Reddit reviews Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers
We found 25 Reddit comments about Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Design Studio Press
Ok, now take note of what went wrong with your drawing and try again, and again, and again. Then after a few weeks go back and compare your latest drawings to this one.
The master has failed more times then the novice has tried.
If you want some resources, here are some youtube channels:
And also some books:
You should also check out http://drawabox.com/ and https://www.ctrlpaint.com/.
Edit: Labeled the links.
Edit 2: Just in case anyone saved this post, here's a couple of youtube channels I started watching recently:
I hope things are going well for you. And remember, as long as you keep moving forward you'll get to where you want to go eventually, even if your steps aren't as big as you'd like.
I feel like anyone getting into animation would do well to intimately study comics.
At its heart, comics are about deciding which actions in the scene are most salient for the moment in time that a panel represents. This is very similar to plotting out keyframes. Animation is essentially just comics with like 10 billion more panels to fill in the rest of the movement.
Edit to add: Another fantastic book that kind of spans both realms is the book Framed Ink by artist Marcos Mateu-Mestre. Highly recommended!
Framed Ink
Probably not much help, but Stan Lee has this book out which may be of help, as it deals with western style comics. I've also heard good things about this book as well.
Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu Mestre is one of the recommended books to read. Definitely helps for storytelling, especially reasoning behind why a shot looks a certain way.
I am currently reading this book. I recommend picking it up to help with those compositional discrepancies. Tagging /u/fkwillrice to also check out the link.
Read this book.
Agreed. As-is, while the drawing is fairly strong, the composition is far too simple.
/u/FatherJTodd, every panel in this page puts the subject in the center of the page in a straight-on shot (one shot is from the 'side' but the camera is still at the same level). While this means the story is understandable, it's also very 'wooden' and somewhat devoid of drama; there's so much more you could be doing with composition to give this page some life.
Compare your page to what Tradd Moore does in Luther Strode. Tradd is a master of dynamic comic composition-- he varies the size and shape of the panels, the "camera" angle, the location of the subjects within the panel, and the amount of black to create a visual feast for the eyes.
That's not to say you have to immediately start going crazy like Tradd does... but you should definitely start thinking about composition more. Check out Wally Wood's 22 Panels that Always Work for ideas of how to change up composition, and buy/read Marcos Mateu-Mestre's fantastic book Framed Ink for a more in-depth explanation of composition for graphic communication.
You're on to a great start just by starting! Here is a great book that I would recommend for composition, which plays a huge part in the layout of comic strips. I was a layout artist at Disney for Frozen, and a lighting artist on many other films and this book was a great way to learn some of the fundamental (and not so fundamental) ideas to staging and drawing for storytellers. Hope this help! Keep it up! http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417589562&sr=8-1&keywords=ink+marcos+mateu
Check out a book called Framed Ink; there are chunks that are very specifically about comics and shot composition in movies, but on the whole is a very good discussion on the general topic of composition.
Even master artists feel like they don't know what they're doing. The more you learn, the more you realize is left to learn. There is no point where you go from someone who can't draw to someone who can. It's just something you keep getting better at the more you practice and study. Copying from reference is a great place to start, keep at it. and don't be afraid to ask for critique if you really get stuck.
Just do what you can now, and as you improve it will get more fun and less frustrating.
If you want some resources, here's some youtube channels that have helped me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dyu9y0EV0cSvGtbBtHw_w
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQTqWAaSzhAKRanOpes1nA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvM8sIthAK1KOQ4nq5mYCTw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwJheV30gHVOjBps2DU7k9A
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCno-YPZ8BiLrN0Wbl8qICFA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIGRhqYssT6IGPYOnZBFYKw
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
And also some books:
https://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-All-Its-Worth/dp/0857680986
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Realist-Painter-Gurney/dp/0740797719
https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953
https://www.amazon.com/Animators-Survival-Kit-Principles-Classical/dp/086547897X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZNC6E0ET0QNFQAPH01WB
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X
You could also check out http://drawabox.com/ and https://www.ctrlpaint.com/ which both offer a more ridged lesson by lesson approach to learning to draw.
It doesn't really have a specific name. However, if you want to know more about this sort of style, there are two books I can't recommend enough.
Don't get too hung up on books, they can be useful but but realize they are still limited in information, technique, application, opinion etc. That being said: Loomis is widely known as the standard for drawing anatomy; Masters of Anatomy have some great pose references to practice dynamic figure study; and lastly Framed Ink is a short but valuable book about how to use compositions to achieve different things.
When you do studies, just think of what you want to learn better and build your own study to achieve that goal. Want to learn dynamic lighting? Grab some lamps and set up a still life. Want to learn compositions? Get some professional images with great composition and trace the major shapes over the top, then try to reverse-engineer how and why the artist did things that way.
Learn from the masters.
Hi, first some background. I am currently in the hell process of getting my first industry job. Keep getting interviews/test but so far I haven’t gotten a job yet...though it’s only been two months since I finally started to apply haha. I originally applied for RISD MICA MCAD SVA Art Center and CalArts and I got accepted into all of them besides CalArts, which I got waitlisted for. Every school I got into offered me scholarships but once I factored in living/food I still couldn’t afford it. So I swallowed my pride and went to community college for a few years then besides reapplying to art schools I decided to make a hour and a half commute every few days to take classes at Concept Design Academy, Which I’m still currently doing. My original plan was to go to Calstate Long Beach or Cal State Fullerton, both have really good animation programs but I could live with my family while I went.
I’m so happy I didn’t go to a traditional art school. I was about to reapply when one of my friends who now works at Dreamworks told me to just do Concept Design instead. I trusted her opinion since she went to SVA and graduated and ended up not having the exact skills she needed for employment and she was super in debt.
I’d say it’s 50/50 with people I know that attended college and currently work in the industry, other half did what I am doing/didn’t get any higher education, some of my closest friends are currently attending SVA. I’m going to be honest most think it’s useless and wishes they went to a state school with a good art program rather than SVA or did what I ended up doing.
If you really want to work in TV/Movie animation look into Concept Design Academy in Pasadena CA or CGMA online or something similar. If you are dead set getting a degree I’d recommend looking into state schools. Art school isn’t worth the debt. If you have to take on all the loans yourself it’s not worth it it will destroy your credit forever and you won’t be able to move where the industry is.
This is about art center(where I originally got accepted and planned on going too) but all my SVA/MICA/RISD friends have similar experiences
http://ghostbri.tumblr.com/post/178516711920/dude-i-really-wanna-go-to-art-center-what#notes
This specific artist also has great resources for finding alternative education.
DONT RUIN YOUR LIFE BC YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WONT SUCCEED IN THE INDUSTRY WITH OUT ART SCHOOL. THERE IS OTHER WAYS.
If you live in/around LA area or are willing to transfer:
http://conceptdesignacad.com/
https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/education/
https://laafa.edu/
Online recourses:
https://www.cgmasteracademy.com
https://www.schoolism.com
https://www.theanimcourse.com/courses/
Alternative book based educations:
The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators https://www.amazon.com/dp/086547897X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U7xwCbZNA4X74
Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933492953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_m8xwCbE8TH4VS
FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing: 10th Anniversary Edition (Force Drawing Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138919578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U8xwCbTRGJHWJ
(This one is currently out of print because they are changing the cover it should be back in a few weeks and be around 15 bucks)
Also here is a few good YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3ZMbzTOXdDuJlhAZuXgaw
https://youtu.be/uDqjIdI4bF4
If you(or anyone reading this) have any questions please feel free to DM me!! If I don’t have a direct answer I know one of my friends that work in the industry will and I could ask. Art School isn’t the only way to obtain a good quality art education and a ton of talented artist make it in the industry without it!
Also sorry this is so LA centric, I grew up in the great LA area and currently work exclusively in it so it’s all I know in-depth.
Quick Edit; I’m a purely 2D based artist. I work mostly in concept and I’m currently working on transitioning into Boarding/Revisions. I don’t work on the animation end of these but that’s Bc most outsource to other countries now.
Draw draw draw. Look up and follow a WIDE variety of artists and their social media. Look at old paintings and news photography (you get some really great reference in genuine emotion in a lot of that stuff, but it can be very intense so beware).
Watch out for colleges that are "WE graduate lots of artists who ALL MAKE IT BIG!" There are a LOT of scam schools out there and you can find cheaper better teaching environments like community colleges or Atelier's. These are generally more geared towards the traditional ways of illustration, but what you learn would help you establish more believable worlds to put your characters in.
A couple of resources I can recommend are Framed Ink
and a illustration group called One Fantastic Week.
And ThatOneDruid brings up a good point. Don't look at comics being your sole job as for many artists its not. Even the currently working artists who are employed do so on a contractual basis and often need to do other gigs on the side. Whether those other gigs are other full time jobs or just other contract jobs making ads, you're looking at a lot of hustle. Not bad if you can keep it up, just keep that in mind (especially if you're going alone and don't have a partner who can provide the more stable stuff like insurance and income.)
This is also very true if you're trying to do the whole indie/kickstarter thing as its really nice to go and put out your own stuff into the world, you have to do all the hard work of finding your audience and staying consistent with content.
And as always, you can start putting your stuff out there now on any social media site you'd like. Just draw draw draw and good luck!
If it's learning in your free time try loomis and expand from there. An often overlooked aspect of art is composition. If you aren't familiar with the subject check out framed ink. It's film/comic focused, but reading this will give you an immediate step up on the subject and a greater appreciation for visual storytelling. Also makes for a great bathroom/coffee table book.
If you haven't gotten all that far with pixel art this book, while poorly written, is a reasonably comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals (not art fundamentals, but pixel art specific issues like lines/circles, anti-aliasing, dithering, ect). If you do go a more traditional route and have some cash I would recommend looking into getting a cheap graphics tablet and trying digital art instead. This guy has some great free videos on making the transition (he uses photoshop, but most techniques can be adapted to other software with a bit of effort) with a little introductory material on drawing in general. I've found making good pixel art as time consuming as drawing by hand, but ymmv.
As a side thought on the art classes bit, make sure to check with other students before registering. It's common for a good art class to assign very time consuming assignments so make sure you know what you're getting into first. Whatever you decide to do college is a good time to experiment and learn. Be sure to go wild and have fun so long as the rest of your career and future are in order.
Don't limit yourself to photography, there are many amazing painters. Thinking about it, maybe you should x-post to /r/art and similar subreddits.
In terms of books I've done a lot of research but found very little. A common recommendation for photographers is The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman which goes through all kind of lines, contrast, balance, etc. Other books I'm eyeing are Mastering Composition by Ian Roberts and Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu-Mestre. Unfortunately I haven't read any of them yet so I can't comment on the quality.
If you are really serious about it, consider getting a list of most recommended art / photography universities. Then use their websites to find courses and contact teachers personally, asking for (book) recommendations. Begin with one person at each university if they happen to forward your message since you don't want to come across as spam. Some universities even publish course literature on their website. I'd love to hear the responses if you go through with it.
http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953
https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953
Maybe "can you suggest any tutorials/artists that I can learn from?" would be a better question than what you've typed above, because I don't really understand what you're asking for in the original.
If you're looking for things like books, I have recently enjoyed Dream Worlds by Hans Bacher and Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu-Mestre. They're not really 'how to' books, but they're good for demonstrating composition.
That sounds like a great goal. I am not a storyboard artist, so all I will say about your storyboards is that I am excited to see more! Here is a book I read recently by someone who worked for Disney, click here for that. And THIS is a good book too. Both of these books have a lot of pictoral examples and I found them very valuable, for comics or storyboards.
Marcos Mateu-Mestre's Framed Ink is an excellent book on composition, which is a hard subject to find instructional material for.
Gurney's Color and Light is my favorite book on color theory, and it has a fair bit on rendering realistic lighting. It does a very good job of explaining how to use the concepts it presents.
Surgical video editor and animator here.
HungryLikeTheWolf99 just dropped some science. The emphasis on organization can not be understated.
To this I would add:
Good luck.
I constantly try to everyone I can about these two books, Drawn to Life Vol 1 & 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures. They are super heavy in terms of theory, and took me a few years to read through both volumes fully, but no other book has impacted the way I think about and practice drawing then these two.
https://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Life-Classes-Stanchfield-Lectures/dp/0240810961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519436955&sr=8-1&keywords=drawn+to+life
Framed Ink has been really helpful for me in beginning to understand the art of sequential story telling, and the thinking behind different framing choices.
https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Add into that David Chelseas book Perspective for Comic Book Artists. It explained (and continues to explain) perspective in a way that makes sense and is incredibly detailed. (I alone would buy the book for how he explains the hanger method of sizing characters of the same size but on different planes in the correct perspective.)
https://www.amazon.com/Perspective-Comic-Book-Artists-Professional/dp/0823005674/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519437238&sr=1-1&keywords=perspective+for+comics
These are just a couple from the top of my head, but if you'd like more recommendations, or ones on specific topics I can see if I have any that would fit your need.