Drawing Comics Lab

52 Exercises on Characters, Panels, Storytelling, Publishing & Professional Practices

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Author:

Robyn Chapman

Format: Flexibound, 136 Pages

Item: 199841

ISBN: 9781592538126

Publisher: Quarry Books

Series: Lab Series

Specs

Illustrations: 250 color photos

Size: 8.5 x 8.5

Weight: 1 lb.

Published: November 1st 2012

DC: AQ

Price: $24.99

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Description The Author Reviews Reader Reviews More TOC Excerpt

Do you dream of becoming a comic artist? Drawing Comics Lab covers all of the basic steps necessary to produce a comic, from the first doodle to the finished publication. This easy-to-follow book is designed for the beginning or aspiring cartoonist; both children and adults will find the techniques to be engaging and highly accessible.

Featured artists include:

- James Sturm

- Tom Hart

- Jessica Abel

- Matt Madden

- Eddie Campbell

- And many others

Start your comic adventures today with Drawing Comics Lab!

Robyn Chapman has studied cartooning at two of the medium’s finest institutions, receiving her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and her MFA from The Center for Cartoon Studies. In 2005 she became The Center for Cartoon Studies’ first fellow, and spent the next five years as their program coordinator and a faculty member. She has built and managed the curriculum for their successful Create Comics and Cartooning Studio workshops. Her cartooning courses, workshops, and lectures have brought her to classrooms at The New School, Wellesley College, The University of Iowa, and the 92nd Street Y. She lives in New York City. Visit her online at http://www.un-pop.com.

"Do you dream of becoming a comic artist? Drawing Comics Lab covers all of the basic steps necessary to produce a comic, from the first doodle to the finished publication. This easy-to-follow book is designed for the beginning or aspiring cartoonist; both children and adults will find the techniques to be engaging and highly accessible." - Barb Webb
www.ComicBookMom.com

"This isn't a how-to book filled with muscle bound action. Instead it concentrates on cartooning and sequential art. While the book is primarily aimed at beginners and aspiring newcomers to the profession it is also of interest for teachers and those willing to admit they might benefit from a refresher course." - Paul Green
www.weirdwesterns.wordpress.com

"Drawing Comics Lab" by Robyn Chapman is the latest book in the lab series. Just like the previous lab books this one is full of practical information on how to draw comics." - Gail Bartel
www.thatartistwoman.org

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Drawing Comics Lab Table of Contents

Drawing Comics Lab List of Contributors

How to create a comic with found text from the book Drawing Comics Lab on Craftside

About This Book

What We Mean When We Say “Comics”

Basic Supplies

Drawing Comics Is Hard

Unit 1: You’ve Got Character

1. Building Characters

2. Model Sheets

3. Animals, Occupations, Emotions

4. Character Creation Intensive

5. Ten Cats

6. Life Drawing Comics

7. Copycat

8. The One-Panel Gags

Unit 2: Page Building

9. Page-Building Basics

10. Page Size and Reduction

11. Stick Figure Strips

12. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

13. Calling the Shots

14. Panels and Pacing

15. The Tier

16. Cartoonists without Borders

17. Turn the Page

Unit 3: Storytelling

18. Drawing without Stopping

19. Show OR Tell

20. Panel per Day

21. Jam Comics

22. Suspect Device

23. On Location Comics

24. Dream Diary

25. Interview Comics

26. Make a Map

27. Talking Heads

28. No People

29. Found Text

30. The 24-Hour Comic

Unit 4: Materials and Techniques

31. Comics Morgue

32. Picking Your Paper

33. Penciling

34. Lettering

35. Pen Power

36. Inking with a Nib

37. Inking with a Brush

38. Mixed-Media Inking

39. 50 Percent Black

40. Playing with Tone

41. Playing with Color

Unit 5: Publishing

42. Make a Dummy

43. Make a Mini

44. Design as Content

45. The Foldy

46. The One-Sheet

47. ABC Zine

48. Creative Printing

49. Creative Binding

Unit 6: Living the Dream

50. Go to a Comics Convention

51. Write a Script

52. Write a Proposal

Lab 18: Drawing Without Stopping

Materials

- notebook paper
- kitchen timer

- pencil

- ruler

- pen

- bristol board

1. Pick a time of day when your mind will be fresh, your body rested, and you won’t be distracted. For me, this is in the morning, before going to work.

2. Grab your notebook paper and set your timer for 5 minutes. Write “I’m afraid of...” at the top of your paper. Underneath, make a list of things that scare you. Keep writing for 5 minutes, without stopping. If you can’t think of anything, write the word fear until you have something, or doodle little shapes in the margins. The important thing is to keep your pencil moving.

3. Look at your list. Did anything surprise you? Pick a fear that you would feel comfortable exploring in words and pictures.

4. Create a nine-panel grid.

5. In your first panel, draw a moment when you might begin to feel the fear you picked. Start by drawing yourself, then fill i n the blanks around you. Draw without stopping—always keep your pencil moving. Keep your drawings loose and sketchy. Don’t erase. If you can’t think of anything to draw next, trace some lines you’ve already made.

6. After that first panel, your story can move in any direction: reality, fantasy, or something in between. Keep drawing without stopping until you’ve filled your nine panels. Don’t plan or think ahead, except for this: as you reach your ninth panel, try to give your page an ending that feels complete.

7. Put your comic away for a week, and don’t look at it or read it. After a week, take a look. What do you think of the story you made?

Art / Art Techniques / Cartooning
Art / Art Techniques / Drawing