Limbering Up

I have been teaching basic drawing skills to a few video game design students recently which has got me drawing and thinking about comics and cartoons a lot. I have been drawing since I can remember, and I have always been able to draw to a reasonable level. I grew up on comics of the 1980's and because of things like Marvel Unlimited and The Walking Dead comics I have really gotten back in to them over the last month or so. I really love how comics have progressed form the heavily narrated "spectacle" (like the Amazing Spider-Man) to more realistic more rounded characters (The Walking Dead, The Watchmen, V for Vendetta) in sometimes unrealistic settings, they are all wonderful in my mind because they are so different.

Like I said I left comic books in the late 90's when things were very much still the "spectacle" with few exceptions, so it is quite nice to return to find things have really expanded on all fronts.

So today I got out a standard "Staedtler HB Noris School Pencil" and started to draw first "Rick", then "Machine Man" and finally "Green Goblin" for my 3-year-old son who is a huge fan of the 1960's Spider-Man cartoon. They all took around 5-10 minutes each. I knew I wanted to concentrate on the face, I tried creating a character the other night and I decided I needed to study others work a bit more as I was unsatisfied with the results. They are kinds of studies of different artists styles that I like and would maybe like to emulate, or certainly be influenced by.

Moore's "Rick" from The Walking Dead 2003

Kirby's Machine Man from Machine Man 1978

Ditko's Machine Man from Machine Man 1978

Romita's "Green Goblin" from The Amazing Spiderman 196?

I am really pleased with the results and it has been both incredibly relaxing as well as good fun. I have been watching a few youtube videos about different artists and watching them sketch different characters, it has been amazing to see in real-time how they achieve different effects.

This Freddie Williams II video is incredible and answered the "lightning bolt" question I had when I was a kid. I used to just draw the lighting bolts and shade around them, but this is so much better.



The inking in this is amazing and I think I will digitally ink until I am better at real-life inking, I have tried several times and yes, I need more practice.

So, I think it is pretty clear in my and my friends heads that I maybe making a comic book. I feel I need to stress the word maybe at this stage, I am not sure I can do it. They are a lot of work and I would be doing it all on my own. I have around three different stories I could use it just depends on my drawing skills which one if any I develop further.

I make music, software and video games and I have always wanted to make comics (who hasn't) , maybe a one off comic, maybe a mini-series, who knows. Maybe nothing, at the end of the day it doesn't matter, it is a great deal of fun.

Kirby's Iron Man 19??

Moore's "Angry Man" The Walking Dead #1

I can't help but think I have been planning this albeit subconsciously, as I have been buying all different types of pencils, pens and markers recently (under the guise of using them to create game characters), maybe it is all just part of a plan that I am now consciously being made aware of.

Buscema's "ROM" from ROM 1981

I know it will be hard work, but like all things I do, I just want to see if I can.