From: [larry 21] at [larry.wyvern.com] (Lawrence M. Merrill)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: creating comic art
Date: 17 Sep 94 03:27:10 GMT
Summary: How I draw comics

With all this discussion about Peter David's latest BID column, I thought it
might be interesting to clarify what *this* artist does when he illustrates
a comic. My name is Larry Merrill and I'm usually a quiet participant of
this newsgroup. I'm an artist by profession and a comic artist by passion.
I've always wanted to draw comics and I've only recently (past 2-3 years)
been pursuing that dream. I've never tried to break in the traditional route
- sending submissions to the larger companies, attending conventions for
portfolio reviews. My attempts have centered around my own characters (in
colaboration w/ Steve Campbell-writer). I have a certain amount of available
time to devote to drawing comics, so I decided to concentrate on my(our) own
creations.
 
I've just completed the artwork for the first issue of a  forthcoming comic
from SpareTime Studios entitled PRIMITIVES. It's not the first comic I've
drawn (actually the second) and certainly not my first professional artwork
(I've been producing a variety of art professionally for the past 16 years). 
What I learned from this project is exactly what is expected from the artist
of a comic.
 
A comic artist  must first be an actor, taking the lines and direction
provided by the writer and making the scene believable. How does one portray
contempt? Do the eyes squint or open wide? Is the mouth tightly sealed or
open to reveal clenched teeth? What's the body language for the proposed
line? Where are the hands? What are the reactions of others in the scene?
 
Then add the job of set production, if not design (it depends on the clarity
of the writer). Cityscape from a bird's eye view at noon. Busy traffic. Hazy
atmosphere. 
 
Choreography. Again, depending on the clarity of the writer, the artist must
create believable choreography. Not just fight scenes, but every scene. If
MegaMacho is walking slowly through several panels, is his position from
surrounding objects/figures proportional to his movement?
 
Add to this the purely technical aspect of DRAWING the scene correctly. Is
the balance correct for the posture?  Is the anatomy right? The perspective?
What's the best lighting to make this scene work? Are the character's
likenesses consistant in every panel? Does the action and composition move
the readers' eyes from panel to panel and page to page? Does it look good?
 
With every panel on every page, these thoughts (and many more) go through an
artist's mind (well, this artist, anyway) to ensure the story is told the
best way possible. All of these components must come together and tell the
story. It's my goal when I'm drawing a comic to make it completely
understandable without any text. Then, when the writer adds the final words
on the page, the story becomes a single unit that can carry the reader
through without ever having him/her ask "What is going on?"  I don't always
succeed at this goal, but I can usually learn from each mistake.
 
SHAMELESS PLUG WARNING......
 
By the way, PRIMITIVES #1 goes to the printers on Monday. Look for me at
GEC(Philly comic convention)  in October (after ComicFest folded, this was
my only option!) in artist alley. Look for PRIMITIVES in the November
Distributors' catalogs under SpareTime Studios.
-- 
-larry

[larry 21] at [infi.net]