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.

I was trying to draw his sleeves slightly rolled up, but I didn’t quite pull it off.

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.

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.

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.

It amazes me that a book considered by many to be the gold standard of figure drawing was allowed to go out of print.

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.

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.