputnik AT tiscali.co.uk) and he will pass replies on.

I strongly urge you to check out the website - www.comicfootball.co.uk for details of what the company does, or at least how it pitches itself. (The website is about to be expanded into something much larger and with more scope).

Nick says he can vouch for the "expansion plans" mentioned. "Big things are happening right now and even more is afoot, and they're keeping me very busy at the moment. Actually, for probably the first time in my life, I'm too busy! They really need more cartoonists just to work on the titles they've got at the moment, I could do with a break!"

In his experience he also says  they really do pay promptly. "I usually get paid around a day after submitting the artwork," says Nick. "Bit of a weird business plan for a comics publisher I know, but Clive likes to play a straight bat. "

Anyway, here's the info:

QuoteComic Football - www.comicfootball.co.uk - creates comic strips and characters for a new generation of football fans and we are growing.

    We now have a client base of more than 10 professional football clubs, including 8 Premiership clubs. Producing full comics for 3 of them and supplying strips for club publications and match day programmes for the others.

    As a result of our planned expansion for 2011 we are looking for more contributors. We are in discussion with more clubs and will shortly be launching our own monthly publication. We also intend to pitch our services to various other sporting organizations.

    Our current rates are between £60 and £80 per page, or £20 for a 3 frame strip. As some of the strips are used for a variety of our clients we also have a royalty payment structure in place. We pay promptly!

    We already have a number of regular contributors, but need to recruit further cartoonists now. We obviously need to meet our current standards of artwork, but reliability and hitting deadlines is also a major factor.

    If you can live with the rates, and want to be a part of a dynamic, ambitious company....then get in touch, send us some artwork or a link to your website...and we'll take it from there.

E-mail Nick with samples and questions and he'll pass them on: teamsputnik AT tiscali.co.uk

Please fee free to re-circulate this message but if you post it on a public site, please replace the @ in Nick's address with 'AT' - that will keep the spam down! :)

Cheers,

John Freeman

Visit downthetubes British Comics Forum at: http://downthetubes.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Sounds like a sweet gig, if you can draw and know something about football, so I'm out...

I'm informed that these are two separate gigs - the first one is for a new comic covering a range of sports and the other is for comic strips for football clubs. Plenty of fun for the sports mad artist there.

This could be a big deal for someone in the area:

QuoteGlasgow's Hope Street Studios looking for intern

Hope Street Studios in Glasgow are looking for any illustration students interested in a paid internship, who would mainly be doing comic book work but possible storyboarding and design.

Top artist Gary Erskine, who is heading up the hunt, tells downthetubes they're looking for someone from Glasgow and Edinburgh (or within nearby area) as some work involves being on hand at the studio.

Sequential art experience is preferred but not essential.

To apply, please send a link to your Deviant Art site or similar and provide a contact email address.

• Email Gary at garyerskineonlineATbtinternet.com He will follow up with interested parties as soon as possible.

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2010/12/glasgows-hope-street-studios-looking.html

You'd be basically working with some of the best comics creators there and have excellent networking opportunities:

www.hopestreetstudios.com

There is an excellent profile here, which might also help with getting some background to who everyone is and what goes on there:

www.tcj.com/international/studio-profile-hope-street-studios/

Greg Dwyer is looking for someone to help finish off his graphic novel, there is even some cash on offer:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/calling-all-artists-to-work-on

Having a full time job and only drawing in my spare time I get to draw whatever the hell I want but if the govt gets its way and I get kicked out on my arse (alongside thousands of others) and I get enough redundancy money I wouldn't mind building up an illustration career. Well actually I would be a girl's comic artist but it isn't 1971 any more, sadly. When I did my year at art college they would go on about getting gigs via the contacts in the Writer's and Artists Yearbook. 20 years later this strikes me as being completely out of date. In the age of the internet how do illustrators get jobs? Do they get them from a range of global clients?  Imaginefx is always featuring computer game art. I have no idea how any of that gets commissioned. It probably doesn't help that I'm not a gamer - I just look at the pretty pictures.

If you know of any tuts or articles on that aspect of the art world please post them here as they might help others who potentially end up in the same lifeboat after the sinking of HMS Publicsector...

It's a great question and one that I would love to hear folks views on. It's been donkeys years since I saught work in the artist field and, to be honest, unless I had a big redundency payout out, I probably never will again either! Man, it would be brilliant to have loads of spare time to draw....get back in the swing of it. I can only dream, heh.  :)

Quote from: staticgirl on 10 March, 2011, 03:13:29 PM
Having a full time job and only drawing in my spare time I get to draw whatever the hell I want but if the govt gets its way and I get kicked out on my arse (alongside thousands of others) and I get enough redundancy money I wouldn't mind building up an illustration career. Well actually I would be a girl's comic artist but it isn't 1971 any more, sadly.

Start your own one. There are plenty of female creators around, self-publishing an anthology couldn't be easier these days and there are a lot of people around here who can give you any technical help you need.

Have a word with Vicky.

There are tonnes of women working in British comics but mainly the small press but you could easily find more than enough to stuff an anthology. Perhaps drop Jen a line too (she was working on a GN for Insomnia when they shut):
http://jenspiration-now.blogspot.com

Have a word with the Sweatshop Studios (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweatdrop_Studios) folks - you might be able to get a cover out of someone like Emma Vieceli or Sonia Leong, which would be a nice boost. A cover by Kate Brown (http://danse-macabre.nu/) would also be smashing.

Hell Prof Pat probably wouldn't mind having his arm twisted into being your patron saint, and Jenni Scott (http://www.comixminx.net) is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about girls comics so could provide some help (a little feature on the history of British girls comics would be nice).

Also the Girly Comic is looking for submissions (http://factorfictionpress.co.uk/webcomic/2011/02/05/call-for-submissions/), although there are a lot of chaps on the books over there and it'd be nice to have a title for female comics creators aimed at a female audience (which suggests a title "Just for Girls" and a mascot - Justine) and not just a nostalgia fest for stories about ballet lessons and wicked boarding school headmistresses, but stories you want to read.

Building a digital art folio? Has anyone got any tips on the printing for colleges?

Thanks Emps for all those lovely tips.  They are the sort of things I should get into in my spare time if I wasn't so obsessed with my own comic.  I did do a short strip for a Girly Comic offshoot once. They wanted an artist for a short story on the history of the brassiere. So I volunteered. It was fun but when it comes to comics I would want to write my own too so the anthology route would be good.

However, if I ever manage to escape the clutches of the Civil Service I will need to pay the bills so I assume that as well as probably getting a part-time job I would need to be a versatile illustrator and I am also assume that our list of possible clients isn't limited by geography anymore?

I may be panicking over nothing. My agency has just announced its budget for next year and we aren't having to make cuts, just a freeze which is astounding. One of the quangos which is disappearing has offered us a few quid if our staff leave to make way for theirs but if the offer isn't good enough I shall sit tight and work on your suggestions more. Comics are better than everything else after all.

I think 'what women want to read' is a difficult question. At the moment most comics aimed at them tend towards the autobiographical which I find a bit dull. When you look at the books women read, the genres aimed at them specifically are chick-lit, romance and supernatural romance. There are increasing amounts of woman who like sci-fi if the attendence at conventions is anything to go by. You wouldn't want just one anthology to aim at all of that as the readers would be bored by most of the content.

Uncle Pat is talking up that sexandthecity style comic (the art looks fashiony fab) and his noir thing (which will be great as long as the women don't all look the same like they do in Langley's 2000AD work) but it is hard to say if women will notice they exist or want to read more because of the cultural baggage comics have. I think without someone influential like him, though, nothing would get off the ground at all.

I wonder if illustration agencies are how you do it and whether perhaps illustrators should set up a comparison website to help warn off the bad ones. :D

Quote from: staticgirl on 13 March, 2011, 05:44:05 PMI may be panicking over nothing. My agency has just announced its budget for next year and we aren't having to make cuts, just a freeze which is astounding. One of the quangos which is disappearing has offered us a few quid if our staff leave to make way for theirs but if the offer isn't good enough I shall sit tight and work on your suggestions more. Comics are better than everything else after all.

Well quite!! Of course, there is nothing to stop you testing the water now ;)

Quote from: staticgirl on 13 March, 2011, 05:44:05 PMI think 'what women want to read' is a difficult question. At the moment most comics aimed at them tend towards the autobiographical which I find a bit dull. When you look at the books women read, the genres aimed at them specifically are chick-lit, romance and supernatural romance. There are increasing amounts of woman who like sci-fi if the attendence at conventions is anything to go by. You wouldn't want just one anthology to aim at all of that as the readers would be bored by most of the content.

Oh yes, by "what women want to read" I suppose I was getting out "what women want to write" not trying to second guess it or target an audience but go out there and create the kinds of comics you want to read. And if that is people getting punched so hard in the head their brains explode then all power to your arm.

You are right that too broad an approach might end up with an unfocused anthology - ask around, see what people are interested in doing. It might be all there is a hunger for something that isn't autobiography or supernatural romance (although to be honest if you did a supernatural romance comic you could guarantee it'd sell well, so don't flinch away from seeing what the market wants - its how 2000AD and Warrior came about), perhaps going for something broad like "adventure" would mark you out as different while still giving the creators a lot of room to work in.

Quote from: staticgirl on 13 March, 2011, 05:44:05 PMUncle Pat is talking up that sexandthecity style comic (the art looks fashiony fab) and his noir thing (which will be great as long as the women don't all look the same like they do in Langley's 2000AD work) but it is hard to say if women will notice they exist or want to read more because of the cultural baggage comics have. I think without someone influential like him, though, nothing would get off the ground at all.

Prof Pat does have a very good eye for a story and what works in a market, so an informal chat would be a great idea. However, in the end, you've got to do what you want to do and follow your gut, as that'll mean you will ant to stick with it and you'll produce your best work.

However, if a lot of people say they want to do supernatural romance...

Bring back Misty! (properly)

well my current comic (http://staticgirl.deviantart.com/gallery/904613) is probably sci-fi/adventure with quite a lot of good looking men in it (and the occasional beautiful girl) so that's good. :)

I have put in the form which indicates I am interested in the voluntary scheme today. My workmates have been very supportive of my ideas (they know I'm a square peg) but also have said if I decide to stay I could still move to Lincoln (to be near my old mum), save a huge amount on rent and go part-time...

I typed in 'How to be an illustrator' into Google not expecting much but found some interesting websites. I should never underestimate Google.

These are particularly good I think:
Nate Williams' general round up: http://www.n8w.com/wp/552
Keri Smith doesn't rate art competitions: http://www.kerismith.com/popular-posts/how-to-start-as-an-illustrator/

Hope u like and find useful!

Hey no, cheers Staticgirl. I did google. But I went with "How to...", build up folios/ approach colleges.

Anyway bookmarked them and will be having a look through the How to be an Illustrator window, soon. 

Not sure if this should in the Kapow thread or not, but I'm sure folks can cope. This is quite a big deal:

QuoteOn Friday the 8th April (the day before the London Kapow comic convention, which will, coincidentally, feature the Stan Lee Awards) the Cartoon Museum will be hosting portfolio review sessions with Marvel Comics talent scout CB Cebulski (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._B._Cebulski), so anybody who thinks they've got what it takes should take along a selection of their work for an honest appraisal.

V for Vendetta artist David Lloyd and  Cartoon Classroom guru Steve Marchant will also be in attendance.

Sessions are 12.30-2pm, 3-5.30pm, and 6-7pm. People will be seen on a first come first served basis, and standard museum admission applies.

• To confirm attendance mail infoATcartoonmuseum.org or contact cartoonclassroomATyahoo.co.uk

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2011/03/marvel-comics-scout-to-hold-uk.html

That is pretty major isn't it. :o well done Ka-pow people.

Guide to tax and accountancy for self employed artistshere written in a language even I understand:
http://www.a-n.co.uk/knowledge_bank/shortcut/article/360983

Ian Sharman is looking for an artist for three issues of Alpha Gods (which has a film deal):

http://iandsharman.tumblr.com/post/4835377375/things-that-annoy-me

You can have a look at the previous style here:

www.orangutancomics.co.uk/alphagods/

There is a competition to design a cover for a Priest comic, which might interest folks here as the film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest_%282011_film%29) seems to have binned a lot of the manhua it is based on and mixed in a hefty dose of Judge Dredd (see previous threads on this).

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/04/28/win-design-a-priest-comic-book-cover-for-prizes/

Weird - I've just read the synopsis of the film then the comic and they only seem to have the title in common. ...

Kev F. Sutherland is looking for a superhero artist to help get his Captain Clevedon comic out there:

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2011/05/will-you-help-bring-back-captain.html

While it is a back end deal on a small press comic, he is a high profile creator, so you get good exposure and if he liked working with you...

Remember, putting your art on DeviantArt can get you work:

www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-05-31-deviantart-talking-tech_n.htm

And an earlier story:
http://news.deviantart.com/article/25036/

It helps it if it is quality and goes viral but you can help that along by making sure it gets in the relevant groups (and you make sure you spread it around other social media can't hurt).

Flight School offers to look at your work in an online portfolio review to give you feedback that could help when you are showing it to editors (although you can get that here if you want):

www.tentonstudios.com/forum/index.php?board=40.0

Hi, I don't  know if it matters, but I'm attacking an action semi-splash page surrounded by panels. It occurred to me the balance of the page may be be hinged on doing the central piece first then the orbiting panels will fall into place easier. But is it the other way round occasionally?

Do any other artists here particularly beginners find that if you havent drawn  or inked anything for a week or two because you didnt have the time or the inclination to do any find that when you start up again your art has improved and you find it easier than before ?

I dont find this happens when you draw or ink every day and its like having a break from it now and again makes you better than you were before.Not sure if this applies to all or artist or just beginners and the learning curve.

Actually I found after two bad drawing blocks (one of 5 years and one of a year) that I was drawing better than ever because I had stuffed my head full of knowledge whilst I couldn't draw and also was looking hard at everything and thinking during the break. You never stop drawing in your head even if you are not producing art with your actual hands.

I'm a firm believer in just

NEVER



STOPPING

and as such I remain at a constant level of terrible :O

Could Kickstarter Be Better Than Government Grants for Artists? (http://mashable.com/2011/06/18/kickstarter-versus-grants-for-artists/)

This is kinda A Big Deal:

QuoteNot only will deviantART sponsor the Artists Alley, with around two hundred comic book artists showing and selling their work, but two of them will get there on deviantART's coin.

One will go to a digital comic artist, the other a traditional comics artist, and will be guests of deviantART at the show, and they will be introduced to prominent artists during the weekend.

The winners will get air flight there and back, hotel rooms and passes to Comic Con for two days and $100 for expenses.

To qualify you can't be a professional artist, but you must be over eighteen and;

• Highly talented graphic artists looking to expand the reach of their work.
• Committed to the graphic comic arts. Show this by boasting your educational qualifications, experience in gallery shows, self-published works, or the quantity and quality of your work.

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/28/deviantart-announces-two-scholarships-to-san-diego-comic-con-2011/

Super Obvious Secrets That I Wish They'd Teach In Art School:

http://philintheblanks.com/blog/?p=546

Good one I've sent this directly to my daughter whilst reading it for myself.

Quote from: Emperor on 14 July, 2011, 03:00:01 AM
Super Obvious Secrets That I Wish They'd Teach In Art School:

http://philintheblanks.com/blog/?p=546

Interesting opportunity here to get your work published in Metro...

http://www.metro.co.uk/home/861295-behind-the-idea-space-to-create (http://www.metro.co.uk/home/861295-behind-the-idea-space-to-create)

The Intel Hub: Looking For Graphic Artists & Cartoonists:  http://theintelhub.com/2011/07/18/the-intel-hub-looking-for-graphic-artists-cartoonists/ (http://theintelhub.com/2011/07/18/the-intel-hub-looking-for-graphic-artists-cartoonists/)

5 internships for 21-25 year-olds:

Quotelondonprintstudio is offering five carefully chosen 21-25 year olds the chance to:

    Run comic workshops for 16-20 year olds
    Receive mentoring from top professional comic artists, anthology makers, screenwriters, print makers, comic publishers and art educators
    Develop your own artistic comic projects with supervision from mentors and feedback from your fellow interns
    Be introduced to the London comic scene, attend events, give presentations, network and meet publishers, editors and creators in the comic industry
    Take part in editing, planning and creating work for a comic anthology publication and a comic exhibition at londonprintstudio.

The course is run by professional comic creator Karrie Fransman, whose comics have appeared in The Times and The Guardian and who is currently working on her first graphic novel due to be published by Random House.

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2011/07/londonprintstudio-offers-five.html

QuoteBritish comics publisher Medikidz - a fast-expanding company set up to explain medicine to children through dynamic comics - are looking for enthusiastic pencillers, inkers, colourists, letterers and art studios to help create their books.

The London-based company is specifically looking for artists who will be able to match the artwork of their previous books (30 in progress).

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2011/07/british-publisher-medikidz-on-hunt-for.html

Simon Spurrier is now firmly in charge of the Whitechapel forums and is keeping the Remake/Remodel challenge going, so you have one week to redesign the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. I thought it worth posting as a) we should help a droid out and b) the best efforts get posted on Bleeding Cool so it will be seen by quite a few people:

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10127

They're going to have t change the url now freakangels has finished.. (sob!)_

Tony Lee is looking for an artist to draw the McGyver comic he is working on:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/12/01/would-you-like-to-draw-macgyver/