Reddit reviews Perspective! for Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in your Artwork

I'm gonna disagree with a lot of people and tell you to not buy Understanding Comics. I mean, you can, I don't disagree with most of what he teaches, but I disagree with his results. Perhaps it's one of those 'good in theory, terrible in practice' things. The Sculptor, his latest (?) book uses his UC technique 100% and while it makes for an easy read, it's visually boring and the story is just one unbelievable trope after another, complete garbage.

I'm also not going to tell you to copy other comic artists, that's a very common mistake in comics. When you copy other comic artists you learn their mistakes, or shortcuts, or cheats. I still find after I've drawn a page I'll go back and see where I unintentionally swiped a pose or technique from John Buscema (How to make Comics the Marvel Way had a big influence on me as a teenager, which is who it was made for).

For figure drawing you want George Bridgeman. His figure drawing techniques are the foundation for pretty much every other great illustrator in the last 100 years.

Another good source is Burne Hogarth (Dynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing) his stuff is more action and hero based, but his lessons are sound. He founded what became the School of Visual Arts. These were my first art books when I was a teenager, and they still hold up.

For storytelling, I go for Will Eisner's Graphic Storytelling and the Visual Narrative, Sequential Art Principles and throw in Expressive Anatomy, because, why not?

David Chelsea's Perspective for Comic Artists is great, because it teaches you exactly how to do correct perspective, then in the last chapter he tells you how to cheat at all of it.

For classes, take a look at the horribly designed website for http://comicsworkbook.com/ it's run by a guy, Frank Santoro, who's actually not one of my favorite artists, but he knows his shit, for sure, and he's a helluva nice guy who loves comics 100%. I think his full online class is $500 and he runs it twice a year, I think. Also look in your area for a college or art store that might have figure drawing classes, they are invaluable.

The main problem I'm seeing is the fact that despite the one tire/engine/thruster thingie in the back being farther away, it's the exact same size as the one that's closest to us. And the tail of the car/spaceship/steampunk vehicle isn't in line with the proportions you have set. This is basically what I mean. Sorry for shit quality, but that's what I see with the perspective.

The tail should be farther back and not look as flat as it is (basically the tail looks flat, almost like it's being looked on from straight up side point of view, rather than from a slightly right-ish angle), and the front left tire (the one closest to us) looks about the same exact size as the one that's farther away, even though foreshortening should make the one in the back slightly smaller than the one closest to us.

My recommendation is to make the tire closer to us slightly bigger.

I wish I could be of more help, but I'm still learning perspective myself. I'm just applying what I've learned from Perspective! For Comic Book Artists, by David Chelsea.

I think there are some subtle perspective issues. I drew over it a bit to point them out.

The most noticeable one, I think, is the central house. Its vanishing points are quite close together, which distorts the field of view and makes it look like the camera is close to it. I'd suggest moving the vanishing points further apart and seeing how it looks. Another issue is the foreground character. His shoulders and the handlebars on the bike deviate from the horizon, and he looks slightly out of place because of it. It feels like we're looking slightly up at him, and slightly down on the rest of the scene. You could change him so he matches the perspective of the buildings, or even change the buildings so they match him, since they're the only thing that enforces where the horizon is (the crops and grass can easily go uphill and converge off the horizon, but houses not so much).

This is stuff most readers won't notice or be bothered by, especially when the art is good. This field of view and measurement stuff is a nasty can of worms to open, since you have to keep track of every element in the scene at once, but it can give it that extra something when all the pieces fit together perfectly. I like the book Perspective! for Comic Book Artists, which goes in-depth on constructing scenes in consistent perspective and field of view, but I'm sure there are other resources.

But overall, it looks nice! You have very nice linework, construction, and anatomy. It'd be cool to see where you head with this.

Your anatomy work is looking nice. Did you draw them from life or out of a book? This is a great comic/book on perspective

The one I've got and like is Vanishing Point: Perspective for Comics From the Ground Up. It's quite comprehensive. I have it on good authority, from artist friends of mine, that David Chelsea's book Perspective! for Comic Book Artists is excellent.

An artist gave me a list of books to read at a convention after I showed him my work.


Figure drawing for all its worth

Perspective! For Comic Book Artists

Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative

The Classic How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way

I just wanted to give a little constructive feedback, and point out that your perspective drawing needs some work, e.g. the paper looking like it's on a different plane from the desk is a bit jarring.

I recommend giving Perspective! for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea a read. Bonus: It's not standard textbook format, but rather an entertaining graphic novel! Which is good, because it has that many more visual examples (that also showcase Chelsea's amazing skill).

1. Make yourself do 'em.
   
2. Whenever possible, rough in your characters first, then compose your background to frame the action - think in loose areas of light and dark (and color if you're using that), then turn 'em into whatever the actual environment is.
   
3. If you're working digitally, cut and paste can be your friend. But don't abuse it. For that matter a Xerox machine can be your friend too.
   
4. If you can wrap your mind around 3D tools (I can't), they can be a great asset for building scenes. For that matter so can building little physical models.
   
5. Don't be afraid to use reference photos either. You will find all kinds of crazy details to swipe.
   
6. Go do some studies. Wander around the city drawing buildings. Draw landscapes. Learn to draw stuff that is not a character, it'll be a lot easier to make them up for your comics, and to draw them from reference.
   
7. Learn perspective! I haven't used it myself but a lot of people recommend Perspective for Comic Book Artists. (I learnt perspective before this book existed, you see...)

ah, still view only. that's alright. couple of pages from my sketch book and i finally got around to posting this thing.

going to work on finishing some pages and sketching out some new ones now.

also, if anyone want any reading material for perspective, check out How To Draw Manga: Sketching Manga-Style Volume 4: All About Perspective, How To Draw Manga Volume 29: Putting Things In Perspective, and [The Art of Perspective] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Perspective-Ultimate-Artists/dp/1581808550). and yes, those how to draw manga book is a god send. I feel like a lot of books get too technical but these book explain concepts pretty simply.

If you do want something more technical, read Perspective! for Comic Book Artists. I liked it but it got confusing and difficult at times, haha.

Keep working on it. You have a sense for humor and timing that is deserving of the effort to refine not only it, but your art as well.

Some books that may interest you:

• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - This is handy as an inspiring introduction to the mental perspective of art, ie how to draw what you see and not what you think you see.
  
  
• How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema - There are hundreds of lousy books with instructions on how to draw cartoon characters. This isn't one of them. This is a breakdown of how comic art is formed, from the elements of illustration to the basics of composition, all packaged in a format to be enticing to novice artists who happen to be comic fans.
  
  
• Perspective! for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea - A straightforward guide on how to represent perspective in illustration, with lots of supplementary explanation and art, in an amusing comic format.
  
  

If you're serious about learning perspective, this is a really good book that isn't too terribly academic.. Nail down perspective, nail down anatomy, then you can draw heads in perspective all day long.

your perspective is off. pick up Perspective! for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea. its really a shame he titled it what he did because millions of artists probably gloss over it thinking "bah, comic books! that's not what i do." but clearly it is what you do. so get it.

i have read a dozen books on perspective and this book is far and away the best. there are concepts it doesn't totally cover, and there are more advanced books for that. in terms of getting the idea across and learning there is no better book in my experience. and it has a lot of premade grids in the back to get you started.

These days I just drop it into Clip Studio Paint and trace what I need. :D

In my defense I did learn to do perspective by hand back in the day. It can be hard as hell once you get into curved surfaces. I did find David Chelsea's Perspective! book to be pretty useful as a reminder on how to do it.

But even with digital help I still lay out the perspective lines so everything I add to the image, or move around, looks like it's in the right place. Even though I'm fairly confident I know enough nowadays to fake it some habits die hard.

Di libri ce ne sono a bizzeffe.

Visto che vorresti fare i ritratti ti consiglio questo, che spiega quali sono i tratti fondamentali da cogliere per rappresentare le espressioni del volto:

https://www.amazon.it/Artists-Complete-Guide-Facial-Expression/dp/0823004325/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549019579&sr=8-4&keywords=expression+anatomy

Per la prospettiva poi questo è stato quello che ho trovato più utile, lo ritengo una buona via di mezzo tra il tecnico ed il pratico:

https://www.amazon.it/Perspective-Comic-Book-Artists-Professional/dp/0823005674/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549019730&sr=8-3&keywords=perspective+for+comic

This is the book you were remembering:
http://www.amazon.com/Perspective-Comic-Book-Artists-Professional/dp/0823005674
Good book!

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.