I hate to cut the creators like that, but it's the truth. Besides, they get paid on the front-end, so the only way they are making another dime off that book is if it sees subsequent printings; unless it sells like hotcakes right out the gates, their profits on that book is basically done excepting a trickle of royalties. Don't fret too much for them; the odds are 90% that they have a multi-book/series deal, so they're going to stay plenty busy and get plenty of return.
But it all got me to thinking about how I was always going to give you some drawing tips (I hate to use that word, because it implies I actually know what the hell I am doing, but whatever synonym works without making me sound like a braggart is what I meant) and tell you a little of what I have learned, lo these many years... and yet I never have. So, in no particular order (and for whatever it's worth), here goes:
- Draw hands larger than the head to give "superheroic" proportions
- Tilted angles in frames gives the illusion of action - use sparingly
- Center composition is a dramatic effect best used for impact scenes (close-ups and mid one-shots)
- The length of time that passes between panels creates the pacing; the more time that elapses between panels, the "faster" the comic book reads and the faster the reader will breeze through it
- A. Kubert was right: learn your anatomy
- People who have a natural flair for drawing the human form often have a natural inclination toward living things and anatomy in general; they cannot, however, draw mechanical objects (buildings, cars, planes, etc.) with "feeling"
- Hitler liked to draw mechanical objects
- I'm just saying
- Make the legs twice as long as the torso for a "lanky" effect
- Do not "double-joint" anything
- Do not ignore features (noses, ears, knuckles, etc.) but it is acceptable to draw "through" them and leave them out
- Varying the thickness of the panel border is a dramatic effect - use with center composition for more impact, use with tilted angle for more action
- "Speed" lines increase the perceived action, but use sparingly; too much of that stuff not only "burns" the reading (speeds-up the reader's reading pace), it indicates you cannot draw backgrounds or control pacing
- A double-page spread is the equivalent of breakdancing on the infield; double-page spreads are acceptable for team shots, wide-area overviews, and MAJOR battle scenes (think Magneto vs. the X-Men or Spidey vs. Green Goblin) - at the most, include ONE every YEAR or TWO. If you absolutely have to set something down requiring that amount of real estate, draw a poster or wrap-around cover.
- Double-page spreads destroy pacing unless used literally as either the frontispiece, appendix, or climax
- Single-page spreads ("pin-ups") are for dramatic effect; use sparingly; a series of pin-ups is illustration, not sequential art
- Divide dialogue with "impact" frames to heighten tension, create impact points within the exchange, and control pacing; use sparingly
- The cliche about "floating discussions" is something of a misnomer; as in all writing, the maxim for sequential art is "show, don't tell." This is easily most important in sequential art and should be a no-brainer, but open any inferior comic and you will read three panels of overflowing dialogue (dialogue that continues from one panel to the next) in which the main character recounts his history, his powers, and his "dilemma." If a guy floats, then having him float while conversing about something unrelated is a great way to avoid having the character say, "I can float." If the character does not float until it becomes essential to the story, readers will think you "cheated."
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
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