Newbie art

[Shepster]

Hi guys

I'm one of those "of course I can't draw" types, but I'm also a bit pig-headed so I decided to do it anyway. I'm only at the stage of copying images from existing comics but in the longer term I'd love to create my own. I kind of feel like I'm hitting a plateau just doodling, though, so I thought I'd try to get some feedback. I'll confess I'm in awe of much of the work I see in this forum, and so I'd really value your suggestions and comments in particular.

Of course, the first challenge is whether I can actually get the images to show, so here goes!



and here's another




anyhow, all comments welcome.

cheers

Shep

[MaxofSteel]

Nice stuf so far Shep.

I can recomend doing lots of research on anatomy. Muscle mag books are escpecially good for reference. I find photographs work better to draw from than comic illustrations (for obvious reasons), but it's your call.

Its hard to tell form the scans but start drawing lightly at first until you're sure you like how it looks, then darken in the lines (that way its easier to erase).

Other than that, just practice practice practice. Keep up the good work dude.

[Shepster]

Max

thanks for the feedback and for the tips. I'm with you on the anatomy point - I've been playing around with the figure drawing book by Hogarth which is great for nuances of muscletone etc.

Your second point is also well made and well taken. As a self-taught doodler my technique sucks, and I'm working through a couple of books on straightforward pencil drawing at the moment to hone my textures and shading - its really frustrating to know the effect you are trying to create on the paper but just feel unable to actually get it to happen.

Anyhow, onwards and upwards - I'll post some more on here when I have some.

cheers :D

Shep

[apotheases]

I would recommend drawing a lot from life. Just get a little sketchbook and go outside for a bit and draw real people in real enviroments. Once you have basic anataomy down then you can go about stylizing it. I've also taken 6 years of college classes in sequential art and illustration. So I highly recommend enrolling in some life drawing classes if this is something you are truely passionate about.

[mercenary for hire]

shep, i am by no means professional level yet, but i feel i can give you a tip to help you out. don't be afraid to use references for everything. like me for example, i have a couple of masters of the universe action figures that i pose and use for anatomy references. fotosearch.com also has pictures of everything you could possibly ever need.

[Shepster]

Thanks for the useful advice guys - I really appreciate the support. I also took a peek at your own threads in this forum, and my compliments to you on your stuff - something for me to aspire to. I'll post more when I've done some that I feel represents progress.

Shep:)

[Shepster]

Couple more bits and bobs

First is an Orc - still very much in copying mode - sourced from a magazine:




Second is the batman from above - first attempt at colouring with Photoshop:



Again all feedback and suggestions are really welcome. Specifically, I'm struggling to find a source on techniques for painting up comic art with photoshop - most of the books on photoshop in my local bookshop are really about touching up photographs. Any suggestions on sources for info on how to get really good high impact colouring done in Photoshop would be really welcome.

Cheers all

Shep

[Jaye]

Here is an interview with a colorist you might find some resources in:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/co...m&article=2553

also resources here:
http://members.shaw.ca/creatingcomics/artists.html