Comics 101: the art

seriously, you can draw at least this well, and that didn't hurt
Cyanide and Happiness from becoming an internet phenomenon

There is a misconception that I want to get rid of before we start today. YOU CAN DRAW! In ancient civilizations it was common belief that everyone knew how to do pretty much everything, it was just a question of how versatile you were. Anyone can sing, and anyone can hit notes, it’s just a question of how many notes you can hit and how long. You may not be a very versatile artist when it comes to pencils or any other tool, but you can do it. With some practice and work trying to imitate the art styles of others, you too can become a very versatile artist. As for this program (Comics 101) I want you to just focus on what abilities you already have and as we will explore together different ideas in comics art I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at what you have available to use.

Pictures are what comics are built up around. While the definition of comics varies from person to person (as explained in the first lesson), the one thing that everyone is in agreement with is that comics must include some kind of visual art. I leave it that broad because, as you will see, pretty much any medium will work.

As an artist, your role is to take the ideas that the writer is put on paper and turn them into something to look at. There are a ton of tricks to make this happen but I would say that the 3 most important things to remember are timing, framing, and style.

Timing:

Take a look at this panel:

Obviously these events are not happening at the same time. We are seeing a conversation between the two characters in the picture and it’s safe to say that they can’t be talking at the same time (when we discuss lettering ideas we can delve into how that happens, but for now let’s focus on the pictures). The trick with timing is to remember that you are going to read the pictures with the words. Left to right. Any actions that happen within the supposed timespan that can be feasibly put in the same panel should be happening left to right.

This may require that you take some time to make sure you frame the shot.

Framing:

The easiest way to explain how framing works is to imagine you are the camera man in a movie set. This could take a lot of planning but it’s all a big part in how the overall picture looks.

A few rules to consider to make a shot more interesting:

Note that both Edna and Helen are both on or very much near the
thirds of the picture. Helen especially since our focus is to be
on her and what she is doing. this is also a good example of
perspective showing how big the room is and where the action
is happening.

The rule of thirds:

 this means that the most visually interesting place to put your subject is in the thirds on a panel. Imagine that the panel is split equally three ways vertically and horizontally. The cross sections, one in each corner, are the ideal place to put a subject when trying to show action.

Perspectives:

 this is helpful to show a destination or the scope of an item or character. Is your character uncomfortable? Should they be? Maybe then they should appear smaller in a large space. Maybe they’re in an uncomfortable position with a lot of people. Make them have to squeeze.

A perspective move could also give direction of movement. Should Batman be moving down a corridor, maybe a perspective switch can make that work.

read lots of comics and pay attention to how the pictures draw your attention. the best thing anyone can do is try to repicate
these ideas. I do advise a bit of parental supervision/ approval before allowing a reading of "The Killing joke" though I will
say now that it is a very well put together book as far as how things are happing in both story and picture. Just read what you like and you'll find the reasons why you like it so much. when you figure it out, try copying it in your own projcect.

Style:

try out different options as far as art mediums go.
you might find something that really works for you

This is probably one of the most important and why it’s good to be continually pushing your art experience to become more versatile. This is usually in relation to how much detail work is put into the environment as well as the characters in that environment. Thing is, if the art doesn’t fit the story that is being told, perhaps you need to find a different story.

Now that’s not to say that a cartoony style couldn’t add meaning to a horror story, or that an intense and detailed style couldn’t add to a children’s novel about fish, but the main thing to remember is that you need to keep the style consistent and make sure it makes sense.

Now say you want to be explore in your work. this is when you can try doing comics in different mediums. perhaps you would rather paint than draw. Photograph comics are becoming rather popular in Europe, maybe sculpture comics? As far as talents go, use them! Everyone can create, even if it's not drawing. And hey, maybe this could be a good thing to get you to try out something new that you have never thought you could do! be imaginative.

Application Activity!

We are going to make a comic strip! Use what you have learned in the writing course and make a three panel story. You can make a joke, try out a scene, you could even leave it in a cliff hanger. The point is to experiment with different art principles of style, framing, and timing. Be sure to place your finished 3 panel story in the comments below so I can see what you’ve been doing.

Be sure to like my Facebook page so that you can get more updates to Comics 101 as well as other great and awesome series. You can also find me on twitter @SupermanLegion or on Instagram tag: b_taylor_campbell. Have a great week everyone!