NOW 10% ’ rs ot ig us ee. HOW 10 DRAW COMICSWELCOME TO... THIS IS A SPECIAL FREE DOWNLOADABLE BOOK, MADE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS IN SCHOOL OP AT HOME, IN WHICH YOU WILL CREATE CHARACTERS, COME LIP WITH STORY IDEAS, DESIGN WORLDS, LAY OUT PAGES, WRITE DIALOGUE, AND DRAW YOLIR OWN MINI COMIC STORY! HOW TO USE THIS BOOK: CHILDREN, TEACHERS, PARENTS AND CARERS! petint THE BOOK OUT CRECOMMENDED), OR WORK FROM A SCREEN. THE COURSE IS DIVIDED INTO 10 DAYS, WITH uP TO FIVE SESSIONS PER DAY. YOU CAN WORK THROUGH IT ALL IN ONE GO, OR SPREAD IT OVER A LONGER PERIOD. EACH SESSION HAS A TUTORIAL ANO AN EXERCISE, RECOMMENDED AGE GUIDE: CHILDREN AGED 5 - 7: WORK THROUGH THE BOOK WITH AN ADULT WHO CAN HELP EXPLAIN EACH IDEA TO YOU. CHILDREN AGED 8 ~ 10: WORK THROUGH THE BOOK ON YOUR OWN, OR WITH A FRIEND. YOU MAY NEED A LITTLE HELP FROM AN AOULT A@OUND SOME OF THE MORE COMPLICATED IDEAS. CHILDREN AGED If - 13: WORK THROUGH THE BOOK ON YOLIE OWN, OR WITH A FRIEND. EVERYONE ELSE AGED 14 AND UP: ALTHOUGH THE BOOK IS DESIGNED FOR YOUNGER READERS, THERE ARE LOTS OF IDEAS AND TRICKS IN HERE YOU MAY FIND USEFLULS | 6, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! BTHANK YOU FOR USING THIS BOOK, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH OTHER FRIENDS/EDUCATORS/PARENTS/CHILDREN, SO THAT IT MAY BE USED AND ENJOYED By AS MAY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. WHILE THIS IS A FREE RESOURCE, DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED OUT FOR USE IN SCHOOLS OR AT HOME, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK FOR PROFIT OR MASS DISTRIBUTION 1S STRICTLY PROHIBITED, AND THAT THE RIGHTS REMAIN WITH ME, THE AUTHOR, AS DETAILED AT THE FOOT OF THIS PAGE. PLEASE RESPECT THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS FREE BOOK OF IDEAS HAS BEEN CREATED, IT IS THERE FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY. we POST 100’S oF ALL-AGES WRITING ANO DRAWING TUTORIALS LIP ONLINE EVERY MONTH For FREE! WWW.TH EETHERINGTONBROTHERS.BLOGSPOT.COM How to THINK when you DRAW JUNIOR: How to Draw Comics is an RTHERINGTON BROTHERS BOOK Text, ILlustrations and design copyright© Lorenzo Btherington, 2020 Other than for non-profit use in schools stored in a retrieval system, or tranami: ‘photocopying, recording or otherw: be reproduced, ‘leotronic, mechanical, ‘the publishers. The right of Lorenzo Etherington to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.Ww Cay NUL HERE’S AN EASY APPROACH TO PLACING THE co LINES. NW" < WITH YOUR - PROPORTIONS IN gr Ay Hrs \ 7) PLACE, DRAW SMALL " 7 THUMBNAIL a SKETCHES OF CHARACTERS WITHIN THEM, TRY LOTS OF DESIGNS FOR EACH SHAPE, IT ALWAYS WORKS! ONCE YOU HAVE A FEW OESIENS YOU LIKE, Tey ORAWING THEM IN POSES USING SOME OF yOur STICK FIGURES AS INSPIRATION! ; —= “ =Ww Sb WOU: YOU CAN AOD TONS OF ACTION AND MOVEMENT TO your COMICS BY USING A FEW MOTION LINES - LITTLE MARKS WHICH GIVE YOUR READER A BETTER INDICATION OF WHAT'S HAPPENING! TO SHOW HOW OIFFERENT Y@ “yY EFFECTS CHANGE THE FEELING OF THE ACTION, LET’S TAKE ONE POSE, AND USE LOTS OF DIFFERENT Gyr ‘ECTS. NO (O MOTION SMALL PUFF PUFFS SMALL “ZIP” LINES OF SMOKE LINES @v O~v 4 SWEEPING ARM BOUNCING SMALL MOVEMENT “LANDING MOVEMENT LINE LINES AND DUST IMPACT CLOUD SPLASH SKETCH SOME QUICK CHARACTERS DOING SOMETHING ACTIVE - PRACTICE DIFFERENT WAYS OF USING MOVEMENT LINES, SWOOSHES, PUFFS OF DUST, ETC, TO GIVE MORE MOVEMENT TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING!rr) Sb WOU: A YOUR CHARACTER’S CLOTHES OR COSTUME ARE AN g& IMPORTANT PART OF WHO THEY ARE, SO SPENDING A LITTLE TIME THINKING AGOUT THE DETAILS WILL HELP A Lot FABRIC HAS CLOTHES CANS LW WEIGHT, SO IT BE MADE OF ALL & HANGS. SORTS OF : MATERTALS, os KEEP TOP SUCH AS FUR! AREA SMOOTH a CREASE LINES TAPER our fag FR FROM THE TOP HEAD ACTUALLY FITS INSIDE HATS » OR HELMETS - TRY NOT TO DRAW THEM TOO SMALL! DOES aug NN ) © MAKE SURE YOUR CHARACTER’S CHARACTER HAVE A BAGP WHATS IT LIKE? WHAT'S IN IT? BELTS + BAS MORE IDEAS STRAPS ADD ON THE NEXT INTECESTING PAGE! —p DETAILSrr) Sb YOU CAN SIMPLY STACK SHAPES ON TOP OF ANOTHER! THINK OF CLOTHES IN LAYERS. FIT PERFECTLY, AND CLOTHES THAT AREN'T A PERFECT FIT CAN TELL A OD REMEMBER CLOTHES DON’T ALWAYS STORY ABOUT YOLIP CHARACTERS. ORAW SOME CHARACTER OUTFITS, TRY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT MATERIALS THE CLOTHES ARE MADE OF, WHEN THEY WERE MADE CANCIENT, MODERN, FUTURISTIC, ETC) AND WHY YOUR CHARACTER WEARS THEM!SILHOUETTES YOUR CHARACTER’S OVERALL SHAPE, INCLUOING DETAILS LIKE COSTUME, PROPS COBUJECT LIKE SWORDS, ETC) AND HAIR, WHEN SEEN AS A SINGLE SHAPE BLOCKED IN BLACK, IS CALLEO THEIR SILHOUETTE. DESIGN CAN BE IDENTIFIED JUST FROM ITS SILHOUETTE! His ged HOW MANY OF THESE CHARACTERS CAN YOU NAME, JUST FROM THEI2 SILHOUETTES! q SILHOUETTES ARE SO USEFUL, BECAUSE A GOOD caerWw Sb THESE THREE CHARACTERS MAY LOOK DIFFERENT... +BUT IF WE TURN THEM INTO SILHOUETTES, WE’LL SEE THEY’RE ALL IDENTICAL! THESE ONES BUT THEI LOOK QUITE SILHOUETTES a re NOT! VL othe ORAW QUICK SKETCHES OF THREE CHARACTERS - COLOUR EACH IN BLACK, AND SEE IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY THEM EASILY. NOW TRY TO DRAW A GROUP OF CHARATERS WHOSE SILHOUETTES ARE REALLY DIFFERENT!STORY THROUGH DESIGN WE CAN USE OLR CHARACTER’S CLOTHING, OR UNIFORM TO TELL A story! HE'S VERY Wetted MEANING, HE’S EXACTLY WHAT WE PRETTY NORMAL EXPECT AN OGRE TO LOOK LIKE HE'S AND AND HE DOESN’T LOOK TOO CLEVER HIS TRADITIONAL FANTASY CLOTHINGSTORY THROUGH DESIGN @ NOW WRITE DOWN A JOB FOR YOUR CHARACTER, IT CAN BE BORING, OR DIFFICULT, OR TIPING, BUT WHATEVER THE CASE, MAKE IT A JOB THAT your yo DOESN’T ENJOY! "VE CHANGED HIS FACIAL EXPRESSION TO SHOW HE FINOS THE JoeB STRESSFUL OUR OGRE WORKS INA BANK HIS CLOTHING DOESN'T FIT aX Bocent aon NOW OLIP CHARACTER HAS MORE THIS IS CALLED A INTEREST, MORE OF A STORY, BUT VISUAL METAPHOR! WE NEED ONE MORE LAYER...Sb TL NOW IMAGINE A HOBBY OR INTEREST FOR YOUR CHARACTER, SOMETHING THEY’D MUCH RATHER BE 3) DOING! BUT DON’T MAKE IT OBVIOUS - Tey TO THINK OF SOMETHING UNLIKELY, SOMETHING WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TYPE OF CHARACTER THEY ARE! i) our O6ee SECRETLY HE STILL HAS TO WORK IN THE BANK, WANTS TO BE A GUT WE'VE ADDED COSTUME DETAILS BIRD TO SHOW HIS REAL INTEREST! WATCHER! HIS FACIAL EXPRESSION DIRECTS US TO HIS INTEREST THIS. CHARACTER NOW HAS } " LAYERS s Oo OF INTEREST!Ww Sb WOU: THE OGRE WE DESIGNED BY MIXING IN A JOB AND A HOBBY NOT ONLY LOOKS MORE INTERESTING, BUT HE MAKES IT VERY EASY FOR US TO START TELLING A STORY. WE COULD TELL HIS STORY FROM ANY TIME POINT IN THE OGRE’S LIFE... THE PAST - HOW DID THE OGRE ENDED UIP WORKING IN A BANK? THE PRESENT - WHAT IS A DAY IN THE BANK LIKE, FOR THE OGREP THE FUTURE - HOW DOES HE BECOME A PROFESSIONAL BIRD WATCHER? OR A STORY ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES HIM... WHY THE OGRE OOESN’T LIKE HIS JOB AT THE BANK? WHY HE LOVE BIROS SO MUCH? GEST) CHOOSE A CHARACTER TYPE CHUMAN, MONSTER, YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL, ETC) GIVE THEM A JOB THAT THEY DON’T LIKE, AND THAT DOESN'T FIT THEI2 CHARACTER TYPE GIVE THEM A HOBBY THAT THEY WISH WAS THEIe JOB. AGAIN, THIS WORKS BEST IF THE HOBBY IS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHARACTER TYPE DRAW YOUR CHARACTER, REMEMBERING TO PLIT THEM IN A LINIFORM FOR THE JOB, AND AOD ELEMENTS OF THE HOBBY WRITE DOWN THREE DIFFERENT ONE SENTENCE STORY IDEAS YOU COULD TELL ABOUT your CHARACTERWw Sb THE REAL POWER OF ORAWING IS THAT YOU CAN BRING EVERYTHING TO LIFE! ) HE GETS TO BE A CAR? AND WHAT AM IP DIFFERENT 4 ROCK. *SI6H’. % OBJECTS WORK BETTER AS Ru Omrrerent CHARACTERS. 7 CHOOSE SOME RANDOM OBJECTS CANYTHING YOU WANT!) I CHOSE: A SHOE, A MUSHROOM AND A BOOK DRAW THEM AS CHARACTERS! THINK ABOUT HOW THEY BEND/MOVE. DO THEY HAVE A FACE? ARMS AND LEGS? ETc/ loFr wet > THINK ABOUT HOW YOUR NEW OBJECTS MIGHT SPEAK? HOW MIGHT THEY BEHAVE? WHAT ARE THEI NAMES? THIS EXERCISE IS GREAT FOR DISCOVERING HOW EASY IT IS TO CREATE ORIGINAL, UNUSAL CHARACTERS WITH THEIR OWN PERSONALITY.Sb TL CHARACTERS WITH PERSONALITY ANO STORY, SO IT’S TIME TO CREATE A COMIC CHARACTER TO STAR IN YOUR COMIC! '~ q RIGHT! YOU NOW HAVE TONS OF IDEAS ABOUT CREATING 2 THINK WHEN YOU DRAW: WHERE DOES YOUR CHARACTER COME FROMP ARE THEL2 CLOTHES OLD OR NEW, CLEAN OR DIRTY? HOW TALL APE THEY? WHAT DO THEY DOP DO THEY HAVE A JOB? ARE THEY FAST OR SLOW, FIT OR LAZY? WHO Or WHAT 0O THEY CArE MOST ABOUT? WHAT IS THEIe NAME? DO THEY HAVE A HIDDEN IDENTITY? 5 ALL ONCE DONE? YOUVE ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE WHY NOT DESIENED THIS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER DESIEN your AS YOU DRAW WILL HELP you youe CHARACTER, CAPTURE MUCH MORE CHARACTER r ee AP aWINe PERSONALITY! ACAR or AN ANIMAL DIFFERENT THAT THEY TRAVEL POSES! AROUND ONS