From: [i--ru--r] at [cats.ucsc.edu] (Isaac Truder)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
Subject: Rob Davis Comics Career Article 1 of 9
Date: 29 Aug 92 03:01:29 GMT
A Mr. Rob Davis, comics aritst, has written a number of articles on the
subject of breaking into the comics business and conducting your business
once you're in. He has recently personally given me permission to
disseminate his articles to the Internet (they were previously available on
CompuServe). This is the first of these articles, entitled...
PENCILER'S RULEBOOK
By Rob Davis
So you have the finished plot in your sweaty hands. What now?
There's a blank sheet of Bristol board staring you in the face and
laughing maniacally because it has instilled utter fear in you. All
that work you've invested to get a publisher or editor to look at your
work has paid off, but now comes the real test.
At this point, a lot of would-be comic book artists blow it. All
their efforts to this point have been geared to getting their work
noticed -- not worrying about deadlines, but whether or not it looks
"professional". I've heard several writers, editors, and art directors
complain that the sample pages from so-and-so looked great, but when it
came time to do the actual job, the new guy just didn't cut it. Under
pressure to meet that monthly deadline, the aspiring artist couldn't
produce professional quality.
RULE #1: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER MISS A DEADLINE!!!
The first and foremost thing a professional needs to keep in mind is
that the deadline is yesterday. If he blows it, he's not the only one
that gets hurt. Everyone down the line is damaged and if the editor has
to have a rush job done later in the process, the finished product is
bound to suffer, and sometimes it costs the publisher extra money. They
hate that!
RULE #2: K.I.S.S. (KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID!)
During the four-plus years that I attended conventions and sent in
samples, the comment I always heard was: "You need to work on your
storytelling." I would ask how I could do that. Invariably the answer
was: "Well, nobody really knows how to teach it. Just keep trying 'til
you get it right."
The rule of thumb is the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Your
layouts should be simple, clean and to-the-point. Each panel should
have only one action in it and should flow easily and naturally to the
next panel. The page should flow together as one piece of work. Avoid
fancy panel layouts until you become very proficient at telling the
story. The art should emphasize the story, not stand in its way.
Comics storytelling should come naturally as you read the plot or
script. The artist should image the story as a movie going on inside
his head. As the movie progresses, stop the video at the crucial point
and move the camera around the scene in the three dimensions, zooming in
and out until the picture includes everything necessary to tell the
story simply and clearly.
A simple and easy exercise I found useful in learning storytelling
was to use a VCR and a recording of a well-directed movie (in my own
opinion Hitchcock movies are the best.) After you've set up the VCR and
inserted the tape, turn the sound on the TV set completely off. Then
pay careful attention to how each scene is set up, how the camera moves,
etc. When a particularly interesting scene comes up, or an establishing
shot beginning a new scene is shown, pause the VCR and closely examine
how the director has set the scene to give the audience the feeling that
this place really exists. You can't beat this technique, and I've heard
from several other artists who use it to improve their storytelling.
After working everything out in your head, the ideas need to go down
on paper. Personally, I prefer to put my ideas down on common bond
typing paper first, working out panel placement and action on the page
before going to the Bristol board. This allows me to slove my problems
in the layout before it's on the board where any mistake will cause
erasures that can damage the surface of the paper. (Inkers and
letterers hate that.) Once that's done I lightly pencil in the general
shapes of the characters and background in blue pencil (which doesn't
reproduce) and then come back in with my regular lead pencil to "flesh
it out". Not everyone does it this way. Most pencilers skip the blue
pencil and go straight for black lead. In cases where I do the
lettering, it's usually done between the blue pencil and the final dark
lead. If I'm inking the work I skip the final lead and ink right over
the blue pencil.
RULE #3: RESEARCH EVERYTHING (even if you think you know how to draw it)
After reading over the plot or script, make a note (mental or
otherwise) of all the everyday objects that show up throughout the
story. Even if you think you know how to draw these objects, get
references in the form of photographs or photocopies from library
research and have them at hand when you get ready to draw them.
I have a file cabinet with two drawers full of clipped photos from
magazines. Each file in the cabinet is marked with a general subject
(for example: transportation, architecture, interior decoration,
etc...). Under each general heading, I may get more specific such as
cars, boats, and planes under transportation. Everyone in my family
knows to save their magazines when they're through with them. When the
pile gets too large to walk around in my studio, I sit down and clip
photos and file them away under the appropriate heading. I also
inherited a good sized collection of National Geographic which sits on a
special shelf in my studio, in case I need reference on some exotic
locale.
This may sound like an unnecessary amount of work, but it actually
saves time by eliminating the need for a trip to the library to
photocopy something that I could have easily had on hand.
RULE #4: LEARN ANATOMY!
At conventions, I've learned that editors and art directors look for
little clues that an artist doesn't know anything about human anatomy.
An editor once told me that he always looks for hands in submissions.
If the artist avoids drawing hands, it's likely that he doesn't really
know how to draw them and has other problems he's covering up.
Libraries and bookstores carry loads of books on art anatomy. Check one
out or purchase one that strikes your fancy. Don't get GRAY'S ANATOMY!
While this book is great if you're studying medicine, it's virtually
useless to an artist.
Beyond anatomy books, it must be remembered that in fashion
illustration and comics, human proportions are exaggerated! In real
life, a man stands about six "heads" tall ("heads" being the common
measurement of the drawn human figure). In comics, a super-hero may be
as much as 10 or 11 heads tall! Most "civilians" are between 6 and 7
1/2 heads (women are usually 1/2 head shorter than the men).
Since I was trained "classically" in college, I had (and sometimes
still have) problems getting used to drawing such "un-real" proportions.
RULE #5: DON'T SWIPE (at least on a regular basis)
Nothing annoys me more than reading a comic book and noticing a
panel or pose blatantly swiped from another artist. When a panel jumps
off the page as swiped it breaks the concentration of the reader and
makes him remember that he's reading something rather than experiencing
it.
It's fine to study an artist you admire and even copy or swipe while
you're learning to draw (as long as you learn from other sources as
well) but develop your own style.
RULE #6: DON'T BE DEFENSIVE OR APOLOGETIC ABOUT YOUR ART
When you send in a submission by mail or speak to an editor at a
convention never apologize or say this isn't your best work. (Besides,
you should only be showing your best work!) Listen carefully and
attentively to any and all comments about your work. The person looking
at your work may well be a rude, insensitive clod, but never, EVER
let him know you think that.
Editors have a lot to worry about besides smoothing out an artists'
ruffled feathers. None of them want to work with someone who can't take
critical evaluation of his work without going into orbit. In comics,
the editor has the last say. He's your boss, and if he tells you to do
something, do it! If you ca't stand the way he is constantly asking for
changes to your work (and the good ones will), finish your contractual
obligation with him and find another to work with or get out of the
business entirely -- you may not be cut out for it.
Contrary to popular belief, you needn't have an ego to go well in
comics. In fact, the creators that are the easiest to get along with
and take instruction well have the most chance of getting a lot of work!
No one wants to work with a whiner. Everyone likes to work with an
easy-going, happy person.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
| This article is Copyright (c) 1992 by Rob Davis. The author is a
| feelance artist whose work has been seen under a number of different
| company logos. His professional comics career started with SYPHONS
| #7 from NOW Comics, as a letterer. He also lettered RUST #'s 1 and
| 2 and penciled, lettered and inked DAI KAMIKAZE!. At Malibu
| Graphics Rob has penciled and inked several projects. Among those
| were SCIMIDAR and MERLIN. For Innovation Rob penciled STRAW MEN,
| MAZE AGENCY, and QUANTUM LEAP. At Rip-Off Press Rob penciled,
| lettered and inked THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN NEMO. At Marvel Comics
| Rob penciled theee issues of Hanna Barbera's PIRATES OF DARK WATER.
| At DC Comics Rob has penciled STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and
| STAR TREK (one issue each as fill-in, so far). All this as of
| September, 1992.
--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes)
"Egads! These look like a women's fingerprints"
-- Durlock Holmes