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How comics are drawn: an interview with the artist. How to draw a comic: step by step description How to draw comics with a pencil step by step

Popular contemporary art that allows you to tell a fascinating story, providing it with bright and captivating graphics, has become famous and has gained many fans. Fans of an unusual method want to learn how to learn how to draw in the style of comics. Screen versions of the most famous examples of the genre win movie screens, and the characters of the short stories become recognizable.

In this article, you'll learn how to create a captivating hand-drawn story, portray key characters, and master the techniques used by the experts at Marvel Studios.

How to draw comics correctly: preparation

Many who want to master a difficult method are deterred by its complexity and lengthy learning process. However, if you master the basic rules of operation and understand the features that make this genre unique, you will be able to create any scene. Remember that drawing characters, creating dialogues require hard work and talent. You must not only skillfully depict, but also skillfully create texts. There are many nuances that affect the final result. Get ready for a long and hard workout. Do not be discouraged if something turns out worse for you: the desire to learn something new and interesting should only grow stronger after failures and mistakes. Find the positives in your work and improve every day. Do not forget to correct shortcomings and look for your weaknesses.

Decide what exactly you expect from the upcoming work. Success may come to you much later. Real comics artists achieve fame for years. If you want to get a place in the studio, be aware that a fully commercial activity does not leave the right to change an existing idea. You will make sketches of the same type, refusing to experiment with style. In order to create real works of art, you need to have a recognizable technique and be a creative individual. An artist who appreciates his work can abandon the clichés of popular culture.

Consider publishing your own work. So you will not depend on anyone and gain popularity among comic book lovers.

Remember that this art requires attention to detail and conciseness. You should tell the story of the characters over several pages. To do this, you need to constantly train: achieve automatism, which will allow you to depict different objects at the same speed.

Fast work is the key to a successful career. If you do not know how to make high-quality images in a short time, choose the option that suits you: draw and post your works on the Internet, turning comics into the category of hobbies.

Be inspired by the work of professionals and do not be afraid to imitate them in some way: this is one of the stages on the path to acquiring mastery that you must go through.

Prepare all the necessary materials and tools. To create an exciting story in pictures, you need:

  • graphic editor (if you are going to work on the Internet);
  • pencil and paper;
  • ink (in order to circle the drawing);
  • thin feathers;
  • pens and felt-tip pens for drawing;
  • whitewash or corrector;
  • rulers and triangles to create borders.

Now you can get to work. How to learn to draw cool comics from scratch? Do not forget that mastering this technique will require perseverance and attention from you, a long phased activity, talent and inspiration. It is very important to set yourself up for the creative process, to find a place for drawing, providing comfortable conditions for creating a whole universe inhabited by bright and interesting characters.

How to draw comics for beginners: pencil work

Start with exercises that will help you develop your hand and wrist. Draw straight or smooth, curved lines. Make sure that they are even and continuous;
In the process of learning, do not forget about observations. Keep an eye on the people, wildlife, and objects around you. Try to reflect on paper everything that you see around you. Strive for an accurate and detailed drawing.

The most important thing is to learn how to portray people, because they will become the heroes of your graphic novels. Notice the features of the human physique, the proportions of the figure. Don't forget about fabric textures: your character's clothes should be depicted as authentically as possible. Mark the folds and scuffs, use hatching to create shadows and holes.

Start by drawing a naked body: this way you will achieve an anatomically correct image. This approach helps many aspiring artists. The basics of academic drawing will also come in handy in the complex business of creating a comic book. Do not be lazy and find special books or feature articles that will help you achieve your goal.

It is difficult for beginners to portray a character's face. In order to create an accurate portrait, learn to follow emotions, facial expressions. Observe your face, sketching what you see. You can use stills from movies with expressive close-ups.

Achieve perfection in everything and try to beautifully and truthfully portray the objects that will surround your characters on the pages of the comic. Study the laws of perspective, draw buildings and landscapes, animals and birds, make sketches and quick sketches of objects that you see right in front of you. Such training will help you overcome your own laziness in a short time and find your own style.

Don't forget to work on the background. This is an equally important part of the drawing, which requires special attention to detail and texture.

If you still don't know how to draw a comic, do all the work in stages, memorizing the sequence of actions and repeating them. Set aside several hours a day for classes, without missing a single workout.

In order to make the image distinct and focus the viewer's attention on important details, outline the outlines with a felt-tip pen, pen or ink. Correct your work and correct mistakes and minor imperfections with white paint or a special tool that is sold in any office supply store.

Without referring to the work of professionals, it is impossible to learn how to draw comics correctly. Study the graphic novels of the masters in order to come to the perfect drawing.

Work carefully. Apply hatching evenly, paint over the shadows and carefully design the back of the picture. Learn to distinguish shades of black and use them when contouring.

How Marvel comics are drawn

  • Find a plot and create a rough storyboard;
  • Having made the basic sketches, work on each character;
  • Do not forget to line the sheet and indicate the borders by drawing a frame;
  • First, think over and sketch the composition, and then move on to the details;
  • Transform the pencil image with paints and ink;
  • When finished, scan it and add dialogs in the editor.

Step 1. Scenario



School Survival Rules
Before drawing, you need to take notes on the visuals, plots and dialogues. Think about what emotions the characters will experience, how to look, what tone to speak, what stylistic features of speech each of them will have.

Here is an example and finished illustrations from the comic:

Pippi, dramatic: “I can’t-u-u-u-u-u-u-u ... He probably hates me-and-and-and-and-goes ... I'm afraid to look into his eyes-ah-ah -but…"


Mr. Ramirez leans on his desk, says irritably, "Miss Torres, I didn't call all the art circle members to discuss your problems!"

Jenson, horrified: “About sun spots?! They finally…”

Mr. Ramirez, annoyed: “No, not about sun spots, Jenson! Sit down!"

Step 2. Storyboard

As Svetlana says, she makes it very approximate, sometimes it's just sketches of people with sticks. At this stage, the illustrator develops character poses, panel layout, speech bubbles, and the script itself. Usually draws on A4 printer sheets - they are easy to find.


Step 3. Pencil

First draw with a pencil. You can draw on plain paper. Try not to get attached to your tools in case they get lost. Paper and pencil are easy to find in any stationery store, at home or at school.


Step 4 Stroke

Many artists prefer to ink drafts drawn in pencil. Svetlana does otherwise - she scans the drawings and applies a non photo blue filter. Then he prints and outlines in ink (this is how the illustrator saves pages both in pencil and ink). The stroke after non photo blue is good because when scanning in Bitmap / BSW mode, blue does not appear. Therefore, you do not have to wipe the pencil lines.

Step 5. Tinting

When the circled pages are scanned, you can color them in a graphic editor. Try using a drawing tablet and a graphics program.

2 more tricks

1. When drawing a setting, think about how it relates to the characters.. So, in the comic "Rules of Survival at School", the classrooms of the drawing circle and the scientific circle correspond to the character of the teachers.

Here is the office of Mr. Ramirez - a handsome, absent-minded, fickle, creative person.


And this is the office of natural sciences. There is order and cleanliness here, which corresponds to the character of Miss Tobins - the most rational and organized person you have ever met.


2. Think over secondary characters: their stories, troubles, dreams. In this comic, we often see children from two circles and employees of the school newspaper. So, Maribella Samson is a talented and self-confident student who is ready to fight for the right to participate in the festival of school circles. And Jenson Graham is a funny weirdo who is troubled by sun spots and a story about school cafeteria robots that are out of control.




A comic that will teach you how to draw
If the young artist has not yet had time to work out his drawing skills, it is worth spending time on this. For example, you can learn along with David - the hero of the book "A comic book that will teach you how to draw" (by artist Mark Crilly). Here are some short tips:

  • Pay attention to the shape of the object you are drawing.
  • Keep proportions.
  • Measure by eye. For example, when drawing a watch strap, think: how many dials would fit on one side and the other?
  • Notice mistakes.
  • Do not press hard on the pencil (then you will be tormented to erase :-))
  • Pay attention to negative space - the space between or around the object(s) in the drawing.
  • Show volume with hatching (when you need to add a shadow, grab the tip of the pencil and tilt it at a sharp angle to the paper, speed up to make the strokes look more confident).
  • Do not draw the outline right away, but sketch - no need to go into details, depict the main shapes. It is risky to start with details: you can draw them accurately, but distort the proportions, or the technique will change in the process of drawing and the top part will be different from the bottom. The point is to work on all elements of the drawing at the same time.
  • To draw shadows, find a light source. Shadows will be where he does not reach. Pay attention to the saturation of the shadows.

Here's another tip: the first comic is quite possible to draw without computer programs and scanning. Outline the outlines with a gel pen, color the illustrations directly on paper, use colored pencils or felt-tip pens. And when you feel that things have gone well, use professional tools.

Post cover - illustration from the book "Rules of Survival in School"

In the lesson we will learn to draw a human head, we learn the subtleties and tricks, as well as how the male structure of the skull differs from the female. We will also get to know features of drawing details of the face- eyes, mouth, nose, mustache, beard ...

The structure of the skull and jaws


Imagine the skull as a 3D sphere. Draw axes to help position the elements of the face. The vertical line defines the middle of the face. The horizontal guide line indicates the position of the eyes: the eyes are placed above it, the nose below it, and the ears at both ends of it. This line is usually below the center of the sphere.

The skull fits tightly on the jaw - and the head is ready!

The jaws rotate with the skull as a whole, so that the character remains himself regardless of the position of the head - this is the secret to allowing cartoonists to repeatedly draw the same character, which remains recognizable. Some artists have great difficulty in depicting a character in various positions. And all because they do not use the basic principles outlined here and very often act at random. But we're going to put an end to all this mess...

Full face (male)

Always start drawing with a general outline, then add details.

At the end, eyes and eyebrows are drawn. The shadow on the neck will make your drawing more professional.

Profile (male)

Full face (female)


 Although the female head has, in principle, the same structure as the male, women have a narrower jaw and a less prominent chin. In the portrait of a lady for a comic book, the sizes of the lips, eyes and hairstyles, as a rule, are increased, while the arms, nose, ears and neck, on the contrary, are reduced.

Start with the skull and jaw. Add the neck and ears.

Sketch out the hair, eyes and mouth. Apply the finishing touches.

Profile (female)


 Circles, rhombuses, crescents, pears - all these shapes give uniqueness comic book characters.

Diamonds - give the character an exclusively feminine look - the chin is pointed, the cheekbones protrude.

uneven circles - can be used to create heroes with large cheeks and overflowing temperament.

Crescents - are best suited for creating profiles. Remember that the crescent turns into a full moon when the character is facing forward.

Pears - the most popular and flexible of the shapes used to create character heads.

See what happens when you flip a pear.

Vary skull and jaw sizes to create different characters. Try these new head designs too.

The head of this lady consists of only one skull, and the secret of a successful drawing is that the eyes are placed directly on the forehead.

This character, on the contrary, has a huge jaw and a very small skull. A wild smile, slanted eyes and tousled hair give him a crazy look.

Like the previous character, this guy has a small skull and a large jaw. So what makes these characters different? The difference is that the man on the left has a small mouth. Remember that the jaw is the element of the head and the mouth is the part of the face.

Facial details

By stylizing the details of the face, you can create new and interesting characters without changing the structure of the heads.

eye types

Mouth
Contrary to popular belief that the eyes are the most expressive part of the face, it is the mouths of comic book characters that best express their emotions. Indeed, some famous cartoon characters don't have eyes at all—think of Mort Walker's classic Bailey Beetle comics.



Nose types


Beards
can drastically change the appearance of the character. All these heads have the same structure and features, only the beards differ - and what a difference!


Mustache
sometimes the mustache replaces the upper lip, repeating the shape of the mouth; sometimes they serve as decoration.



Start practicing, experiment with different variations, create new characters for your comics. It will be interesting to see your work. Post them in the comments to this tutorial.

You can even create your own original characters if you wish. We recommend using one of the 10 useful and convenient online tools from this collection.

Create Your Own Comic by Marvel

Marvel Comics or Marvel Worldwide Inc. is an American publisher of comics and related media. If there is a company that knows exactly what it takes to make a great comic book, it's Marvel.

This cool site is very easy to use. You can apply various scenes, characters and objects from the Marvel comics universe to create your own stories online.

Bitstrips

Bitstrips will help you create a cartoon version of yourself. You can get a new hairstyle, add some makeup, change the size of your face and outfit. In addition to the browser version, there is the Bitstrips application, which Apple users have recognized as one of the best downloaded applications.

MakeBeliefsComix.Com

MakeBeliefsComix.Com is a free comic book creation tool with lots of symbols, templates and tips. It is so easy to use that even a child can easily figure it out. However, there is one limitation here - color. You can change the background color, but the characters will remain black and white anyway.

ToonDoo

ToonDoo gives your imagination more freedom. Although it provides a standard set of characters and background options, the service allows you to create your own wallpaper and even draw freely on some objects. In addition, you can use your photos in comics and manipulate them as you like.

Comic Master

Comic Master is a flash site that is easy to navigate. With this service, you can create your own characters and original stories for them. Here's a simple step-by-step process that starts with a mockup and ends with an amazingly completed comic.

Chogger

Chogger is a free comics creation service with a good collection of editing tools. You can use existing images or draw your own. With Chogger, you even have the option to take a picture via your webcam and paste it into your artwork. An option is also available to customize each added frame.

Pixton

Pixton is a drag-and-drop comic book authoring tool that allows anyone to create their own masterpieces, regardless of their artistic talents. All you need to do is join the Pixton community and then you can start sharing your creations with others.

Strip Generator

The Strip Generator doesn't really give you much room to express your own style - you can only use existing icons and templates. However, there are many options to choose from. To make a comic, pick up a frame and drag characters and objects to it.

Write Comics

Write Comics is another easy site for creating comics and stories. You do not need to register or fill out various forms. Choose a menu background, character and speech bubbles. So just you have your own comic.

Superhero stories, westerns, biblical themes, even historical narratives can be made interesting by adding pictures. Comics are the same magazines, only perfectly illustrated.

What is a comic?

A comic is a sheet of paper connected together or finished books, albums in which you can see the story. There is very little text in them. Most of the action takes place in pictures.

The stories are different in length, from a half-page story to a whole story in drawings.

The main distinguishing feature of all comics is the combination of narrative with pictures. Moreover, unlike books, where illustrations only occasionally supplement the text, the main thing in it is the drawing, and the minimum amount of text explains the details of the story.

How to draw a comic for beginners? You need to read the tips and get to work.

Each strip of the graphic-narrative genre must begin and end with a single thought.

Usually the first page serves as an introduction, in which the author conveys the general main ideas. The reader must understand in what period the event takes place, where and who is the main character of this whole action.

In addition, a large frame should end the entire comic. In it, the creator of the masterpiece will talk about what happened at the end, or in the epilogue, and also tell what awaits the hero next.

Reading comics

Each creator of this genre has his own style, his own specific characters, drawing style and story plots.

In order to know how to draw a comic, it is important not only to be able to draw people, but also to read the works of other people. Narratives of world famous authors can inspire, suggest the idea of ​​a plot.

Genres

Comics come in completely different genres. But the biggest success to this day is the stories about superheroes from DC or Marvel. Fans of these comic book publishers often feud with each other, criticizing the stories and the manner of drawing. However, it is these two "monsters" in the graphics industry that belong to such heroes as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men and so on. Such genres came to the world from the USA, where they figured out how to draw comics in stages.

The Land of the Rising Sun has its own special and very large anime culture. It's called "manga". The text in such comics goes from bottom to top and from right to left.

Every year in Tokyo, several million different mini-stories are published, created by people who are proficient with a pencil and know how to draw an anime comic.

The classic drawing includes from four strips of illustrations. It can be either color or black and white. Even novice artists can draw simple comics, but this does not mean that the plot or pictures in the cartoon will be primitive. Sometimes they have to do even more work, taking care of the shadows and shades.

The target category of those who will read this comic is also very important. Complex plots built according to the scheme invented by the author are not suitable for children. They also will not be able to figure out where the hero thinks, where he speaks. In children's comics, thoughts often fly out of the head, and a cloud of speech comes out of the mouth.

Improvised materials, or How to draw a comic with a pencil

In order to draw simple comics on several pages, you need to take various types of ordinary pencil. One of the grays should lead thin lines, the other should be bolder, and the third should be thick.

Be sure to put a few erasers in front of you to adjust the work. In order to end up creating stories with a pen in a few seconds, you need to learn in detail how to draw a comic book with a pencil.

We need to take a few sheets of paper for the anime itself and a few more in reserve. In addition, there should be a sharpener and a ruler on the desktop. The table should be well lit. It should not contain unnecessary items that will interfere with the location of the artist's hands.

A more professional author who knows how to draw a comic also has special markers, pencils, felt-tip pens, helium pens or ink. After some time, the creator of this genre may realize that it is time for him to move on and transfer his art to a virtual version. Comics that are drawn with the help of special

The first step on how to draw a comic

The main and most basic stage in creating a cartoon is the idea of ​​a plot, which can have complex moves. However, many authors limit themselves to the simplest story to begin with. Consider how to draw comics with a pencil in stages.

First of all, you need to come up with a short story, anecdote or fable. Text should be minimal. It is desirable to circle the dialogues of the characters in the form of a cloud or a square. To make it clearer how to draw comics with a pencil, it is recommended that you first write down all the twists and turns of the story and highlight the most important of them. In advance, the novice creator of this genre must write down the entire plot on paper. If there are conversations, then they also need to be painted in stages.

Each piece of text must be divided into squares, in which the corresponding images will then be drawn. It is best to start and end the action. One should smoothly pass into another, while completing a certain thought of the author.

After the plot is detailed and thought out, it's time to draw.

Second step

Now about how to draw a comic book based on a story. The ability to portray people or animals is an absolute plus in any anime. But you can do without it. In the graphic genre, as in any other art, fantasy is limited only by the person himself.

You can independently come up with something, comics, and create a narrative with them. By inventing a completely new and original style, you can eventually get an army of fans.

When a sheet of paper is in front of the artist, he must visually divide it into several parts. This step will allow you to plan how to draw comics with a pencil in stages. In these empty squares, fragments of history will be drawn one after another.

A person does not have the ability to accurately copy the same drawing, so it is not surprising that the hero will be somewhat changed.

Large frames in a comic book mean the duration of the action drawn in them, while small ones are considered secondary and serve to support the main idea. In a large frame, one, two or three events can occur.

Small frames do not need a background, while large ones need to be drawn in detail. The reader will want to see not only the main character, but also the very place of the events.

Hero drawing

Drawing a hero is not so easy. But this task is quite feasible even for a bad artist. It's all about practice. Anyone can learn to draw.

    do not create too many details in the drawing, they will be very difficult to repeat;

    do not try to copy the same poses and facial expressions as in the previous image;

    not strive for perfection, because comics should bring pleasure from creation and ease of work;

    Don't try to fit everything in at once.

The main character is best portrayed in the center. It should also be turned closer to the turn, if any.

Step Three

Basic rules for drawing comics:


Dialogues

Comic book characters don't make long speeches. Their conversations should be direct, without complex sentences or epithets.

Each word that comes out of the hero's mouth must be circled in a box. It is usually narrow and small, but the letters in it are visible. Dialogues are written in block letters.

The reflections of the characters are usually circled with a round bubble.

When they dream about something, their thoughts in the comic are depicted by a cloud.

Noises are conveyed by exclamation marks, interrogative marks, and other punctuation marks put together.

The hero's cry can be enclosed in a circle with sharp spikes around the rim.

A little information about what and where happens during the drawn scene, background or your own conclusions can be taken out of the squares of the comic. They can go between them, above or below.

And the dialogues themselves, which the characters exchange, in classical genres, are drawn over their heads.

During painting, you need to leave the clouds white or at best yellow, so that they stand out qualitatively and do not merge with the pattern.