basics part 1 - creative comic art

7/27/2019 Basics Part 1 - Creative Comic Art

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Using Stick Figures.

Drawing with stick figures isan effective way to drawif you are newto drawing human figure in motion or

action.Regardless of whether you are newto drawing the human figure or not, using stick figures as the form or basis of

yo ur figure prov es to be an effec tive method ofdrawing proper body proportion.The stick figure technique helps you

simplify the bone structure of the body and can add more versatility when drawing the human figure in action , whichis

essentialin comic art.In this page, we will go throughhow to use stick figures in your drawing, and why we recommend

thismethod.We also include some basic poses that is pretty commonin today's comics.

Notice the difference between the two picture (above). Ony our left is the original stick figure or the "hangman" stick

figure, which is what most would think of whenthe word "stick figure" ismentioned.The picture on the right is how a

stick figure (some called "stick mannequin" ) will look like when you drawthem for comic art. It is quite similar to the

"hangman" figure but with an added line for shoulder and pelvis line.With the stick figure, it is best to add upon or form

shapes that represent major bone structures/muscles,whichis a lot more easier to work with.

The ideain thismethod is to "build up" the figure with the stick figure acting as a frame.With circles representing the

joints and facial featureswith either a cross or lines, the stick figure should be easy and quick to draw.Remember to

drawthe stick figures lightly(with light and thin strokes) as it will be easier to erase later.After you have finished drawing

the basic stick figure form, you can start to add up simple shape to the stick figure form starting from top to

bottom.Rectangle and square like shapes are great for the torso, neck and pelvis.Cylinder-like shapes is can be used for

longer parts of the body like arms and legs.

After you are done with the shapes, you can see that you have roughly made a basic "mannequin" figure just by adding

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form to the stick figures.The male and female human figure have different proportionand features.It is vital that you

understand the difference between the two to avoid confusion and mistakes in your drawing.Find out more about more

about the male/female difference HERE.

The next stepis to outline the shape of the body.T his is where you can define the shape of the body with dark and thin

strokes.Remember to keep your drawing cleanin this process.Start drawing the outlinesof the body on top of the

shapeson each body part.

Once it is finished,you can start to include aspect of the clothing or costume to your character.Inthis case it is a

costume.Costumes are easier to drawwhen compared to normal clothing/attire mainly because most costumes are tight

fitting whichhas less fold or creases.For more on clothing and armor clickHERE.

Al most done!

Now for some finishing touches.You can nowfocus onfacialfeatures/hair to the head. Add details to the costume and

start to work on the shading to give it a more realistic and three dimensional look and feel.

Note that whendrawing poses, you must remember that the spine/backbone or any part of the human body is never

straight even whenthe figure is standing straight.Drawing a straight spine/backbone is one of the most common mistakemade by beginners. Another thingto take into consideration is the versatility o r fluidity ofthe humanbody.

Here are some posesy ou see in most comics these days.Stick figures are used instead of a fully drawn figure so that you

can see these poses in itsmost basic form.Afterwords, once you have gotten more familiar withthis technique, y ou can

improve onit however you like.


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Stick figure works well with most proportion.Don't forget the difference between male and female figure- check it out

HERE

Drawing A Human Figure:

Anyo ne can learn to drawwith the co rrect instructio n. It is the personal style that emerges afterwards that makes

drawing human body stances comical, dramatic or active. If you are intrigued with pursuing a career indrawing or just

as a hobby, sharpeny our pencil and get ready for your first lesson. Having a professional artist at your side will also

help and give great tips in the areas of balance, lines and shading. An excellent book byGiovanni Civardi titled

Drawing Human Anatomy is a great reference book to have on hand. Now let's get started. This lesson will involve

the head and the upper torso.

Drawing The Head.

Being able to drawa face naturally is a skill that most comic artist have, and it isalso something that beginners should

learn to do.Drawing faces isn't all about drawing it asrealistic or believable as possible, but you must also be able to

drawthe face consistently so that other will recognize it every time you create them. Be sure to do a standard character

development o r basic profiling of the character you are about to draw.This will not only act as an objective for your

drawing but also helpsy ou avoid straying fromwhat you are planning to draw.For more on Character Creation click

HERE.

Similar to drawing the body figure, the head also has its own proportion called- facial proportion.The reason is that the

facial proportion is to help you with the facialfeature placement and avoidthe mistake (or habit) of making the eyes too

close or the nose too big.Understanding the basic offacial constructionand proportion can helpy ou achieve realism

when drawing the head.

Th e Head Structure.

The most important part ofthe head structure is the feature placement.Once you have drawn the outline of the head,

yo u must first determine the center ofthe face.Drawa straight line vertically (from top to bottom).This isto make sure

that the facial feature is aligned properly inthe middle.Yo u can now start placing line to indicate where the facial feature

should begin.This starts from the top which is the hairline, the eyes, the ears, the nose, and the mouth.

When yo u are done with the placement, y ou can begin to sketc h out the facial featuresusing soft strokes.The top ofthe

ears should be at the same level with the top ofthe eyes.As with the eyes, it should be one eye apart fromeach other.The

nostrils can start at the same level of the endof the ears with the mouth just slightly belowit.


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The Loomis Method.

This method is a great way to understand the basic form ofthe head and especially those who have trouble when

drawing the head at different angle.We recommend the Loomis method for beginners because it isa very easy and

simple way to construct the the structure all the way to the facial features.

It can be quite difficult to drawthe head structure when you are trying to drawthem throughall the detailsand even

more complicated, trying to drawthem inin different angle.Andrew Loomis created a method (some called the Loomis

Method)that simplifies the head structure in basic form.The first is a sphere for the cranium and the second, a block

that represent the jaw and cheek bones.Check out the videos below on the process of using the Loomis method.

Th e Cranium (Sphere)

The cranium is the main structure of the skull.The cranium protects the brain and holds most of the facial structure like

the eyes, eyebrow, nose, and the ears.To put it simply, the skull without the mandible (jawbone) is a cranium.

In the Loomis method, it is put in a simple for whichis a sphere.But because the side of the headis flat, the sides of the

sphere is cut off to represent this.The area that wascut will still look like a full circle in profile (side view) but at any

other angle, it will look more oval-shaped with the sides that has beencut being less visible and is viewed from different

perspective.Divide the oval area into quadrants.The horizontal line indicates the the browline, while hairline is set at

the top line of the oval and the nose at the bottom end ofthe oval. See image for example.

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Mandible (Block)

The mandible provides structure for the chinand teeth.The mandible completes the skull when put together withthe

cranium.Facial structure that the mandible holds include the mouth, cheek, chin, and the jawline.A block is nowused to

represent the mandible and is attached to the sphere.The top end ofthe block is attach to the brow line of the sphere.See

image.

Different Angles.

The angle of the head should be determined at the beginning of drawing the sphere. Here are some of the axis that

affects the angles that you are going for.

Dividing T he Face.

After you have established the angle ofthe sphere (cranium) and added the block (mandible),it is time to divide the face

into three section.First is from the the hairline down to the eye brow.You will notice that the hairline is aligned with the

top of the oval.Secondis from the eyebrow, whichis aligned to the middle of the oval, to the nose just under the ears and

the third is from the end ofthe nose down to the chin(which is about the same length ofthe other two section).See image

for example.

The most common mistake beginners make with using thismethod isto make the third section which is around the

jaw/chin section longer that it should be.T he length of the third section that ends at the chin is similar to the length of

halfthe oval shape.The length changes dependingo n the perspective you are doing.

Now that you have the proper head structure established, it is easier to add the facial featuresto the head.


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Recommended Books

Drawing The Human Head by Burne

Hogarth

Although taking a formal course of study in human anatomy will give you greater

depth in drawing the humanhead asfar asproportion is concerned, this book doesgo

into more depththan a course would interms of f acial features.Content is limited inbreadth, but go es into good depth on multicultural features and aging.

Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth

This is a must buy book for artists,animators comic book artists,or enthusiastso f

figure drawing,who have dreamed of drawing foreshortened human figuresand human

figuresin action from memory/imagination. This book doesn't contain realistic

anatomy,the author uses his own version of human anatomy to ex plain his methods

and principles,these have to be taken as tools only and not rules. But after you have

practiced from thisbook hard enough you will find that your life drawing speed and

skill ismiles further than when you started,i also recommendthe other books by

burne hogarth ,dynamic anatomy,drawing dynamic hands, dy namic heads,dynamic

light and shade and dynamic wrinkles and drapery.Only one word of cautionits very

easy to get influenced by burne hogarths work,and your work might start looking like

a clone of his.So the key is get inspired not influenced ,keep your own style and use

this book to addto that.

Drawing Human Anatomyby Giovanni

Civardi

Why is this book simply the finest reference book on human anatomy, yo u ask?

Simple! Because it clearly and succinctly itemizes the various muscle and bones

structures of the human body. It is detailed enoughso that even the most ex perienced

artist will find this reference material useful, yet it only emphasizes the details that are

relevant to the artist so that even a novice canuse this book. You simply cannot find

another book on the market that itemizes the human anatomy in such a succinct and

useful manner! Beware:this is a reference guide of the human anatomy - that is, it

does not "teach" howto draw the human anatomy. For beginners, I stro ngly

recommendpairing this reference material with a book that teaches the basic

techniques of drawing the human anatomy

Drawing Cutting Edge Comics by

Christopher Hart

I have almost every single book on comic book art writtenin the last ten years, and

this one tops themall. By far.

I recommend this book not only to people who want to be comic book artists, but also

those who are interested in more "serious" art forms. The tips and tricks are

indispensable for anyone drawing the human form or face, regardless of the style.

I've read this book a hundredtimes, and I still use it every day for reference.

Back: Measuring Human Figure

Proportion

Next: Facial Features, Arms & Hands

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