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    Colossal References for comic artists

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    Colossal References for comic artists

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    425 views322 pages

    2017-05-11

    Uploaded by

    Gergely
    Colossal References for comic artists

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    comic & fantasy artist's photo reference Ei) (Osetia) ete noiacalea ULL ESS table of contents Expressions 39 Angry 40 Confused 41 Happy 42 sad 44 Scared 46 Wounded 50 DEMONSTRATION: Make Your Art Tela Story by Mike Lily 56 Action 60 DeMoNstRATION: How to Choking 62 Use Photo Reference Caines by Sean Chen 6 Flying 65 Jumping. 70 Kicking 74 en io uifting 77 Norman A. Kelyman 10 Punching 82 Loukas Papas 11 Pushing 88 Rory Quinn 12 DEMONsTRATION: The Body in Jarrett Alexander 13 Motion by Matt Haley 89 Mark AS. Dolson 14 Anthony Catanzaro 15 DemonstRAnion: Character Design by Rafael Kayanan 16 Clothes 21 ~e Cape 22 > vu Dressing 28, Police 33 Street Clothes 34 DEMONSTRATION: Create Mood by Mitchell Breitweiser 36 2 Action, cont. Running 94 Sitting 98 Standing 102 ‘Walking 106 Weapons 108 Blasts 110 Bow 112 DEMONSTRATION: Watercolor Painting From Photo Reference by Mark Smylie 117 Guns 120, Knife 128 Nunchucks 130 Staff 130 Swords 132 DEMONSTRATION: Team of Heroes, Collage-Style by Jamal Igle 142 Haydee Urena 146 Vanessa Carroll 147 ‘Chane! Wiggins 148 Pamela Paige 149 Zoe Labella 150 Ridada Blas 154 Veronica Bond 152 Clothes 153 Boots 154 Cape 155 Street Clothes 159 Dressing 164 DeMonsrRaTION: Think 3-D by Terry Moore 166 Dressing, cont. 170 Gloves 172 Hair 173 £xpressions 176 Angry 177 Happy 179 sad 180 Skeptical 182 DEMONSTRATION: Draw a Beautiful Woman by Greg Land 183 Seared 186 Surprised 192 Wounded 194 DeMonstRAnion: Work from Studies by William Tucci 200 Action 204 Crouching 205 Climbing 207 Flying 208, Jumping 212 DEMONSTRATION: Tracing (es, Tracing) by Michael Oeming 216 Kicking 220 Liting 222 Lying Down 226 Make-up 227 Punching 230 DEMONSTRATION: Teen ‘Action Hero by Josh Howard 234 Running 236 Sitting 240 Standing 244 DEMONSTRATION: Drawing Energy From a Photo Refer- ence by Thom Zahler 247 Swinging 251 Twisting 252 Walking 253 Weapons 254 Blasts 255 Bow 257 Guns 258 DEMONSTRATION: Draw a Character on a Background by Paul Chadwick 262 Guns , cont. 264 Knife 266 Nunchucks 267 Sticks 268 Swords 270 DEMONSTRATION: Evolution of a Cover by JG Jones with cover designer Terr Woesner 274 Swords, cont. 278 & More Stuff 282 DemoNsTRATION: Creating . 284 Battle 287 Drinking 292 Loading a Gun 294 DEMONSTRATION: Use Photo Reference to Create a artoonish Figure by Fernando Ruiz 296 Phone 300 Romance 302 Slapping 306 smoking 307 Special Lighting 310 ¥ About the Artists 314 About the Author 318 Acknowledgments 318 Dedications To Janet You're stil my favorit. To Danielle & Nicole Stick together and help your sister Everything else will fall into place. To Dad & Mom ‘Thanks for years and years of support and encouragement. How to Use Photo Reference BY SEAN CHEN You'd think that looking at photo reference would bea simple and straightforward process. But it just isn’t, Photographs and comic book pages are two- dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects. ‘An experienced artist can trick the viewer into seeing 3-D people, places or things by leveraging art techniques such as foreshortening, shading and perspective. A good photograph can help you add weight, depth and realism to your illustrations, But first, you need to know how to look beyond the flat image of the photo to see form and motion. Find Your Photo Look fora photo that gives you the pose you need to tell your story There are ‘only so many ways that the body ean move and twist, but there are infinite ways to draw it. Asan artist, you can move your mental “camera” in any possible angle to create a new, fresh and exciting ilustration. Choose a photograph that dosely approximates the picture you want to draw. It may not match perfeclly, but as an artist you ean borrow ‘gestures and expressions from other photo- _graphs or something that you envision in your head, This photograph shows tll, physically powerful man throwing a punch. The low angle of the shot makes him seem even taller and more imposing. From an emotional standpoint, a reference photo with two light sources adds drama, depth and feeling to the figure. Understand Three-Dimensional Space ‘The model inthis photo exists inthe real word, in 3-D space. But the photograph shows only a 2-D representation ofthis person. Qur minds allow us to use visual cues to perceive depth and distance ina flatimage. ‘Try to move the mental camera | mentioned in step 1 toa vantage point directly above the figure, and draw what the model is doing in the 3-D space. Thi will alow you to see how the body is moving inthe real world. You can see that this model’ body is moving forward hile one ofthe legs remains firmly behind. Most of his body weight ison the leftleg. Allthe other body parts fan out from this point. When the figure is standing at rest, itis completely balanced. When the body begins to move, there sa new dynamic asthe figure stretches and ‘expands in the 3-D plane. The figure in this position is out of balance. One side is compressed nd bears most ofthe weight. The other sde is delivering energy by pushing weight into a punch. Natice how the punch leads the body with forward momentum. It looks almost like a spiral tatease, which gives you a sense of how this shape exist in the real world, These are important details that will make your final drawing breathe with depth, weight and motion, 1 The fists the part ofthe body that has travelled farthest from its orginal position. 2 The head and shoulders lea the torso. Because ofthe outstretched arm, the shoulders are angled from ther orignal positon. Notice how the angle cffers from that of the hips. ‘3 The hips remain straight and close to their starting postion. n the starting postion, the hips bear the body's weight, but hee the weight has shifted to the model’ left upper thigh and left knee. 4 The model’ right foot remains in its original position, It anchors the figure and gives him something to push and launch agains. I this model were standing on ice, he would not have the power and thrust shown inthis pose. Ultimately this sa body out of balance. This pose suggests a figure in motion and delivering energy, which is something that comic artists must be able to draw. Break Down the Body Into Sections Every part ofthe body has weight and volume, Start your draw- ing by sketching the figure with simple ines. When you draw the hips and shoulders, imagine the 3-D space. Notice how the body torques and spirals, just as we discussed in step 2. Look for other anatomy ‘dues, such asthe way the back leg and the hip pivot together. The hip ‘and the eg can bend and move, but the anatomy and mechanics wil stay elatvely consistent in all figures. That, there are only so many ‘ways the leg can move within the bone structure ofthe hip. Imagine each body part to be a cylinder stacked on top of another ‘liner, then draw the cylinders. ides and hips. When bends (near lef), other _ changes, and the shoulder and hip lines go from parallel to angled. Secondary weaker light source il 4 Shading &« light sources evel the contours and volume ofthe igure inthis photo, The bones add structure, but the musculature creates complex shadows You can figure out about 70 percent ofthe shad- cows from jst knowing the direction of the ight, But to get the core tonality right, you must analyze the peaks and valleys created by the ‘muscles. Remember, also, that bones are not perfectly straight, Use a ‘er to revel the natural curve of the bone, and use this knowledge to_cteate a more reali shadows look for the subtleties Men Norman A. Kellyman Age: 32 Height: 511" (1.8m) Weight: 178 tbs. (81kg) Loukas Papas age: 39 Height: 6'1" (1.9m) Weight: 185 lbs. (84kg) art demo ey matt HALEY Age: 18 Height: 5°10" (1.8m) Weight: 150 tbs. (68kg) 5 Z % % 2 > 3 ° € o 5, 5 Jarrett Alexander Age: 25 ‘Height: 5* 10" (1.8m) Weight: 170 lbs. (77g) art demo sy DaviD HAHN Mark A.S. Dolson Age: 44 Height: 6' 1" 1.9m) Weight: 190 tbs. (86g) Age: 37 Height: 5°11" 1.8m) Weight: 190 lbs. (86kg) Anthony Catanzaro ® ay * 4 ., : | 7 Z = a) ° & ® 3 3 Character Design 4h Select Photo CEA neal For this demo, I wanted to create some sortof an bran dishing an exo de chose ths photo of Marko ta from because | ke the vantage point and the foreshotering, I'm going to show you how | start a character design on paper and finish it on the computer. The photos in this book are a great basis for a drawing like this because they give you an appropriately exciting pose for your character. The model becomes the armature on which to build the details of your fictional creature. The finished piece in this demo could be a concept drawing, that is, a drawing to show a film producer ora comic book editor how a proposed character might look Sketch Figure in Pencil First rough out the figure on sketch paper Using a Parker Duofold mechanical pencil with an HB lead. The proportions ofthe figure are approxi- imate; at this stage m more focused on capturing the gesture. To help me capture the angles, Ladd straight lines onthe outside ofthe figure to connect ‘the points of tension, such as elbows, knees and the tips of the hands and feet. 16 Ky Refine the Pencil Sketch \With the mechanical pencil | begin to seibble in forms to suggest weaponry and alien machinery or abiosuit. | avoid using templates | prefer to keep my lines lvely. 3 now | have practically abandoned any form of likeness tothe original model. As Irefine the sketch, I rotate the hands bit to ‘add depth and to make itso we'll see more of the blade As| add detail, 'm careful to leave the negative spaces. That Keeps the silhouette ofthe character clear and understandable. 4 Create Midtones With Markers, Then Scan | place ashet of Borden & ily 106 Snooth Coton Comp marker pape over the perl ough fom ip 2. bein cawing rect on the marker paprsinga ight gray Pit rush pn, which s waterproof and contains an exellent ip fr the kindof hd tnework'm laying down. The maker paperissomewhat transparent and etaisthe marker ink very wel Toutine the shapes want to kee, then add some darks to spo the wre and suggest more depth. | make sure the blade wil havea. dark area behind ito help pop out. lb adding heavy shadowsin the net stage: eave those areas sone for nove Next scan the marker sheet with a piece of bank wt paper beindt so ta the canner pcs up ll he tones corecty After looking atthe mage some more, | was nothappy with an eyepiece that putin front ofthe eft ye, 50 | deleted tin Poteshop ‘You can start otel here that 'm nol folowing the shadows the orignal hotonstead fm imagining tha the ight snot as intensely drecona asin the photo. reduced eatin shadows to make the area wider and bight. 7 Add Shadows with Markers. Then Scan Now L want to add the deep shadow areas return tothe marker sheet that scanned 0 the preousstep and use a darker Pitt marker ‘nit to add more crevices and ceases. | 20 tines to the left eye to fitin the vord where | erased the urwanted eyepiece rom the dir talflein the previous step. 1scanthe make eet again, then use Photoshop to adust ME levels to my king, 1 keep thisscanaighter tone to allow leeway fr future experiments 19 tonal value, & Combine Scans reyes ue shtesanton seep oevlgern texan soa eer : rew layer to Multiply mode and char . its opacit a “py ener wre fv Who ea nes alo yee . on tf tein te sa neath it without affecting the d cc nes on a oti tht fepaalacanc aaa ithout | re a earn “e ‘second layer of gray marker over the ? ener the Multiply Layer cout all the work willbe in Photo Z Erase the Dark Areas From From here on shop. take the Eraser tool using custom shapes that I created, and start to erase onthe Ntultiply layer to “allow the lighter grays beneath itto come through, Add Texture and Tone use Photoshop's Noise filter and Levels adjustments to generate a texture, lcopy and paste the texture into a new layer, set the layer mode to Multiply, scale to cover the entre fig- ure, and adjust the opty. {like having lots of texture options. To save time, | cover sheets of paper with Cifferent kinds of pencil shading, scan the sheets and save the scans for future use, Fer more tion poses, vst Impact books com? ‘olessahalletion For more action poses, it Iimpact-books cm’ coosea-llection 20 Complete the Concept Drawing lereate a custom brush shape in Photoshop and ust withthe Eraser tol to erase much of the texture and reveal th final image. This ‘uicly gives the drawing agit texture. For this concept drawing | dd not want an immacu- late surace, Bt more ofan envionment and suit that ha some wear and tear To suggest setting forthe character, | pasted n another tone image (one |had created with black Pismacolor marker and then skewed itso thatit receded into the distance. With the Eraser tool and large brush shapes, | removed a good chunk of grays over the igure and then Added vertical streaks onthe floor dressing aD £ a vo 9 oT street clothes For moe action poses sit Impactbooks com’ colossalcllection 3s 36 Create Mood BY MITCHELL BREITWEISER I consider myself more skilled at inking than There are two ways to approach reference material. penciling. Unlike most comic book artists, | never You can produce a rough sketch, then search out fully flesh out my pencils. | make most of my reference that fits what you have already drawn decisions during inking. | Believe this makes Use this approach when you have a clear vision of My artwork more expressive and spontaneous. where you want to take the artwork. Or, if you are experiencing a bit of artist's block, seek out reference first for inspiration. Look around for a photo that jumps out at you or captures the general mood you are hoping to achieve for the finished art. Gather Your Materials Here are the materials | used for this demo: canner vconpetyenaingpen ma 1 a perenne DOES APH Se pger forcing STS a 3, Mgrs ae Mae _ Se pnt fouerefcana ne an ink for textural oF 4 cu frspateing patent atmospheric effects — «6, white gel perfor working white inework ba ential for every artist stylistic tool nt es on +7, winsor& Newton Series 7,0. 4 Kosky = brush fe 7mmmecharial dating pect th HB end ‘9, Woodless H8 peneitfor broader stokes; a0 10 ing inked edges eo micas 41. French curves and o er Two-ply illustration boarc the Pose would end set toa very srking cover 2 Sketch the Scene Fist doa preliminary sketch on any paper you have handy Tokeep the sketch loose, try using a wood tess penal, which eeates a broader and somewhat cumsir oke, Use the photo reference during thisstage for ightng and genera structure of the igure. Avoid esting anything ou here, because you will ake adjustments in ater stages so here are some design tips to Copy paperis fine. Design is paramount in thisstep, keep in mind 1, Establish the ight source now every step. 2, Notice that the swords are not paral Keep them shty offer in oder tolead the viewer from the nearer sword Into the figure and back to the other sword. 4. Use the steam or smoke lines in the background to 26 tate" the figure. Making the steam flow in the drecton opposite that of the igure creates visual tension 44, Make sure to leave some breathing room. You don't want the att to feel cluttered or daustrophobic it afects the artwork in ronsato 5 on on Spree Penge ose ny eo i Iry keeping yours loose, as I've done here, ™ Leta a xg ‘alan are ne Seen atte ewe te arms on the ar : tear nbeatac fo ethehead abt nate cents Dorel age andor mposng Aoi eee the igure leans in gui it to make aggresive fomake the pose look more TIP Dra your st touts a iad comico Formore action pots, visit tin, ea on colorsacalection Dre reacer Mando 37 Ink It Ah, the big payoft. So far, we have ‘voided detailed linework as much as Possible. Now, with your inks, focus on dramatic lighting and textural and atmo- spheric effects. Many of today’s artists ‘ate using less linework and hatching Try inking witha brush rather than Pens for it expressive and spontaneous valves. A Brushstroke will give you ‘more life than a pen, Although a difficult tool to master, a quality brush will alow You to achieve a wide variance ine ‘weight as wellas a variety of textures Experiment with the dry-brush tech- nique: Partially blot the ink off the brush, then drag it across the paper to create a rough textural effect, Use an HB pencil around the edges of the nk to soften some ofthe hard edges, especially on figures, where you want a softer, fleshier fel Its good to look back atthe photo reference while inking. Keep ithandy ‘when working out the details ofthe face, as well as to double-check the muscular and vascular structure. Finish by working some expressive lines from your white gel pen back into the rocks and dothing. Also spatter some white acrylic onto the background for an extra touch of texture, Give it once-over, deem it finished, confused wounded Ed wounded Make Your Art Tella Story BY MIKE LILLY Select a Photo . ee eee Lately ve been watching my Twila Zone DV" a pose or a moment of action. | want to give the reader dee some ot eae case “ 1. Often it's an astronaut fr an idea of what happened to get the character to stranded, lone: sa onene eae ip, alone and fearin that moment, and what might happen next. seat sewer owhen ced me wanted in doaspaceman, PUBAYPE RIESE ‘had a dozen or so photos of Aston oc ae rom forthe deme. Right away, ke the PSN AE ting poses thought mm. ston yA iting a vetide? A boulder? decided tose 6608 6° too ccd Then razed thatthe hands Ns pe ingandliting potas could sta x8 Pe ete Jing swords or ray guns, or hrowing ( in otherways: wielding blasts of energy: 1, knew | Photo reference is @ key tool in illustration, About $9 percent of artists use some form of reference to get the shots they want. Use it, but also change it and mold it to suit your needs. 56 Choose your Idea nmy sketchbook, I did afew cocoons et wedsiagln athe possah aso ~ angen te ou speed annie pts sees wat ssaunge em sient ear edo wd raven cecal ca “manta Sometimes | skefch with a marker instead ofa pencil, as | did here when was planning where to put the shadows on the tentacles. Boren the Composition | settled on the photo of Anthony kneeling. imagined our space- } ‘man centered inthe composition, sightl tied, wth a monster in the foreground and a crashed ship inthe background. Hislone defense against the monster would be the energy blasts coming from his hanes At fist expected | would draw a single monster, but then | thought snakelike monster with multiple tentace-ike elements _/ ‘Would better convey the sc feel was going for. Another benefit | ofthe snake idea is that | was able to bend and point the tentacles toward our hero to direct the viewers attention to him, ‘This scenario lets the reader imagine a backstory. Why isnt the man using a weapon? Perhaps he had one but it was damaged in the crash, or maybe he used up its power fighting other creatures, Sonow, maybe he has used his skill and ingenuity to redirect pow- / \ er from his space sult to create a crude but effective defense, s7 Saturn is a science-fiction icon. It's cliché, yes, but one that always seems to work. & Create a Detail Sketch 7 | started another sketch to work out some ofthe details. Some artists work out every detall in sketches before starting the final piece. ‘When | sketch, iF see something | dont like, I make a mental note to _goin another direction when get tothe fina plece. Forme, sketches are how | get my “bad” drawings out of the way. Then my better ideas often emerge during the fina. Regarding the photo reference, kept the entire pose except for the facial expression | wanted an angry, pain-iled face to go with the ‘action. | ako could have kept the stoic fae to suggest extreme confi. dence inthe hero, Just by changing a facial expression, you can give @ piece an entirely different mood To top it of, ladded the planet Saturn dominating the tary sky. 58 For moe ation poses, st ‘colosab-coletion Final Scene To begin the final piece, I do an underdrawing on art board using alight be Col-Erase colored pencil in avery loose, organic styl. That pencil isnt truy onphoto blue, but as lng as you use it ight, it Won't show when photocopied. Once | get going with the Col-Erase pencil | ust to indicate some of the detais and shadows. Then I finish off the piece with my HB pencil The HB gives me a nice balance between line and softness, | want to change something, | usually use a kneaded eraser Iles me soften areas or dean up Spots without removing the blue underdrawing. If need to erase both the HB pencil and the blue Uunderdrawing from an area | use a Staedtier Mars plastic erase. 59 q f 1 Va ih Cut Meno For mre action poses, sit Impactbooks com/ coloseacllection mui = WINPLAZ —_ Lifting ive Butyou Er TUOUMrs, Eutysng The Body in Motion BY MATT HALEY One of the challenges of drawing comics is that you are often called upon to imply motion on flat paper. When you rely too heavily on photo reference, your art can appear motionless—like a photo. Learn how to interpret photo reference so you can create some- Pick Your Photos Look fora photo that has a dynamic pose. This picture has some forced perspective; the limbs look lke they are com- ing right through the photo, Remember, the photo does not have to be an exact shot of what you plan to draw. You're not going to be tracing; you're going to be drawing with the photo asa reference for structure and certain details. ‘The gun reference comes from a different photo. Alot of artists draw the easy pose to get the page done. Sometimes is difficult to draw what best serves the story, but that's what you have to do. Disvorn Broadly ‘Make a quick sketch using broad strokes. IFyou hold the Pencil asif you were writing, you'll get very litle movement at the tip of the pencil Thisis good for detall work, but at this early stage, you want to hold the pencil ike a stick. Slash a line from the head through the spine. This wil suggest the direc- tion in which the figure’s body is moving. Don't wony about the details; right now, you want something free and fluid. You ould do this step with a nonphoto be pencil since it won't Smear and it won't reproduce on the final ar 89 S Rough Out the Figure Using the ines you made in step 2, rough ot the form ofthe figure using cinders, cones and spheres. As you do ths, its very important to draw through see TECHNIQUE below), Even though you don't se the modes back leg inthis pictur, draw it anyway. you draw only one lg, your figure ray appear off balance, and twill dificult to fx later. Your rough should aso indude basic foreshortenng ofthe receding tines. Notce how the model ght forearm looks tubby and ‘comptessed, oreshortening suggests depth and dstance tothe reader who knows approximately how log the arm should be based onthe length ofthe other arm. The ats already starting to evolve away from the photo drawing throu: Drawing through means adding lin Draw the Figure, Then Dress It Refining the contours ofthe figure and adding ciothin sate oe at arty witty thing other than the snug.fiting clothing the model in the photo is wearing. That way you'te able to see the anatomy dent andr cael Non ta yo reife Put the clothes on. This two-step process wlhelp youto understand how the clothes should fold and drape. Ifyou start wth a shouette and then just throw clothes ‘on the figure, it will appear asf the clothes are part ofthe ‘anatomy, which jst isn't the case. We exist as humans, and then we add clothes. Learing how to properly draw the folds and draping of clothing requires a lot of practice, so don't worry if you don't nail it the first time, about the lighting “The photos inthis book have two ight sources. The primary light sour, whch son thee the strongerlght, and lt creates shadows to the nhtof the subject. A secondary, weaker ight source coming ‘rom the nit adds litle ight to the shadows so that You can sete detain them. & Light It Up Uni now, there has been very itl shadowing, Youve just been working to get the figure and the pose correct. Now its time to give your drawing some lfe and depth with shadows. “The dominant light inthis image is coming from the left. To propery utilize this ight, treatit sift were water shooting fom garden hose. f water were coming ftom th let it wouldn't hitthe right side ofthe model’ face. The same goes for ght. Shine a desk ight on an artist's mannequin to better understand how the light is hitting the figure in the photo. For more action poses, vet Impact-books com’ coloselcllection 1 @ Add Detail and Background ‘This at became the real cover fOr 92 The Finished Cover Now that the color and logo have been placed, notice how this image controls your eye. You want something eye-catching in the top left comer to draw the eye into Z pattem). This is where many Publishers place a logo. Notice hhow the eye travels from the logo to the woman's face, up her hair to the ttle, and down the rightside ofthe ctcle. The citce guides the eye to Jack's face, out is arm to the gun, down the woman's body, toherright foot, right into Jack's body, up the vertical lines of his sweater and back to his face right where we wantit. The fully Colored art with logos draws the reader into the image. For more action poses, vist Impact-books com’ Ai photo is a jumping-off point that you can use for inspiration and eee feference. But at a certain point you need to put it away so that you have room to change your image as you draw. 93 EuTuntyg Sikt109 EuTAaTS oy. G a" 2 7 € 2 &. 0 sranding seanding » a SF = blasts 4 (4 Watercolor Painting From Photo Reference BY MARK SMYLIE Alot of my artwork is in the genre of fantasy. | paint with watercolor because | like its subdued tones. In this demo, you'll see how | draw, paint, ink and then add a little texture with colored pencils. to take a look ata set of photos he had done featuring a male figure holding a bow. | chose this pose, which | thought had a very nice dramatic qualty because of the foreshortering and the model's backward lean, t Select a Photo For tis demo, Buddy asked me te 2 Build a Rough Sketch First! blocked out the pose roughly, trying to capture the overall gesture and proportions. When drawing from photos, don't use alight box; just set the photo next to my drawing paper so can refer tot | made a few adjustments as | drew. I dropped in the arrow, and | adjusted the finger postions on the archer's righthand alittle bit and toyed with the idea of giving the figue pointy ears (going elf with it, ast were) 7 4 ‘Add Color “To prepare for painting, | aped the paper ‘down soitwouldn't buckle. | applied masking fluid to some of the light aeas on the characters metal gear to keep them paper-white fora reflective look nthe final painting, Then | added watercolor. | kept the bow greenish blue asa nod tp the orginal photo, though normally !would probably go fora wood tone for a bow. ‘Some watercolor artist prefer to ink fist and then use a workable fixative before painting, but {prefer to paint fist and ink second. fyournk first, youneed to apply a workable fixative to prevent bleeding and fzative makes the paper Jess able to absorb the watercolor _us Finish the Pencils ne etal he xourements Giver the pnstiton eae pnt WoW look, butt work pximanlyin the fantasy -Benre, so lw chain passes ‘mail shirt, arm br ie = Psa toning ea oop eg nicl noenintheoighaghos S Ink and Finalize Linked the image with a Rapido- ‘raph technical pen to sharpen the linework. Then I retouched the watercolor bit. Fnaly, | added some colored penal here and there to shape the colors more exaclly or tolend abitof texture When | use photo reference, | do not simply copy the photo. The final artwork is inspired by the photo and hopefully draws from it for a sense of energl and accuracy. For more ation poses vet Impact-books com? ‘colssab-colection ng staff sword colossacllection sword 136 Team of Heroes, Collage-Style BY JAMAL IGLE I'ma big fan of collage-style art that features a team of characters—such as Drew Struzan’s movie posters for Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter and many others. I'm going to show you how to design a collage-style team portrait that could be used for a first-issue cover. 4... Di sicrcn Your Concept Create a rough sketch ofthe overall idea. The purpose ofthis sketch ito plan the placement of al the elements ofthe col lage. Atthe same time, you are by YOU are beginning z ‘ {0 design your characters’ costumes and Powers. The idea isto skirt familiar arche- ‘Pes without using existing characters. The é \ ‘eam I™m creating here, Stkeforce Sappho, includes a star-spangled warrior princess, a Samurai doi, afer hothea,ahigh-ty. i Ing characte a techno-g, and also a scaly ‘creature whose roles, Is mysterious i she friend or foe?) ce b Choose a Variety of Photos Pick atleast half a dozen poses to draw from. The members of a comic book team need to be memorable and distinct from each other, s0 each photo you choose should show different body language and a different ‘mood. Ty to find photos with similar lighting as wel, to help unify the images the collage. As you make your selections, think about what hero- ictype or personality each photo suggests to you 142 3 Do a More Detailed ‘Sketch sketch again on ordinary cope paper, Continue refering tothe Phe tos, but teak te poses abt you don't want to copy them exactly. ‘Your goa shoud be to capture the ighting andthe atte of the pose, Roughin the deta that indvguaie each character, Create symmetry and balance. ‘As yu place te lights and darks, play with the negative aces arsund the characters. The charactersn the mile ground and foe round have vet few shadowsin them. ve pu the da hooded figure fh the background so that ts dark tones can peek through the spaces between the other characters. This contrast helps the other characers jpop out of the image. \Wnen you fel thissketch is done, put down your pencl and st look things overs the ighting the way you want? there anything about the design that needs tweaking to make t ore balanced or more exc ing? Make any needed changes. {believe in symmetry in art. fis human beings we are drawn to _ symmetry it should be & riority for any artist. 143 Ayo In With Nonphoto Blue Enlarge the sketch from step 3 0n a photocopier from 8%" x 11" (22em x 28cm) to 11" x 17" 28cm +<43em), a 140 percent enlargement. Tape the pho- tocopy face down on the back ofa sheet of 11" x 417" (28cm x 43cm) blueline board or any two-PIY bristol board, Turn the board face up, lay ton alight table, and transfer the sketch onto the board with anonphoto bive peel. This kind of pen won't reproduce when scanned or photocopied, so tis an deal base for your final drawing, You can make minor tweaks to the drawing as you go. ‘When you're done transferring your sketch, use a gumeraser to remove al nonessential nes. Nom~ photo blue pends, being wax-based, don't take graphite penl very wel so you want the finshed blueline drawing to be very ight and unobtrusive Pencil Draw on ‘op Asyoure pea le dawing with naling, you with an H8 pe nl bit. Th mg i sage can be alone nou “ long pro redraw Pemlng youre somay POS case aka sometimes red SEHD determina ination abo awing nut hon Making the Tae the at final the lo information yon amg unt . Younes cons king e 144 as Age: 22 Height: 5° 7" (1.7m), Weight: 130 tbs. (59kg) Q 2 © 3 , ° g a 6 2 é Vanessa Carroll Age: 34 ‘Height: 5' 10" (1.8m) Weight: 146 tbs. (66kg) art demo ay samat ice Chanel Wiggins Age: 16 Height: 5' 3" (1.6m) Weight: 103 lbs. (47kg) 148 Pamela Paige Age: 26 ‘Height: 5* 10" (1.8m) Weight: 145 tbs. (66k9) 149 _150 Zoe Labella Age: 22 & 26 Height: 5° 9° (1.8m) Weight: 125 tbs. (57g) art demo sy TERRY MOORE Ridada Elias art demo sy THOM ZAHLER age: 34 Height: 5'2" (1.6m) Weight: 120 tbs (54kg) age: 34 Height: 4° 10" (1.5m), Weight: 100 tbs. (45kg) fh 5 152 i Clothes boots street clothes 160 street clothes 163 Think 3-D BY TERRY MOORE Like the flowing, uninterrupted body lines in this photo of Zoe (below). But when I draw, | like to remind myself that the body isn't just a collection of lines: it’s three-dimensional dynamic. If you draw only what the eye sees, your pictures will always look mechanical. For example, always remember that when you're drawing a person, you're basically drawing muscles and bones with skin stretched over them. Skin and ze t ae Capture Body Mechanics and Proportions Lightly sketch the pose with afew crude ines. Early in the prO- cess, marka centerline and use itto keep the body's weight balanced. For example, since Zoe's shoulders go left of center, you know that something ese has to go right (inthis case, the ips), otherwise she'd fll over. ‘Tohelp yourself judge the body's proportions, make roughly horizontal marks at the heels, knees, wrists and shoulders. 166 muscles bend and flex; they respond to gravity dif- ferently in people of different ages, weights and sizes. These are the things I'm thinking about when | study the body. Another suggestion: Imagine (and sketch) what the subject would look like from many different angles, not just the angle shown in the photo. It's important to remember that the muscles and bones. you can see are connected to ones you can't see. Find the Contours Start darkening the majo ines to capture the large shapes of the torso and limbs with more precision. Keep pay: ing attention to balance, but add gravity and mass to your considerations, Where can you see the effets of gravity? You can tell her right lg i bearing more weight than the left because it’ straight and the tendons above the knee joint are visible, Go ahead and create those tendons with two lines, ‘You can do this step quickly Even though you're working from the model, what you've drawn is almost generic: This could be almost any woman of similar height and sze. Get Specific Now, check your drawing against the photo on. more detaied level. Study evry viewable inch of the model, Does she have long sender inges cocarethey short and stubby? Sturdy ankles, oF skinny ones? Finish her hands ad fet. See how the culside ankle bones are lower than the irsde ones? ‘And how the Achls tendon goesal he way down to the hel? Add detal othe hair (and make itn serif you want to). Now yout ang the daw- ing beyond a generic representation and making t about this speci woman Theres so much information about this woman inthe photo, could wate an entre chapter on her body type, age and ifesye. We know that she isnot large-breasted, because herb straps are skinny and the skin on her back and around the band ofherbra stat and unstressed. Her softy contoured wastes us that she doesnt have ro- sounced *sb-pack abs, butthe indentations tthe vrastband of her spandex shorts ae shallow o her stomach must be prety ft. The prominent veins verthe muscles of herlower arms indicate that she work out. Her rounded cles though, are the result of genetics nice ca muscles ar something you have tobe bom with if this all beginning to sound very personal. it is-To draw the mode corecty, you have to know what you looking at. whatitoks lke, and how it got that way-even fits hidden. For more action poses, vet Impact-books com’ coloselcllection 167 w More Angles, Then Add Clothing and Anatomical Detail ment to sible te pose om a coupe of other anges maging what you's one ies ke 8 seating, beng abl to picture what ging on rund We scr peradl because everytingyouse connected 1 Me Sketch a Fe’ Take arm parts you can't see. Remove the genes lines more of the details that ares tion points ofthe musces on her should with a kneaded eraser, and draw in pedfcto this model. think bout fers, ars and the transit _168 ee See gypsies are ith the art. Probably not. What ar ma pares ote ‘there—what's keeping = a teh Atl qatose ey eye ee ‘ound, they jut out, they bump into thi a aa |squeeze and deform and bounce bad en in the next aes ect yan ng inciled, such as the details of ona sr hotest ern Ink Like a Penciller Using a brush or pen, ink the rain ines ofthe body, leaving the details for your second pass. Start inking at the head, then work your way down: left am, right arm, torso, legs, feet. As your brush moves around the body, think about the muscles and bones, making bumps and mounds for muscles stretched and contracted. You need both the skill of an inker and the mind of apenciler to make the lines smooth with varying weights tha imply mass andlight Add Final Details Ink the detals on the eloows, hands, back, knees and clothing. Fillin the solid black area. Ifthe drawing is going to be computer co Cored, say for a comic book, these lines willbe enough forthe colorist to play off of. The colorist can create nice, subtle toning that harsh inking cannot achieve. Erase the remaining pencil ines with the kneaded eraser, and your artis ready to scan. The few stray ink lines (ike around the shorts) can be touched up digitally after scanning (On the smaller, sketched figures, tried to illustrate the body lan uage with afew brushstrokes. | think this pose would be interesting from any angle 169 gloves Expressions skeptical Draw a Beautiful Woman BY GREG LAND Comic book artists are often asked to draw beautiful women. Yet capturing the subtleties of the way women stand and move can be challenging. A good refer- ence photo will help you to understand how to capture the nuances of the female form. b Find Your Photo Every photograph captures a litle piece ofthe ‘model's personality. In this case, the photo reveals aplay- fulyet sultry woman. Don't just look at the surface ofthe photograph; look beyond by imagining what your model is thinking. Read this woman's facial expression and her body language, and you will se someone whois relaxed and con- fident. Her slight smile and faraway gaze reveal a peace, private moment: Explore this book to find the photos that either capture a mood and expression that match your vsion| Cr simply inspire you to draw. Photocopy and Find the Outline Make a quick photocopy, enlarging the image to the size you want for your final at Using a marker, “find” ‘your characte’ outline, Remember, you do not have to fol low every detail of the photograph. Your job sto interpret graph and make itnto art In this cas, the final tpt . id find lines image willbe a beautiful ungle gi, so you shoul that make the model look as slender and athletic as possible. ‘Sketch afew lines to indicate how you think jungle clothing, wll drape on this figure. 183 184 Rough a Thumbnail Start with lose perallines that capture the gesture ofthe pose using 2 sotlead pend. Later, you can go back with a variety of harder lead pencis to tghten and finish the pice. f necessary, trace over the gesture ines that you created in step This il help you maintain the proper scale and propor tions Erase lines that do not crate the right form. Since this isa glamour sketch, go forthe aesthetic ofthe “idea!” female form. Draw longer thinner limbs. Rough out the hair, clothes and background jst enough so that you know where Your itustrations going “\ SS & Begin the Drawing With a Loose Sketch Find the right in ners feng te ores i, wh low youth detonate nds, the angle ofthe face andotherkey deta Draw the kindof features readers expect to see on this sort of cae ter, including fuk caer tela lp, peters, andes tthe ace around them to draw the reader gaeto the pup Tighten and Finalize Your Sketch ‘Add shading on the arms and oincoth based on the shading you see in the photo reference. insert visualimagery in the background to convey that this woman isin the jungle. When you add the background art, keep things flow: ing na standard pattern (see TECH NIQUE below) so you can control the way the reader absorbs your art. Keep the background simple so that the reader's focusison the figure. | know what a tree looks like, but when | draw one, | want there to bea realistic feel toit.| could wait for the right time to sit inthe yard and draw that tree, but in reality, | have deadlines, so | use photo feference to get the realism I'm tying to achieve. Work From Studies BY WILLIAM TUCCI I'm not the fastest artist; in fact, drawing is pretty laborious for me. So | like to do a few quick stud- ies before | go to the finished art. You can work out. mistakes and revisions in studies so that when it comes time to draw on the actual board, your art- work will be much cleaner. gE a Byers Your Photo * We're going to draw my character Ana Ishikawa (ala, being shot wth an arrow. (The tte for this ilstration ould be: “Please, God, Don’t Lett Be My Live.) lke this Photo because it could be from the point of view of thea rng thon toe energy and drama I need. “ vs _us nae post tr without it, it : 200 Do a Head Study Hairs very important when you are drawing female char- acters, Shi, the subject of this demonstration, has beautiful, flowing hair. The model in the photo has her hai pulled back, soit wl take some rough lines to get Shi’ air right. 1 the eyes, aw and nose and indicate them with blue Fin pa fairly detaled facial lines. Then, with graphite, work u study, even though you may change some of the deta ater. Study, study, study. raw, draw, draw. Study anatomy. Draw from life. Draw from photo reference. You'l draw many things better when you're referencing a photograph than when you try to doit from your head. Really know your stuf. 3 Do a Shoulder Study seas clthng materia wil ld given ur shoulder sy ie out ho i ist the contours of the body. -abrie will pull again the figure’ postion. Fabr Because the arrow isin Shs abdomen, the reader’ eye me tical to think about the costume detals here, suc affected by the postion of the arm. wit naturally travel to this focal point. hhow the gauntlet and sleeve ae being: Draw as realistically as possible without tracing the photo. Where's the excitement in racing? | use photo reference to start off, but when | draw, | interpret and modify fo give the final art more of a “living” look. Do a Skirt Study Because of the way the model is lean- Ing and the position of her legs, the natural flow of anatomy is distorted. Moreover, the photos from a slight side angle, so the legs will not be perfectly symmetrical The modelis wearing shorts rather than a ski, so to dress her ike Shi, try to imagine how the skirt would respond to this kneeling postion. Notice that the skit does not drape straight down, but rather responds to the curves of her legs. 201 3 gesture ine =e 2 Seurtet ae poston nd tof he spine. Thine you to push or pullthe igure alti S maintain the anatomy. The 2 romrcference pots and ali te 202 Do a Rough of the Entire Figure Start the rough using a blue pencilon a fresh piece of regular copy paper. Draw some line to indicate the direction of the eyes, jaw and nose, and a gesture line (see TECHNIQUE below left), This line follows from the base of the neck through the spin. In a standing figure, its more evident because the gesture line travels down the spine, through the hi, down the legs, and to the feet where the ‘weights planted, Here you can see how the neck and spine are positioned, The neck i tumed lite, and you can see it inthe line. This esture line gives you a strong grasp Of the image before you even commit ‘raphite to paper ‘Start sketching over the blueline with soft graphite pencil. As you find the ‘Correct lnes, tighten with a harder penci dicate the rain of arows around Shi with rough lines. You can always decide ‘0 change their location later. Putin ‘enough arrows to show that she's under attack from many enemies, Shi © Wiliam Tuce Since | dont use an inker, Ihave to make sure that My pencils are really tight. make your art your own Using photo reference wl lp you achiev oper analy and perspective but fyou aeaslave to the photo, your art wll come out tif. So don't just copy, interpret and modi. Use photo reference asa tol, amos ike the fist inkin along chain thatleads tothe finalar, G Draw the Finished Art putthem on alight bor and transfer them to Bfstol ‘After you complete your studies, board. if you've been drawing in a notebook oF modify the szeof your sketches to fit the panel. 50, ait up or down tot your needs. Pace the corey Sed the 11° x 17" (28am x 43cm) Bistol board. prawn the elements tat ae not part ofthe photograph Shs weapon £9 Japanese nagi- ate, Ptingitbehnd er hand shows tatshe's dropped tard that shes in real danger. It arp rates depth and perspective by showing ne vewer exactly We the ground i. voc draw the arows. This the fun part. Thearrows onthe ound cast shadows, VINE the drawing extra depth and dimension. The Bet souree forthe proto tothe left, soto be setent, make sure all your cast shadows fallto the fight ing the details, suchas the blood stearing out of Sh ‘on scraps of paper, you may need to simply use a photocopier to sale Your art on alight table and transferitto cons 's wound, Finish the drawing by refir 203 CYouching Eutyonom wv Jumping Jumping Tracing (Yes, Tracing!) BY MICHAEL OEMING Sex change for Zoe! Now let me tell you, I use photo reference all the What can | say about photo reference? It's a time, even with my cartoony style. Beyond refer- dangerous game if you don't know what you are ence, | often trace photos. It’s not an ugly word, doing. By that | mean art that looks photo refer- just say it out loud: trace. See, no one slapped you, enced makes me vomit in my eyes. Realismis fine, right? So let me show you how | use photo refer- but there is a stiffness, a lifelessness that ruins comics ence. | will trace the photo | was given of this beauti- when the artist becomes a slave to the reference. It ful model named Zoe... and turn her into a man! has ruined many a great artist for me. Ey Dd Get the Photo Into Photoshop In this case |am working with my Cintig, a tablet you can draw directly on, just lke paper But al ofthese steps could be done with a lightbox and regular paper. | could import the image, save the image asa JPEG, but the fastest step for me was to take asereen shot and then pasting it > into Photoshop. SA Find Your Photo te been working on a character called Faustus. I've picked outa pose | thought could work For him 216 3 Create the Page and ‘Sketch {ve pasted the photo and tumed down the opac- ity about 45%. On another ayer, | sketch out my Faustus character directly over the model using a small pen size. 1am using the pose and energy of the model, thats all. But | am tracing it. Sometimes !even grab parts ofthe photo and ‘move things around, Her right arm fs too farin, ‘want to flare it outa bit more. Instead of draw ing like | did here, could have moved the hand ‘on the photo and drawn overit. instead, just drew, using the photo as a guide. | lso squished her slighty to make her proportions thicker like ‘a man. just selected the area and then distorted the figure to give it more weight. ‘The head feels a litle big, so'm going to make it smaller. Ive also sketched outa vague ‘composition here, although right now, I'm not sure what | want to do with it 217 Refine Now | gt rid ofthe photo (unless I took it with 2 very specific purpose, ike lighting, costume and such). Here Lonly needed the pose. You can avays change things you don't, incu ping your Proto Inking done digtaly and theres alot could get ike di here ee, into about that, but snc this about photo reference, used second photo, ay photo whieh hen layer so when linked this kept the foreground and the torted in Photoshop, This would be much ha background separate. Ths helps the colors, Since this lightbox, buit could be done ss ablack-and-white pec, |simply tured down the ‘opacity on the background to give it more depth. ‘Again, the background is traced but | only traced the shapes. By manipulating the photo | even changed its composition. | inked it freehand so it looks and feels totally organic. Despite being done digitally using photos, I daresay itis as natural as anything I've done. The last parts simple: just sign it 21s Lifting aoaall ' UMOg BuTAT Punching Teen Action Hero BY JOSH HOWARD I chose this picture of Chanel for my demo because | liked the tilt of the head and the position of the legs. | remained fairly faithful to the pose but went my own direction with the aesthetics, That's what it’s all about—using the photo as inspiration without being. aslave to it. Sketch Thumbnails First | sketch the pose with a regular mechanical pencil to.capture the shapes, angles and general feel. | ike to do several sketches before deciding which one torun with. | always have three or four sketchbooks going - redraw my bes sketch onto art board Alecause link my own work, | can Keep my nthe detaisothecobing osu st q ny own p is where my itustaton pencils loose, knowing I'l tighten the drawing bezistodevite fromthe photo. m emiring ston during inking, This is one way I've learned hero dressed in asort of hyd punk/ mitre. tostreamline my process. 234 3 bush pens, then erase the penel ines. AS YO8 just saw, my pens to find” the final its not ealy as chaotic ait soun few corrections. are loose, s0 ink have justration in my mess of lines 1s, but | almost aways make af After | scan my inks, 4 mi 7 Cok I e manipuate the scan before anaes colt. If decide tha he head eee erent is athe wrong angle or a hands aaa alana tuo arg, can fit 235 Ww & fs PS = . i Ws Ely W Running — a Eutpueqs ud i Drawing Energy from a Photo Reference BY THOM ZAHLER | usually start working it pencil | like the way these pencils are like regular pencils, rather than waxy as some colored pencils are. And | work on tracing paper so that | can overlay drawing after drawing to try to chip away at it. Draw a Curved Line Tostart| drew a curved line to tty to follow the pose and postion of the spine. Drawing this ine will hope- fully keep me from stiffening the pose ‘up too much. light blue Col-Erase Find Your Photo ove the energy in tis photo, 3 Work the Stick Figure | start working out the pose as 4 stick igure, being particularly Conscious of the position of the shoulders and hip. Its the con- trast between these that show the ‘movementin the figure My characters ae cartoony, but they stil stick close to realistic Proportions. They tend to have larger heads and smaller bodies, so ve tied to incorporate that into the stick figure 247 & Block Out the Figure rare few points that | pay particular atter th : 7 . ~ ut they're actually hyper-extended, I tryi sf righten them out she's rae pacer ut she's actually bent them alittle furthe tr : ight. It gives a great flow to the figure, h Iping the ar a V trying to make sure | have that break. me cnn a tare interesting, too. They're not lined uy : ley actually point towards each oth lightly . & Block In the Anatomy {im trying to see how her musdes overap, ike how her shoulder pops in front of the trapezius (back part ofthe nec. tye also started drawing her breasts. You'l notice a line I've drawn from her neck down to the center of her pelvis. THs 6 tecause the breasts will overlap and extend past the torso box, and itl start making that centerline drift uness | work it out Teresa visual temptation, atleast forme, to use the edge ofthe ight breasts the center ofthe igure, but that wil throw ofthe poston ofthe navel andthe hip. Working out that centerline wil help me keep tru tothe pose tye algo started working onthe fingers. Up unti now the “mnittens" were fine, but | have to start considering them. 248 able for figuring out the direction. (1 tothe left hip, Ive begur work with the great! Svoyhingsherenon teen that | adjusted the V-oram. : ized that it was, droopin, oa Eran edt — 'spresentin full. Yo mn the | You will see Fe an ust In ooking at, rea S what the pose was. The way | Wve been lo as. The wa See ere ‘ancn bands on each arm, and they havt ine bands on her right am are C-shaped, going in the other direction) I've placed her belt/hip ban band on the buster andthe belt shows how th bustier is closer to strait rounder because we're looking. the pose. was turning the figure tno much and needed mn to work out the expression, too. A Jot of my ca ress is in the face, so'm trying to keep 6 Tighten the Drawing twestated adding the costume. The photo reference inval= ofthe lms. Amazoriahas two direction re to curve the right way to get the ratherthan 1, too. The difference between the jted the figures. The ht on and therefore flatter. The bettis much down at that part ofthe figure gto herlefthip where I've adjusted row pointn to add more You can see an ar tooni- that stylization and makeit ‘expression the model has. 249 1 style. ttreally helps ‘The shadow on the | work in a “cut color” define the shape oft yso strengthens oat er right leg helps geta ber there. And lea! nd to herlegand clarify adding the cuts in herb 3,1 woud we gotten’ and reverse ther Repose kind of nes det is tablet tom Eien row add them right Hey, that's realy ke the wa Ink ‘ink on layout paper for the most part. | tape the pencis to the back of {the paper and putit on my lightbox. This way I'm working on a dean sheet f paper with no pencisonitat alt save me the step of erasing "ink mosty with a brush, but also use Micron pens anda French curve. | abuse my Microns and bear down on them while | work. think shortens their lifespan, butt adds life tothe line. Acartoony style requires an economy of ine. When you're keeping Simpl, every line has tobe righ: If were working ina more reali style, "could use a lot more lines to define the shapes. Instead, every fine has to be placed just right andthe more ines on a woman, the olde they look, $0 define your shapes in the simplest way possible ‘Amazonia’ entire right arms defined through the contour/exteior lines, with the exception ofa lightlin indicating part ofthe shoulder There are ‘muscles overlapping atthe bend ofthe arm, but none of them are seen. It's indicated from the overaping ofthe ines near the elbow where you can see the upper arm shape goes inside the forearm, ‘The curve ofthe abdominal muscles leading into the pelvsis indicated ‘with a couple of lines leading ito the bet, This helps show the lftleg as a Separate object rather than having them blend together and reading asa sold shape. jing the bieh~ air, When brush then scan con the as\ color. ne out! this drawing ca 2011 Amazonia © copyright Thom Zaher " 4 "A, M E TISTM, TAM] vl “ 2 a & ro) Draw a Character on a Background BY PAUL CHADWICK ‘Comic book artists use photographs as asstarting point to create a visual story in one or more panels. Most reference is photographed in a studio with simulated daylight conditions. Creating a night- time scene in an exterior setting requires imagination and maybe some additional photo reference. t 2B Rough a Sketch (Make some rough sketch lines to get a sense of perspective and pro- portion. Don’t worry about getting the pose perfect at this point; you are {ust trying to see how these pictures can be merged. The figure and the background exist in two different three-dimensional worlds, and all ou have to work from are two-dimensional representations of those worlds Figure out how far this person is from the building. Based on the width Of the sidewalk and the photographers positon in the street, this person ‘would be at least 30 feet (9m) from the building. The head is placed slight- ly higher than the roof ine to keep the focus on the character. Don't overlook opportunities to change hair and clothing, Find Your Photos The model heresin a striking, dramatic pose from a sight low point of view, which gives her a sense of imposing power. Note the strong light coming from the right side. 262 Tighten the Sketch Begin tightening both the back ground and the figure, Use a ruler ‘to create the rigid lines ofthe build- ing, Add repeating elements such as windows and doors; their angles help create asense of distance and perspec tive. The perspective lines radiating from the peak and corner of the build- ing point tothe center of the image which directs the eye tothe figure. ‘Add smal details tothe background that will add realism without distract ing from the visual story ‘Add costume detals. Snaps and buttons make nice repeating images on your character, When adding bets and holsters, be sue to follow the curve ofthe hips. TIP Ona prety female, delineate the Oftetwcin ter ace setvased ot alte ene never draw the line that, ‘comes : A characters appearance inking with a brush Stat from the thin end ofthe ne aid then thicken, Practice diferent motions unt you zn the proper brush contol. Tr inking the stoke toward the base ofyourhand rather than away for reaterconto TECHNIQUE Ink It ‘tists who ink their own work can be loose with ther pencil. Here, | went from loose fluid pencils right into the final art, Use a brush to get a rice line shape and curve. ‘A few bold brush strokes make the sky look imposing and dark. The character now hasan eerie moonlit appearance, while the background seems foreboding ‘A few well-placed ink strokes onthe figure show the direction of the light, which comes from the upper right. Add small details to the background. Beat the building up litle with stains and missing chips. These details add tothe overall realism and mood without distracting the reader. 263 nunchucks swords Evolution of a Cover BY JG JONES WITH COVER DESIGNER TERRI WOESNER We all know we're not supposed to judge a book In this lesson, JG Jones gives you a behind-the- by its cover, but that’s what people do when they __ scenes look at his sketches, studies and notes, while browse bookstore shelves. For this project, IMPACT Buddy Scalera and IMPACT designer Terri Woesner Books needed cover art with attention-grabbing _share their recollections and observations about the action, color and energy. We knew superstar cover cover development process. artist JG Jones had the artistic stopping power to help this book leap off the shelves. 2 BUDDY ‘oop teimage back and forh uss compute, inte seth he uses bath photos baad, st TERRI ing whether the image “reads" more naturally that way asked JG to choose two ‘of Buddy’s photos to use as the bas fora pee of dynamic cover at that wou engage the reader at fist glance. G picked these photos of Pamela In A the word photo, she grabs the viewer with her direct gaze 4 and aggressive pose. JG thought the cape from the other Photo could be incorporated to create contrast and visual Interestin the background. foc teed tat the concept was coverworthy asked JG for art witha science-fiction/fantasy theme. BUDDY ifyouwantthe low ange ou shoot froma tbo Ths ough thumb sketch let me see how 1G was planning to Behera . Dul the two photos togethe so that could ve him my inet before he started to ee ted to Invest alot of time in ereating fina art 274 & TERRI 1G said this concept was Inspired by the warrior wom- fen on various covers from the science-fiction dassic John Carter of Mars series. Here, you can see him star ing to add costume elements that are in that spin. Fortis sketch, JG flopped the photos back to their ‘original orientations. In a rminute, you'llsee why. BUDDY A figure in motion isinherently off balance Ifyou draw the tines of Pamela's frame on the Photo, you get subtle clues 35 to how she was moving when | snapped the picture In this pose, Pamela was pretending to duel with «an unseen opponent. Even ‘though her body and shoul- ders are titted, she keeps her eye level almost perfectly horizontal, which i typical of people with good physical control \ BUDDY ‘as JG takes Pamela's core pose and starts to add props and costume, Ne doesn't just paste them on lke paper soll dothes; he wraps them around the figure. The scabbard of the sword hang bei the leg; the bracelets cure around the wrists; the straps and chains » ‘drape around the hips; the lindoth partly dsappearsbehind the leading ‘Alof these details contribute depth and snhaneing our sense of this char realism, ef acterasa3-D woman. a BUDDY Pamela was in motion when both Of the reference photos were shot. JG does a great job of adding visual cues that ‘capture ths sense of motion: the flowing cape, the fying hai BUDDY ‘When | photographed Pamela, | was using more than one light. The most intense light was coming, ‘rom her left. Additonal studio lights made iteasier to see details that ‘would otherwise have been lostin the shadows. The sketch above clearly shows the direc tion of the light though JG had ro specific knowledge of how | had set up the photo studio. 275 TERRI JG scanned the cover of the first book in Buddy's sj sees, People and Poses, and used its a template fora ‘mock-up. | didn't ask him to do this; he just did it, and 1 ‘as tilled because it made it much easier for everyone at IMPACT to visualize the final product. Also at this stage, JG started painting with watercolors to show me the color notes he had in mind, The first cover the series featured reference photos inthe lower left comer For consistency | wanted to keep the photos at the lower lft for this cover as well So/G flopped the pose again, back tothe orginal orientation, to make room forthe photos. TERRI You can see JG's handwritten notes in the margins rates ve renner bab ae vision for the entire. all hisidea, | was excited to see JG’ pice starngto male ra TERRI ‘realy iked the red tones JG used forthe loin- cloth, and | asked him to repeat those colors in the back- ground ofthe image, TERRI ; “The red-orange palette worked well with Pamela's ‘warm skin tones. The hint of purple amid the orange in the loincloth was an exciting contrast. 14 ‘BUDDY the background creatures Buddy’ studio floor was andthe mets of course fa, yet just by curving those eaten ay long shadows inthe foreground, 1G context. With usta few carefully chosen details, he is creating a complete and believable environment for the character Was able to make the character look as lf she i standing on uneven ground or ven stepping over something! 276 1G = The colorsin the studies were prety ‘uted asked JG ithe could brighten them up Aitle fr the fina. | was impressed by how much punch he was able to add with watercolors To make the character work with the red-and. range theme, JG changed the color of the charac ter’ hair from brunette to blonde so thatt wouldn't Bet lostin the background. TERRI t Books in a series need to have aunified fi om other. The green title treatmentin JG ee in the series. : yehind the title. | allowed JC's changing the color b Bom crrotinpue my oe teeta ee sful yet feminine color for the title treatment. pees More Stuff fightin’...and other things artists need to draw ee ————_ Creating Pitch Art BY DAVID HAHN I needed art for a comic story | was pitching about a couple of juvenile delinquents on the run. In one of the key scenes, the boy is about to rob a drugstore and the git! thinks he shouldn't. They have a big fight about it, and the boy decides to do it anyway. This is a pivotal moment in the story, so | decided to use it for the pitch art. I chose the two photos below because the girl character isa smoker and the boy character is hold- ing a gun and tuning away from the gi { h Construct the Figures Fist compose the drawing in my head. Then, using a ‘egula.05 HB mechanical pencil Ido sketches. | usually ‘construct figures withthe block-and-cyfinder method, but forthe male here, | went witha hybrid ofskeletoncyfin- der. find that method helpful when a figure s going tobe dressed in bagay clothing, The model in the photo looks like a tough, ass-kcking ‘ype of guy. My characteris more trepidacious, o I needed to tone down the pose by dropping the arms a bit and. deflating the chest. The female model conveys just the ight attitude for my character, Judging by the perspective distortion in her photo, itTooks asf the camera was about two feet from her head. For myilustration, | needed the "camera” to be pulled back bit more, so| didn't draw the perspective distortion, 284 Flesh Out Sketches ' ut the meat and clothing onthe frames, andthe characters are bor. When draw te facial expressions, to ime the fist few pencl strokes! lay down are the truest so. | always try to tick to those with minimal erasing 3 sketch Background | {draw the backgroud, = ay bind uo ‘ona piece of scratch pape PAGE # 285 286 & Create a Composite Jean the figures and the background 12300 ppi TIFFs, then dropin the ‘background. Then | move and scale ther until ayscal ures over te getexacy the compstion | war. 1289 look for errs | is too big and his those diitally ‘once !amhappy! image as ablueline drawing, can see thatherlefthand reckis too ong, 501 fx print the composite & Mask and Ink I mask out stars in the sky masng ld The rk Zebra * Zaire iner details, | use | . Pens Uaparse oa ama ‘Micron 04 pen. - aly, | pee away the masking rie stars, and the pi PAGE # “9, SS Pr, apTaieg at 3 SASS buTyutad Wii Load: aG Gun: Smith & Wesson 9mm—Model 5946 Note to artists: This models ‘made specifically forthe New York Police Department. Other ‘models wil differ sighty Use Photo Reference to Create a Cartoonish Figure BY FERNANDO RUIZ Reference photos are a great resource. Use them anytime you have a shot that you can't readily envi- sion in your mind's eye. Don't be afraid to put a visual in front of yourself. It's perfectly acceptable to combine references. A single shot may not have all the answers you're looking for. Plus, it’s always a good idea to be as visually familiar with your subject as possible. Mul- tiple photos of the same model help you understand how that person moves and exists in the real world, Find Your Photos in the photo atthe left above, the postion ofthe model's torso and the up-shot on her face are very interesting, (Let's face it, uP shots can be difficult. We're not used to looking at people from ‘underneath their aws,) The lower body on tis picture is abit too animated, though—we're drawing an ordinary gi here, so she's nat supposed to look as agile as Spider-Man. The sight foreshort- tering on the legs and armsin the other photo is realy coo) Like Lupshots, foreshortening is one of those aspects of art that will took glaringly wrong ifnot done exactly right. Use reference to ‘gauge yourself and make sure you're doing t property 296 Rough It Nowe’ gett the actual drawing, Sat witha pece of white two-ply Britl board and a (0.3mm mechanical pen with an Head. Tis thn, meium-densty lead wil give you a fire ightline forthe inal stage ofthe draw- ing—the underdawing ‘Very lightly sketch the critical cst nes that itt the pose: the shaukde line, the spine line and the hip ine. Add lines that follow the movements ofthe ibs. Cre= ate face gr showing the center line ofthe face and te evel of the eyes, nose and mouth. All ofthis is the raw armature upon hich you'l build the figure. Face gr 4 Shoulder line \ “a” \ Hip tine 297 Add Form Now you're ready to start fleshing ‘out the figure. Atthis stage, the artis is ‘akin toa seulptor who is ready to pack roughing in with basic clay on his wie armature, Stil drawing = lightly, sketch some simplified forms lover the “stick woman" you drew j ; in step 2. Don't be concemed with ‘Pi

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