Need advice on learning to draw.

[Wandersail]

Hi there,

I would like some advice on learning to draw a comic.

Experience so far:
I used to copy images a lot when I was a kid. Never really put much effort into drawing and had stuck to copying images till now. About a month ago, I decided to learn to draw from scratch in order to make a comic, something that can be published online. Started reading the Vilppu Drawing Manual and went ahead with gesture practices. Now I am putting in about an hour a day on this, trying to follow the lessons. Using posemaniacs.com for models. Using pen and paper so far, would like to make digital drawings. 


I would appreciate it if someone could provide some help with my plan toward the comic:
• What all should I be learning?
• How much should I learn before trying to work in a digital medium instead of paper?
• Also, what kinda of tablet should I get if needed?

Would also appreciate any kind of general advice for a beginner. Any helpful sites, how to come up with a solid plan or any tips about learning to draw.

Edit: Not sure if this is the right place to post this, I am new here :d

Thanks for reading
~ Wandersail

[ZombieChinchilla]

Hey Wandersail, and welcome to the forum! I think the biggest point of advice I can give is that you've gotta make a sketchbook thread and start posting your work. It's hard for us to tell you want you should focus on improving if we haven't seen your work. I could give you more specific advice once you post it, but until then I'd say you should practice the basics: gesture, anatomy, environments, perspective, facial anatomy, etc. There's tons of reference on it, I'd recommend checking out Proko on Youtube for anatomy, there's a environment design class that Amit ran in the Classes board that I'd recommend going through, and there's reference and resources all over the forum. But like I said, you really need to post your work here before anyone can give you any in-depth advice.

As far as digital work goes, there's no specific time when you've "learned enough" to start working in it. I'd recommend working traditionally first then moving on whenever you feel comfortable. Do your research on brands and don't spend too much money as they can be really expensive.

Can't wait to see your work, and I hope you enjoy your time here!

[BrushNoir]

I'd go with ZombieChinchilla, I do have a blogpost on my site where I wrote down my experience. Been in some sort of same situation as you.

[John]

I would appreciate it if someone could provide some help with my plan toward the comic:
• What all should I be learning?
• How much should I learn before trying to work in a digital medium instead of paper?
• Also, what kinda of tablet should I get if needed?

Hello Wandersail and welcome.

1. Storytelling techniques. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for good illustrative craftsmanship. A good drawing can make a comic better, but bad storytelling can break it.

There's a lot to look out for with regards to storytelling besides the actual illustration itself. Page design/Construction of your panels. Balloon placement. Pacing.

There are a lot of books about the subject people recommend. "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is what most people point to if you want a crash course.

2. Absolutely nothing. Different mediums require different, but sometimes overlapping, motor skills. Drawing on a piece of paper, you rely on your wrist, arm, and probably shoulder when making lines. Drawing on a wall however, you rely on your entire body movement. Drawing on a tablet, you rely on your wrist most of the time.

And drawing on a tablet is less tactile than drawing with pen and paper. It's weird getting the hang of the hand eye coordination at first, but if you do it long enough, it'll become second nature.

Just dive in!

3. Wacom products seem sturdy enough! I've had my Wacom Bamboo for almost a decade, and I'm still using it to this day. I am not sure about the models from Intuos 4 and up. But the models that came out together with Intuos 3 are built like a rock.

I hope my suggestions point you to the right direction! You could post some of your works in the Sketchbook thread, I can help out if you want!

[Wandersail]

Thank you for all the replies. 

Will look into storytelling. The advice on the tablets also help. 

The biggest challenge I face right now is putting in time drawing. My day job sometimes drains me and its hard to keep drawing everyday. Haven't been doing it for the past few days. I think I'll put some effort into building discipline. I'll try maintaining a thread with what I have done in some time. I'll hold off getting a tablet until I'm able to draw everyday consistently.

Other than that I would also like to know good sources for models while drawing.  Posemaniacs.com is my main source. I also try drawing from imagination. Have not tried drawing from life, since I usually practice at home. I would appreciate to know more sites where I could get models or any other approach to finding models, be it how to go about drawing from life or any other means.

Cheers.

[Amit Dutta]

croquis cafe on youtube has great live (video footage) of nude models and poses. Much better than static photographs.