I’m Back
Hi, all. I’m back! And it’s only been, what? About ten months? Wow.
I’ve decided to get back on the horse and finish what I tried to start back in 2006: a self-published comic-book about a super-powered hero called The Victory Streak. The story needs a complete re-write, and until that’s done I’m not going to have any finished pages to post. I thought you might be interested in some previews, though. The one below is of the series’ titular protagonist, in full “costume.”
By the way, I’m going to be making a few changes to the blog. First, I’m going to be deleting just about all of the prior posts and comments. I’m not an editorial writer or a philosopher, and I no longer want to write any more “dear diary” entries either. I’m an artist striving to learn his craft and reach a level of proficiency that allows me to create personally satisfying and comercially viable output. This blog, therefore, will be solely dedicated to those efforts.
Second, I’m going to attempt to install a platform called “ComicPress,” which is a WordPress plug-in designed for publishing webcomics.
Finally, I’m going to disable the e-mail notifications, because they’re not necessary and had ceased working consistently anyway. People who really want automatic notifications can subscribe to the blog using RSS or similar options.
I consider posting drawings in this blog to be part of my learning process, and therefore I’m going to cease apologizing for the quality of the drawings. It’s been said that it takes 1,000 bad drawings to get to a good one. If you don’t want to watch as I plow through those 1,000 drawings, this isn’t the place for you to be. If you’re interested in watching an artist’s growth and development from amateur to (hopefully) pro, you’re in the right place.
I’ve set a goal of drawing at least an hour per day (hopefully more than that on the weekends) and will post at least three sketches or finished drawings per week. When I’ve finished the script for the first issue ofThe Victory Streak, I’ll have pages to draw and will post each one as it is finished.
Until then, I hope you enjoy the character sketches and previews like the one below. As always, I welcome your comments and critiques.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Welcome back!
I may have said this before but I get a kind of Paul Smith vibe from your art, which is good since I always liked Paul Smith (What ever happened to him?).
November 8th, 2009 at 2:27 am
I second, Bill. Welcome back!
It is certainly a good thing that you are returning to your passion. Good luck with the rewrites. In some senses it is harder and in some senses easier. I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.
I’m not sure if I already said it about one of your previous drawings, but I like Victory Streak’s casual look, but not the sunglasses. In my humble opinion, eyes are very important and hiding them behind sunglasses makes the character seem more detached. I think that’s why villains often have hidden eyes while heroes, even masked ones, have their eyes visible, or with something like eyes (Spiderman). (With the exception being that annoying guy from CSI Miami. Anyway, just my opinion.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work, and hope you find it rewarding.
November 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Good. Nice to see you back at it. Bill is right that you have a Smith vibe or, as I once observed, a Steve Rude vibe there. Your artwork seems to sing best when it’s stripped down and simple. But that may just be me since I tend to prefer cleaner looks in my comic book line art.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Good luck.
You need to look at drawing from life. Take a few life drawing classes if possible, or pick up some fashion or sports magazines with lots of photos and copy from them. Get the feel for how a human body actually looks and moves. When you can construct a solid human form with a good knowledge of how the body is structured, then you’re half way there. It takes a lot of study, and a lot of drawing. A lot of drawing.
Then, spotting blacks. A difficult skill to learn, but one that makes a huge difference.
For reference, I’d recommend the new Joe Kubert book “How to Draw from Life” (Vanguard), or track down a few of Andrew Loomis’s books. “Fun With a Pencil” or “Figure Drawing” are very old and out of print, but they can be found and remain probably the best books on drawing out there.
As I say, good luck. I wish you all the very best, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Allan, I was lucky enough to have received a copy of Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth as a gift back when it was still in print. I studied it as a kid but often got frustrated when I hit roadblocks, and gave up on it all too soon. I recently dusted it off and am using it as part of my learning process.
It amazes me that a book considered by many to be the gold standard of figure drawing was allowed to go out of print.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Bill Mulligan and Jerry Chandler, thanks for the compliments although I’m not sure I see the Paul Smith or Steve Rude influence.
As for Paul Smith, I believe he’s still doing some work for Marvel here and there. I thought I saw something from him recently that was X-Men related. I tried Googling him but that wasn’t much help.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Welcome Back…
The drawing looks great!
However, you asked for critiques, so here is one from a seamstress…
Why does his jacket look like it’s 2 sizes too small? The cuffs should be at or beyond his wrist joint, otherwise when you raise your arms the sleeves pull back to your elbows. If it’s sylistic..ignore me…but as one who makes clothes, it just looks small.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I can understand the need for the sunglasses if he’s as fast now as in the draft I read.
I like the sense of depth the picture has, particularly the hands. Hands are hard, and not many people get them right, I’ve found. The hands here aren’t just at the end of his arms. The clothing gives me story ideas. The only thing I might change is the throat/neck. I had the impression that Steve wasn’t particularly imposing physically, which to me suggests a thinner neck.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I can understand the need for the sunglasses if he’s as fast now as in the draft I read.
I like the sense of depth the picture has, particularly the hands. Hands are hard, and not many people get them right, I’ve found. The hands here aren’t just at the end of his arms. The clothing gives me story ideas. The only thing I might change is the throat/neck. I had the impression that Steve wasn’t particularly imposing physically, which to me suggests a thinner neck.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Why does his jacket look like it’s 2 sizes too small?
I was trying to draw his sleeves slightly rolled up, but I didn’t quite pull it off.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
I can understand the need for the sunglasses if he’s as fast now as in the draft I read.
He has no need to protect his face, or any other part of his body, when he moves at super-speed. I can’t say any more without revealing something significant about the upcoming story.