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Artistic Self-Teaching Advice?

Perfect Tommy

01:50 / 20.12.02

I've always focused on realistic drawing--mostly still lifes, some figure drawing. I'd like to start doing more comic/cartoony art, and I have no idea where to start.

I've taken to copying panels out of the comic strips, to get my fingers used to drawing faces that aren't realistic, but are still expressive. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have better ones? I don't really expect to get to a point that I'll feel publishable, but I'd like to be able to draw while I work out my story ideas.

Char Aina

08:31 / 20.12.02

what you are doing is good.

also try photocopying on really bad resolution.
do this with pictures you have drawn and photos, and then draw from them. i found thatthis simplified the image, but retained the essential ingredients. if you do it with your own art, it will help you see your style.

you can probably do all that cheaper with a computer and a scanner, but i never used to have them.

rizla mission

10:38 / 20.12.02

advice from someone with no natural talent who flunked art in school:

when it comes to good cartoons, I think the key is to use a few, simple lines. It's the opposite of life drawing in that respect - draw the basic shape in 10 seconds, and if it doesn't look right, do another one, possibly trying to incorporate the good elements of the first one. The more you work on a single cartoony drawing and try to alter bits of it, the more torturous and ugly it starts to look - it's far better to do lots of really simple sketches until you get one you're pleased with, and then add detail to it.

Jack Fear

13:42 / 20.12.02

Reducing Rizla's excellent advice to a koan: Spend a lot of time looking, and very little time actually drawing.

Mister Six, whom all the girls

14:02 / 20.12.02

In fact, screw drawing! Just stalk people!

I started by copying artists and you learn a lot very quickly, but I tended to pick up weird habits of artists without knowing it. For instance, I didn't draw completely closed eyes because I was copying Byrne.

But looking at how things work and drawing them kibda come together in my exp.

louisemichel

15:18 / 20.12.02

one secret, only one : Work.
If you work 8 hours a day, you'll be amazed at what progress you make as opposed as if you work only 1 hour a day.
I'm only a writer, but I work with about 8 pencilers...

lentil

23:31 / 20.12.02

and to needlessly expand on Jack's Koan:

Spend a lot of time looking, and very little time actually drawing. is also the most important discipline involved in "proper" drawing. if you already feel that you've made some progess with that, use those same techniques to refine a drawing to "essential lines"

As Matisse says.

He's a really good resource for cartooning. Seriously.

wanderingstar

17:42 / 21.12.02

Spend a lot of time looking, and very little time actually drawing.

I might amend this to say: spend more time looking than drawing, and draw a whole lot. Also, I find that for the abbreviated realism/comic book style, it can help to draw fast and loose. Maybe not for the finished work, but it's good for practice and sketching out ideas.

BryanDude

05:40 / 24.12.02

My best suggestion would be to relax. Dont be worried about getting right the first time, or the second or the third...
Loosen your arm up and sit up straight. Use less wrist. Ive actually started doing this awhile ago and it helps to keep from cramping up. unless you already know this. in which case never mind. But cartooning is and always should be fun, so just doodle without worrying to much about what your drawing. And waste lots of paper.

yawn - thing's buddy

14:08 / 24.12.02

easy.

get a digi-cam and do photo-love.

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