Tips/Tricks/Questions/Tools thread

[Chris Wallace]

Here we can exchange general pointers, seek out ideas, anything at all pertaining to your art. Just a couple of random things off the top of my head:
1. Try not to become OVERLY influenced by any one artist. It's okay for you to love Mark Bagley's Spider-Man or Jim Lee's Batman. But that doesn't mean you should copy them. And it's an easy trap to fall into.
2. I personally use only mechanical pencils for my fine lines, #2's, 4H's, etc. for shading.
3. I don't use a ruler when drawing Spider-Man's web-lines; the idea of them not being perfectly straight kind of lends itself more to it looking like actual webs rather than a rope.

 

[Spider-Who?]

Mista Wallace, I'm bored (its quite a lazy saturday here) and see that you and I both created helpful threads for fellow artists. In an effort to see our threads be used (or appreciated), I'm gonna comment.

My work offers an illustration meeting every week, where all the artists get together and show off their favorite artists, watch instructional videos on line, and critque/give advice to eachother. Its pretty cool, and thought I'd share a few of the tips that have been mentioned...

1) Try an exercise for your memory and attention to detail. Spend a few minutes (no more than 3) looking at an object. Then try to draw it from memory.

2) Watching shows like Lost and House while you draw is a good way to draw facial expressions from different angles (along with a little help from the above exercise.) These shows have alot of close ups on actors faces with dramatic lightning, and is a wonderful (and entertaining way) to practice drawing faces.

3) As a way to help with your imagination/creativity, pick an obect/animal to draw with attributes of an entirely unrelated object (a furry octopus, perhaps? a dog with lizard scales? what would a whale look like if it could fly?) This will help you think outside the box, and maybe even come up with your own characters.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Can you give me a link to yours, that I might help keep it alive?

 

[Chris Wallace]

DO NOT erase your pencil lines immediately after inking. You will smudge your sketch all to be damned. Trust me on this one.
Many artists will recommend keeping such mags as Muscle/Fitness or some swimsuit magazines on hand for reference. I do this myself, but remember that superheroes are people. Focus on learning how they look & what they do when they aren't in costume. Keep mags like People on hand as well, and definitely some hair magazines. They are your lifeline.
SPEND SOME TIME PRACTICING VARYING ETHNIC FEATURES. Black noses, Asian eyes-I hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns when I see black comic characters that look like they just came from Michael's plastic surgeon!