On learning through "copying"

[John]

Hi Agilix,

What are the general thoughts about taking exisiting stuff, from comics or magazines etc, and try to recreate those scenes / models? Not just by laying the page on top or something but by building from the ground up. And then try and do it slightly different, angle-wise or even changes in the design.

Instead of copying the comic book or remixing something that has already been done, I can do you one better. Replicate the art process by getting the script itself. Get to the source.

Aspiring comic book artists do this as an exercise or make a sequential art portfolio piece for out of it. What you do is, you take an existing comic book script and draw as if you've been given that script straight from the writer. As much as possible, avoid reading the actual comic book because it might influence your decision and art process.

You can find scripts all over the internet, but here's a popular source to get you started:
http://www.comicbookscriptarchive.com/ar...e-scripts/ It has notable writers in it, such as Brian K. Vaughn, Grant Morrisson, and a lot of writers who've already made it in the industry.

Good luck! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this!