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The Art of an aspiring cartoonist: YoungPrometheus
YoungPrometheus
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Uh, well, nice to meet you all. This is actually my first ever time posting here, so I would like to properly introduce myself:
I am fifteen years old, going to be sixteen in August, and I want to create comics. I really started since eighth grade, though I did struggle with my own limited drawing skills. Thankfully, looking back and comparing it to now, I think my art has improved significantly.
This is going to sound egotistical, but I want to be one of the best. Why? Because if your the best, you get the most attention and the most money. Money I can use to financially support my family, who currently has seen better times.
The reason I wanted to post here, is beacuse from what I have read, you people have an amazing sense of art. Though, to be clear, I think there is a difference between "illustration" and sequential story telling. Hopefully that doesn't sound stupid, but I figure, that as long as I get the point clearly and appealingly across, I've done my job.
This picture is some thing I did very recently, as in "I finished it last night" recent. Its actually not an example of sequential story telling, but rather a sort of promotional page. Its done quite crude, and somewhat simplistic, but I hope it gets its message across.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Thank you, please critique.
EDIT : I think I fixed the picture.
I am fifteen years old, going to be sixteen in August, and I want to create comics. I really started since eighth grade, though I did struggle with my own limited drawing skills. Thankfully, looking back and comparing it to now, I think my art has improved significantly.
This is going to sound egotistical, but I want to be one of the best. Why? Because if your the best, you get the most attention and the most money. Money I can use to financially support my family, who currently has seen better times.
The reason I wanted to post here, is beacuse from what I have read, you people have an amazing sense of art. Though, to be clear, I think there is a difference between "illustration" and sequential story telling. Hopefully that doesn't sound stupid, but I figure, that as long as I get the point clearly and appealingly across, I've done my job.
This picture is some thing I did very recently, as in "I finished it last night" recent. Its actually not an example of sequential story telling, but rather a sort of promotional page. Its done quite crude, and somewhat simplistic, but I hope it gets its message across.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Thank you, please critique.
EDIT : I think I fixed the picture.
YoungPrometheus on
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Welcome to the forums, though
I'm glad you want to be good. Understand that it takes a lot of work, and will not happen overnight. Also please understand that where your art is right now, there is no specific critique that we will be able to give you that will help more than this advice:
Draw from life. Draw people, objects, environments from life. Just draw from life. Art is at its most basic level a reinterpretation of the things that already exist. It doesn't matter if you are Craig Mullins, or Masamune Shirow - drawing from life educates you as to how things truly look and once you know that, you can make as many stylistic changes as you want.
Hard analytical study of the world around us is the quickest and surest way to skill.
You're off to a good start, and you ambition is admirable, but at this point you need to work on your fundamentals if you want to see any real progress
The biggest tip I can give is to just carry a sketchbook everywhere you go and just draw what you see
Metalbourne: I think I adjusted the picture. It was too big, so I made it a thumbnail. Thanks for the welcome.
Wassermelone: As usual the advice you give is spot on. Just to explain, I have drawn from life, stuff like sketches of houses and in gesture drawing. This is just my personal drawing method, but I've been trying to do both equally, to an extant, so one doesn't overwhelm the other. Though I think I will do more live drawings.
m3nace: Wow really? So I'm not alone! Awesome
Hell, I started with a copy of "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" and built up most of my knowledge from that alone. But drawing from life helps immeasurably, through just about every aspect of drawing.
Texas summer heat. Yikes. I've been living with my grandparents for a while, mostly during school, and they both have jobs, so for the majority of the morning, I'm by myself. I DO go out and draw when they come home, and I do get a few drawings done.
And if anybody cares, I have a DevianArt account under the same name as here: YoungPrometheus.
Seriously, if you're drawing somebody at the mall, and they give you a death stare, draw somebody else.
Have you taken any art courses or are you planning on any in the future? They can be really helpful, providing you with perspective techniques (1-point, 2-point, and 3-point), live models/still life, and practice time/feedback.
Also, for more specific cartoon-related theory, Scott McCloud's Books are pretty good, despite the ragging on them you might hear on the internet.
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
Actually, out of curiosity, I'm genuinely curious about what people think of the picture I uploaded. While sequential story telling IS essential, I'm also practicing design in general. It takes a fair bit of influence from manga, without being overly generic.
Does it "stimulate" you in the sense of "This has 'something' to it, I want to see more"? Please, I really want to know!
Silly geese, that's who.
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
Some cartoons are completely flat. Like my recent ones. Lately I've been purposefully ignoring dimension Z.
Do whatever you want, YoungPromethius, but there's some cool tutorials and anatomy resources over here if you're interested.
Heartlash: Oh, I LOVE Scott Mccloud's books. I actually own only one: Making Comics. Seriously, I think I got this somewhere on December/January; I've read this book so many times its like the back of my hand, and it never gets tiring.
Also, I got the MASSIVE book on making comics, somewhat similar, called Drawing Words and Writing Pictures. I don't think I'm that far into yet, but it is AWESOME. Its like a serious college course, so its a bit intimidating.
Honestly, it's pretty flat and generic. There are a number of proportions irregularities that don't look intentionally stylized. The composition has a lot of tangents between the monster and the character that make it feel a bit muddled. The monster feels particularly underdeveloped, as it has very few features that give it form on depth. Overall it feels more like a starting sketch than anything else.
This is not meant to be discouraging. I think you have a long way to go but with patience and hard work you can most certainly improve.
I like the expression on the girl, that's probably your strongest point. She has a distinct, albeit simplified look on her face. That said, I don't really get her overall mood. She's coming off as annoyed by the monster, but it feels like a stronger reaction would be more appropriate given the circumstances.
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
While true, you still have to create the illusion that what's on the page makes some sort of sense in its own world.
Also, given the content of the OP's original piece, it looks like they're going for something that will involve a Z axis.
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
Look, the point is: you're fifteen years old, and you're just starting out. You're doing alright for the time being; if you focus on learning and practicing/experimenting, you should start to see results that please you.
Now go out and get to work. Good luck!
E.g. "This is a story about a girl who helps her father." or "This is a story about a girl... and how she helps her father."
Our first game is now available for free on Google Play: Frontier: Isle of the Seven Gods
"IN A WORLD... where fathers need help... ONE GIRL stands alone..."
"When trouble finds her father, only her determination can save him."
That still needs work, but you can see how "This is a story about a teenage girl and how she helps her father" can become infinately more dramatic with a little word play.
But, I must ask a question: I believe some time ago, my grandmother told me that she knew a woman who could give me art lessons; however, it will be over oil painting. While it certainly is exciting that I am going to finally get art lessons of any kind, would this help me out significantly?
INSTAGRAM
I'm curious what people think.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Why a punk band would be giving out pamphlets, I don't know. But without any other knowledge of whatever the pamphlet is trying to tell me, that's my first impression.
So if that's what you wanted to get across, good work. Otherwise, back to the drawing board.
additionally, you need to tighten it up. Make your letters the same size and on a single line so that it looks like its professionally done.
The pamphlet was basically for this short story I had written. I admit that it does look like it needs to be tightend. Thanks.
On another note, I've been working on a single page comic, a sort of homework assignment from the book I mentioned earlier, Drawing Words and Writing Pictures. I should be able to finish it and upload it tomorrow, hopefully.
Also, this picture was ALSO something I did at school, specifically art class. A black and white ink drawing, using textures. I took inspiration from comics, mainly Japanese but also American. I "reads" from left to right and is called "Frightmare".
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I personally think that its quite unsteady in a number of places, though I like the "starkness" of it. But whatever. Please critique, and thank you so, so, so much for your time.
The Wrong Planet:
1. An astronaut launches his rocket
2. Lands on the moon
3. Plants a flag
4. He returns home to much fanfare
5. But then he realises he has gone to the wrong planet.
It's done somewhat crudely, and the lines are sloppy, but I hope it gets the point across.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Please critique, and give your suggestions. Thank you.
Now, I'm almost halfway thru completing the new version, but I wanted to give a free sneak peak, if only to get some criticism. It'll probably read much better as a whole. I just want you to give your thoughts on the storytelling; but also judge my still crude art.
Right:
This one that I'm also posting is not too dissimilar to the one at the very beginning of the thread: it's a single page, basically drawing whatever came to mind. Looking back, I guess its okay, but I still feel that there are corrections to be made. The slight inconsistency in the legs bother me the most. So, yeah, expect another version soon, but I'm curious what you people think:
Expect more art soon!
"The goal of this assignment is to practice using the different panel transitions discussed in the chapter. It is, of course, also a chance to work on visual storytelling in general."
To expand, draw a two page, very rough thumbnail comic using different panel transitions. This is what I did (sorry if it looks yellowed and a bit hard to read, but I guess that's my fault.) Please read and critique. For possible reference, you can read the links at the bottom of the page here.
http://dw-wp.com/2010/03/chapter-4-bridging-the-gap/
Please, give your thoughts.