Draw! #5 by TwoMorrows Publishing

NUMBER 5

THE “HOW-TO” MAGAZINE ON COMICS AND CARTOONING

IN THE U.S.A.

WINTER 2003

$5.95

AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE WIERINGO BUILDING POWERS BY BENDIS, OEMING AND THE POWERS CREW DRAWING HANDS BY BRET BLEVINS DESIGN—THE DEPTH ILLUSION BY PAUL RIVOCHE THE MUST HAVE ART BOOKS FOR YOUR STUDIO BY TERRY BEATTY THIS ISSUE CONTAINS NUDITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF FIGURE DRAWING. INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS.

Number 10, Winter 2003 • Hype and hullabaloo from the publisher determined to bring new life to comics fandom • Edited by Eric Nolen-Weathington

S’long CBA... ...Hello ? First off, some disappointing news: COMIC BOOK ARTIST magazine is moving to Top Shelf Productions. After five years and two Eisner Awards at TwoMorrows, “Ye Ed” JON COOKE got an offer he couldn’t refuse, so #25 (slated for April, and featuring Alan Moore’s ABC line) will be the last issue before the switch. Refunds to subscribers for issues beyond #25 have been mailed, so if you didn’t get yours, give our phone or e-mail box a jingle. And if you’re missing some CBA back issues, don’t worry; we’re still handling sales of all the TwoMorrows issues until they’re sold out, so now’s the time to stock up! (If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the previously announced SWAMPMEN book, sorry—it’s been shelved due to CBA’s switch.)

TIDBITS lthough DRAW! is consistently our top-selling magazine, it’s also our most erratic at shipping on-time. While the magazine has fallen behind due to contributor and scheduling issues, MIKE MANLEY has vowed to get DRAW! out more regularly in 2003, and has a ton of material “in the can” for future issues, so look for solid quarterly or better shipping starting with #6 (above)! ow that ALTER EGO is monthly, it’s our most regular mag, and ROY THOMAS hasn’t missed a deadline yet! (Of course, designer CHRIS DAY helps a little, too!) Be sure to check out #23 in April, showcasing the recent discovery of two NEVER-PUBLISHED Golden Age Wonder Woman yarns! RITE NOW! editor DANNY FINGEROTH shared with us this quote he received from STAN “THE MAN” LEE: “WRITE NOW! is a great mag… reading the interviews will turn all your subscribers into better writers. As if we ain't got enough competition now!“ If Stan likes it, we bet you will too! Pick up issue #4 (above) in April, featuring HOWIE CHAYKIN, WARREN ELLIS, and other top pros on both sides of the desk giving tips on writing for comics, animation, and sciencefiction!

Modern Masters Making Waves!

So just what is TwoMorrows going to do with that empty slot on its schedule once CBA is gone? Glad you asked! We’re hard at work on SUPER-SECRET PLANS for the launch of what we predict will be the NEW MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR! Look for the formal announcement next issue, but rest assured it’ll appeal to the same audience as CBA, and is destined to be THE ULTIMATE COMICS EXPERIENCE!

For those misguided individuals who still think we only cover the “old school” artists of the Golden and Silver Ages, take note. TwoMorrows production assistant (and all-around good guy) ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON is editing our new book series spotlighting the top talent working in comics today! MODERN MASTERS: VOLUME ONE showcases the work of ALAN DAVIS, the British superstar known for his stunning work on DETECTIVE COMICS, X-MEN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, KILLRAVEN, and of course, CAPTAIN BRITAIN! This first volume of the series explores his life and career with the longest, most in-depth interview Davis has ever given. In addition to pages and pages of rare and previously unpublished artwork, Alan gives a tutorial on the artists that influenced him, plus his views on graphic storytelling. Also included are interviews with long-time collaborators Paul Neary and Mark Farmer. (Neary also provides the Foreword, while Farmer contributes the Afterword.) The 128-page trade paperback ships in March for $17 POSTPAID IN THE US. And next up for Volume Two? GEORGE PÉREZ!

Lightning Strikes Again! Hot on the heels of the success of THE FAWCETT COMPANION, TwoMorrows presents BECK AND SCHAFFENBERGER: SONS OF THUNDER, a splitbiography book (with a Foreword by KEN BALD) on the careers and lives of two of comics’ greatest and most endearing artists, C.C. BECK and KURT SCHAFFENBERGER! Both men are known for their seminal work on FAWCETT COMICS, and this upclose and personal retrospective journey takes you from their childhood years to the Golden Age of comic books and beyond! Co-written by FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) editor P.C. HAMERLINCK and MARK VOGER, this book is chock-full of previously unpublished art by both artists, including pre-comic book work, art from CAPTAIN MARVEL, LOIS LANE, and more, plus hundreds of RARE PHOTOGRAPHS! If you’re a fan of either of these Golden and Silver Age greats, this is a book you can’t miss! The 160-page paperback ships in April, for $20 POSTPAID IN THE US.

Barnes & Noble, Here We Come! TwoMorrows has signed an exclusive deal with DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS to get our trade paperbacks into major bookstore chains around the world! This extra exposure means we’ll have the opportunity to publish some groundbreaking tomes by authors who might’ve overlooked us with just Direct Market distribution. Next issue, you’ll see the type of material we’re talking about. STAY TUNED!

To get periodic e-mail updates of what’s new from TwoMorrows Publishing, sign up for our mailing list! Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ twomorrows

Whatta December! First, an ice storm ripped through Raleigh, NC (TwoMorrows’ home base) and knocked out the electricity for 8 long, cold days! Then, just 36 hours after the lights came back on, wife Pam woke publisher John Morrow at 4am and put him on a plane bound for Miami, to take a surprise week-long Caribbean cruise to celebrate his 40th birthday! (Pam packed his bags while he was consumed with working on the new KIRBY COLLECTOR, so he didn’t suspect a thing!) By the time they returned, the holidays were here, and a trip to visit family (and show off 16month-old daughter Lily) was in order. So now you know why TJKC #37 won’t be shipping until Feb. Sorry, Kirby fans!

Coming Soon! Alter Ego #22 (March) Alter Ego #23 (April) Comic Book Artist #24 (Feb) CBA #25 (April, final issue) DRAW! #5 (Feb) DRAW! #6 (April) Modern Masters Vol. One (March) Sons of Thunder (April) The Jack Kirby Collector #37 (Feb) The Jack Kirby Collector #38 (April) Write Now! #3 (Feb) Write Now! #4 (April)

CONTACTS:

John Morrow, publisher, JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR editor, and for subscriptions): twomorrow@aol.com Roy Thomas, ALTER EGO editor: roydann@ntinet.com Mike Manley, DRAW! editor: mike@actionplanet.com P.C. Hamerlinck, FCA editor: fca2001@yahoo.com Danny Fingeroth, WRITE NOW! editor: WriteNowDF@aol.com Jon B. Cooke, COMIC BOOK ARTIST editor: jonbcooke@aol.com And the TWOMORROWS WEBSITE (where you can read excerpts from our back issues, and order from our secure online store) is at: www.twomorrows.com

THE PROFESSIONAL “HOW-TO” MAGAZINE ON COMICS & CARTOONING NOW ON-LINE AT: http://www.drawmagazine.com WINTER 2003 • VOL. 1, NO. 5 Editor & Designer • Michael Manley

Publisher • John Morrow

Logo Design • John Costanza

Front Cover Illustration • Mike Oeming Proofreader • Eric Nolen-Weathington

FEATURES PENCILING A FANTASTIC INTERVIEW WITH CURRENT FANTASTIC FOUR PENCILER MIKE WIERINGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 DESIGN DESIGNING FOR DEPTH BY PAUL RIVOCHE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 BUILDING POWERS A STEP-BY-STEP DEMO BY THE POWERS CREATIVE TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 HITTING THE BOOKS REVIEWS OF VINTAGE ART BOOKS TO HAVE IN YOUR COLLECTION BY TERRY BEATTY . . . . . . . . . . . .54 FIGURE DRAWING DRAWING HANDS BY BRET BLEVINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 LETTERS COMMENTS FROM READERS ON OUR FOURTH ISSUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

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DRAW! SPRING 2003, Vol. 1, No. 5 was produced by Action Planet Inc. and published by TwoMorrows Publishing. Michael Manley, Editor, John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Address is PO Box 2129, Upper Darby, PA 19082. Subscription Address: TwoMorrows Publishing, 1812 Park Dr., Raleigh, NC 27605. DRAW! and its logo are trademarks of Action Planet Inc. All contributions herein are copyright 2003 by their respective contributors. Action Planet Inc. and TwoMorrows Publishing accept no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. All artwork herein is copyright the year of production, its creator (if work-for-hire, the entity which contracted said artwork); the characters featured in said artwork are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners; and said artwork or other trademarked material is printed in these pages with the consent of the copyright holder and/or for journalistic, educational and historical purposes with no infringement intended or implied. Static Shock, Bizarro, are TM and ©2003 DC COMICS • Tom Strong TM and ©2003 America’s Best Comics LLC. • The Human Torch,The Invisible Woman, The Thing, Dr. Octopus, Mr. Fantastic, Sleepwalker, Spider-Man, Modulus TM and ©2003 Marvel Characters, Inc. • Powers TM and ©2003 Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Oeming • MR. X is TM and ©2003 Vortex Comics.• Tarzan is TM and ©2003 The Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate • Tellos TM and ©2003 Todd Dezago and Mike Wieringo • This entire issue is ©2003 Action Planet Inc. and TwoMorrows Publishing and may not be reprinted or retransmitted without written permission of the copyright holders. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

FROM THE EDITOR Figurative interpretation by Bret Blevins

We’re here, we’re here, we’re here! DRAW! is back from our long hiatus. In the time since we last met I attended the 2002 San Diego Comic Con and had a blast. It was great to meet so many of you DRAW! readers there who stopped by our booth to chat with Bret and myself. The drawing demonstration that Bret and I gave was filled to the rafters, which was a great surprise and lots of fun. I just let Bret do all the talking and most of the drawing. The biggest news this time around is the official launch of DRAWMAGAZINE.COM! That’s right, DRAW! will now have an official online home, where you can surf in to find the latest news and updates, back issues and links, peruse and post on our message board, view our online tutorials on drawing, inking and more. You’ll also be able to get in touch with regular DRAW! contributors Bret Blevins and Paul Rivoche as well as Ande Parks. I also want to thank you all for your patience and support as we work to get the magazine back on track schedule-wise. Look for on-time quarterly shipping from now on! Once again a big thanks goes out to my regular contributors Paul and Bret for another series of great articles and making this job easier. I’d also like to thank the Powers team, (Brian, Mike, Ken, and Pete) for giving us a cool cover and a glimpse behind their working process on one of the most popular comics being published today. A big tip of the hat to Terry Beatty for his great and informative article on art and illustration books that all artists should try and acquire for their bookshelf (watch those eBay auctions fly), Mike Wieringo for opening his files and supplying ample copies of his amazing work and sketches (more than I was able to print unfortunately). So enjoy this issue, then surf onto our new website and drop us an e-mail, and look for DRAW! #6 to show up with the Easter Bunny in April. Best,

Mike Manley, Editor The DRAW! message board is up and running, so please post feedback and ask questions at: http://66.36.6.76/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

E-mail: mike@drawmagazine.com Website: www.drawmagazine.com Snail mail: PO Box 2129, Upper Darby, PA 19082

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THE FANTASTIC PENCILS OF

MIKE WIERINGO PENCILING

MIKE WIERINGO

For over a decade Mike Wieringo’s animated and appealing artwork has graced some of the biggest icons in comics. From his break-out run on The Flash to his amazing work on Spider-Man to his creator-owned work on Tellos, to his current run on the first family of comics, The Fantastic Four. DRAW! editor Mike Manley conducted this interview over the internet and by phone with the easy-going, busy artist from his Artamus Studio in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

WIERINGO: This is a panel from FF #61 where Ben is on the track of someone who played a practical joke on him. It was fun to show the public’s reaction to this lumbering monster running down the street. I tried to give the guy in the foreground a Sam Jackson-kind-of look.

DRAW!: Let’s begin with a brief bio. Give me the specifics. Where were you born? Did anyone introduce you into comics? WIERINGO: Well, I was born in Vicenza, Italy in 1963. My father was in the Army when I was born and that’s where he and my mother were stationed.We left not long after I was born, and we moved all over the place for years. We lived in New York state for a while, Virginia, over to Germany for three years and then back to Virginia in the U.S. in 1974. I’ve been in the U.S. ever since. My dad was actually the one who introduced me to comic books. He would buy comics from the base PX (Post Exchange) when we were living in Germany and he’d let me read them. They were mostly DC comics like Superman and Batman, but he would occasionally buy the odd Marvel like XMen or Spider-Man. But overwhelmingly, they were the DC books. DRAW!: Why was that? Did you find DC just more appealing for some reason? DC’s were certainly more accessible in other mediums like TV and cartoons.

WIERINGO: Well, these were the books being bought by my father in Germany that I’m talking about. This was when I was between 8 and 10 years old. I didn’t start buying my own comics until I was 11 years old and back in the O.S. I wasn’t allowed to go to the PX myself because there was a lot of drug dealing and violence going on, on base (if you can believe that... but it happened). But I remember my dad telling me about the comics he bought when he was a kid—things like Airboy, The Heap (a predecessor to Swamp Thing), Blackhawk as well as Superman and Batman. I read what he bought, but when I got to buy my own books, I was into the Marvel stuff. DRAW!: So you were you into comics and cartoons as a kid? WIERINGO: Yeah—I really took to comic books immediately. The first time my dad brought some home, I was hooked. It’s always been that way. I can very easily get drawn into the “reality” of whichever comic book I’m reading/looking at. The comic book medium has always affected me in that way. I can open a comic book and get sucked in from the first couple of pages— DRAW! • WINTER 2003 3

PENCILING

MIKE WIERINGO

even in the bad ones. It’s like my brain is tuned into the language of comics, so it’s very easy to get immersed in whichever book I’m looking at, and it’s been like that for me since childhood. I’ve always enjoyed cartoons and movies as well, but nothing connects with me as much as comic books. DRAW!: When did you get started in the business? WIERINGO: I got started in late 1991 drawing a Doc Savage mini-series for a small publisher called Millennium Publications. I was working on samples at the time and had a pretty friendly relationship with the artists of Gaijin Studios (guys like Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, Adam Hughes and others) and they hooked me up with the publisher at Millennium. It was quite a learning experience, I’ll tell ya. The difference between working on samples and trying to get them “perfect,” and working on pages on deadline was a real eye-opener, no doubt.

WIERINGO: All of that, yeah. But mainly it was, and remains to this day—drawing what someone else has written, as opposed to drawing my own stories. I guess the thing I had the most trouble dealing with is the fact that I had been drawing my own stories for many years before actually starting to work as a freelancer for anyone. From around age 11 or 12 I had been creating my own little comics of varying length with stories either about my favorite existing characters from Marvel and DC or from my own knock-off characters. Every kid that likes to draw comics had their own versions of their favorite existing super-hero (I would assume; every kid I knew that drew did), and so I had years of my own storytelling and pacing habits in place. Not all of them were good, mind you, but it was very hard to go from creating and drawing my own stories to trying to get inside a writer’s mind to try to convey what they’re looking for in a story. It has also been a challenge from day one to draw things that I’m not used to drawing or really don’t have a lot of interest in drawing. One of the big problems I have with some of the writers I’ve worked with is their penchant for writing long scenes that take place with a couple of characters sitting and talking at a desk or in a small room or what have you, that will go on for 5, 6 or 7 pages at times. It’s difficult to maintain enthusiasm for

something like that when you have to draw it. It’s great for television, but not so hot for comics. I 4 DRAW! • WINTER 2003

DRAW!: What was the hardest part of this for you? The working when you don’t want to, or get tired, or drawing things you don’t find interesting?

think some of these guys would love to be writing for episodic television instead of comics, because that’s how their scripts read at times. DRAW!: What or who were you studying at this time artistically? Who were you learning from? WIERINGO: Well, I was a huge Brian Stelfreeze nut, to be honest. Up to the point that I discovered his work when visiting a Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC. I had been into the old fan favorites like John Byrne and George Pérez, but when I saw Brian’s work, it was so unique and from such a different point of view, it just blew me away. My mistake was in trying to really emulate his work at the time. I’ve discovered over the years that personally, for me, trying to draw “like” someone else is a very frustrating and ultimately fruitless endeavor. When I was younger and just getting started doing samples and getting little nibbles from publishers, I was like a magpie and was trying to incorporate stuff from every new artist I was exposed to that enthused me and it was getting me nowhere but confused and lost. It wasn’t until I let my own nat-

PENCILING

MIKE WIERINGO

his working methods and his own influences, so it was pretty much alien to me. I was just trying to emulate the surface stylistics without really understanding the mechanics of what he was doing—so it was kind of clashing with my own natural tendencies, which are much softer, rounder and bouncier lines, so it looked really weird, stiff and clunky. As far as studying art and artists outside of comics, I was exposed to a lot of work while in college that was eye-opening and really expanded my worldview of drawing and painting. But my personal goal was always to work in comics, so I kind of put those elements aside when I first graduated and spent most of my time taking in more comic book related influences. It’s not been until the last several years that I’ve begun to look outside the comic book world again for inspiration. Speaking of the animation and illustration stuff we were talking about earlier. Over that past several years, I’ve been buying as many of the “Art of...” Disney books that they publish after each animated film comes out. I’ve also been buying things like the Society of Illustrators award books and books like Spectrum. As far as feeling as though I had to conform to a house style, I don’t think I ever felt that early on. I guess as the comic book business has imploded over the years, and especially the “mainstream super-hero” aspect of it, I’ve felt some pressure to conform my work to what’s “expected” in the long-underwear books. A lot of that is probably self-imposed pressure. It comes from reading too many critical posts on internet message boards, and that’s something that I need to stop doing. I really need to learn to just draw for myself and enjoy what I’m doing for myself instead of worrying about what others think of my work or would like me to do with my stuff. I think that if I make myself happy with my own stuff, it’ll show in the work and thus people viewing it will enjoy it as well. DRAW!: You mentioned when we talked earlier that you got started later. You went to college later. Were you taking art classes? Did this add any seriousness to your approach to breaking in, to your work ethic? (ABOVE) WIERINGO: This is the layout and pencils for a page from FF #60. I love the humor Mark Waid writes into his scripts. This was a funny scene. LEFT: This is a sketch for an illustration an acquaintance who owns a plane asked me to do for the side of his plane—kind of like a WWII “Good Girl” illustration. He wanted her topless and I didn’t want to do it, so it didn’t go anywhere. It was fun, though.

ural tendencies take over that I started to feel more comfortable and started to make headway. DRAW!: How far along in your career would you say that was? Were you doing any study of artists and art outside of comics at the same time? Did you feel you had to conform to a “house style” at all? WIERINGO: Well, this was fairly early on. It was after I had graduated from college (in 1991)—but before I started getting work from the “majors.” On the Doc Savage mini-series the Gaijin guys lined up for me, I was trying to do a Brian Stelfreeze riff, but it was so difficult for me to even “try” to emulate his work. At the time, I didn’t really much understand

WIERINGO: Well, my parents couldn’t really afford to send me to college right out of high school, so I went to work in the grocery business. For a while, I kind of lost interest in drawing since I couldn’t go to art school like I wanted right out of high school, but after a couple of years of working my ass off, I realized I could get stuck in the cycle of working and buying stuff and I didn’t want to get stuck in the small-town community my folks lived near, so I set my sights on saving my own money toward going to college. Drawing comics had always been my ultimate goal from childhood, so I was pretty driven after a while to get to art school and get some drawing classes to help my meager abilities at around 20. I think that working for six years before college (I started at VCU in Richmond, VA at 24 years old and graduated at 27) helped me to build a real work ethic and drive to reach my goals. I really hated working in the grocery biz, so I was very set on reaching for the “brass ring,” so to speak. DRAW!: So do you feel that since you had “real world” working experiences before getting into the comic biz, it helped you be more “professional” in certain respects. More responsible? DRAW! • WINTER 2003 5

DRAWING AND DESIGN

PAUL RIVOCHE

DREAMING DESIGN THE DEPTH ILLUSION

This article is meant to investigate how to create, and ways of strengthening, the “Depth Illusion”—the illusion of three-dimensional space created on two-dimensional paper. The focus will not primarily be on typical perspective rules and techniques such as vanishing points, horizon lines and so on. Those are very important, and should be studied, but they are not the main concern here. Instead I want to concentrate on other factors affecting whether or not an image has a sense of depth. Sometimes, despite employing perspective convergence, studiously making all your lines obediently converge to a vanishing point on a carefully placed horizon line and dutifully following all the “rules,” there’s still no “illusion of depth”! Let’s see if we can discover the other factors which either add to or take away from the creation of a sense of depth in a drawing... THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL LANGUAGE The first thing to clearly realize when investigating the “Depth Illusion” is that there really is such a thing as a “two-dimensional language,” with its own, and sometimes complicated and peculiar, set of rules, and its own psychology. In the eagerness to create a successful image, and to contemplate mentally all the 26 DRAW! • WINTER 2003

fascinating nuances of figure gestures, vehicles, backgrounds, and so on, it is easy to forget that, in the end, all of these threedimensional dreams end up flat: as flat lines and shapes on a flat, two-dimensional piece of paper. That piece of paper is like a “bottleneck,” a gateway, which the artist must contend with in the process of transmitting his images from himself to the viewer. A picture starts as a visualization of three-dimensional form in an artist’s mind, and ends, if the image communicates successfully, as another three-dimensional image in the viewer’s brain. But in between lies the transmission device: the decidedly two-dimensional flat piece of paper. It takes a while to realize this piece of paper has entirely its own language, with its own grammar and syntax, and that what we see in our three-dimensional vision must be translated into a two-dimensional language of overlapping, spacings, scale, and many other factors. Since doing a drawing is all about making choices, we must realize that some choices more clearly communicate three-dimensional form, while others obscure and camouflage it. The artist who draws has a chance to edit, to stage his lines, shapes, and forms, choosing the ones which will best explain what he is visualizing to the viewer. Because that is exactly what the two-dimensional

DRAWING AND DESIGN

PAUL RIVOCHE

and eliminate accidental effects and placements—anything that does not communicate clearly. True cartooning is an art of intentional arrangement, using the two-dimensional language. LANGUAGE So what is meant by “a two-dimensional language?” What is it exactly? Its components, its vocabulary, are lines and shapes— really all the various marks we draw on flat paper. We can call it a “language” because all the sorts of marks we can make, and all the various ways they can be arranged, will all communicate different things. Some will have more clarity, and some much less. The goal is to discover the order, the reason, behind what we do—then our expression will be more clear, more powerful, more intentional and less accidental. We strive to communicate form—which is three-dimensional—using a solely two-dimensional communication device, the flat surface of the paper. In the end that’s all the artist has: flat lines and shapes shuffled around on the flat two-dimensional surface of the paper—only two dimensions, height and width. Out of the realities and difficulties which arise from accommodating this simple reality arises “the two-dimensional language.” In many styles of drawing found in animation and comics we strive to suggest three-dimensional form and space. Those are the sort of drawings which this article concerns itself with. In other, purposely “flat” styles of work, and purely decorative drawings without any focal point or points, the goal is not to create “depth,” in which case some of these remarks may not apply. Furthermore, most of my comments here have to do with line drawing—plain lines without blacks or tones or color, the raw foundations of the structure of an image. There are many worthwhile things which could be added about the uses of blacks and tones to create depth, but for purposes of space I will have to leave those comments for another time.

ABOVE: If I was to do this sketchbook drawing over, I think I’d position the elephant’s trunk a little more to the right, so it would line up a bit less with the edge of the stall behind it. Composing a drawing is a constant juggling act, a series of compromises between different necessities. The subject has its needs, which can’t be forgotten, but neither can these sorts of staging problems be neglected either. Sometimes different demands compete with each other, which is why it’s a juggling act.

language involves: a lot of explaining and translating. We explain three-dimensional forms to the viewer using two-dimensional shapes and one-dimensional lines and points; or you could say we translate three dimensions into two. It’s not enough to just “trace” or “copy” reality literally, or the exact shapes from a photo, to achieve depth; one soon discovers that something is lacking if that approach is employed. What is lacking is the editing process, the process of accommodating perceived forms to the limitations of drawing. In the quest to describe form and space, the cartoonist must distill things down

DEPTH BY DIMINUTION First, consider “depth.” To the human eye, things appear to diminish in size the further away they are, which is one cue of many which help us decide the distance of an object, at least in the case of objects whose scale we know beforehand. Notice that proportions—i.e., ratios such as the ratio of the width to the height of an object—do not change as things diminish, as long as they are seen flat-on to the viewer/picture plane. When things tilt, and the object is no longer parallel to the picture plane, then foreshortening occurs—the apparent narrowing of an object. SENSING FORM AND SPACE In a picture, the scene portrayed can range from being fairly shallow to deep space—infinity. People can’t “see” depth directly, because obviously empty air can’t be seen. That may sound silly, but it’s the first step to realizing that to “see” depth, people must rely on cues from objects—visible forms. To judge the intangible, i.e., invisible space, people are used to seeing and focusing on tangible objects. We use the placement, relative sizes, angles, and so on, of visible things around us, to make spatial judgments. In short, visible objects are used as “markers.” So in a composition, if you want to achieve a sense of depth, you must clearly mark and illuminate the progression of space into the distance for the viewer, using various signposts. It isn’t enough to simply slap down a few converging perspective lines and DRAW! • WINTER 2003 27

PENCILING

MIKE WIERINGO

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

On this page are development drawings from Wieringo’s sketchbook for a Tellos back-up story that ran in the back of Section Zero, part of the Gorilla Comics line published by Image. Wieringo says he’ll sometimes do several sketches to help develop a character even if it’s not a major one. NEXT PAGE: The drawings on the next page are development ideas for an abandoned project, a sketch of Serra from Tellos, and a few random girls.

50 DRAW! • WINTER 2003

TELLOS TM AND © TODD DEZAGO AND MIKE WIERINGO.

On the next four pages is a fine selection of solid, charming and sexy sketches and drawing from Mike’s own sketchbook, all on 81⁄2" x 11" bond typing paper. Many were drawn in blue Color Erase pencil.

PENCILING

MIKE WIERINGO

DRAW! • WINTER 2003 51

BOOK REVIEWS

TERRY BEATTY

“There will always be a certain amount of confusion about what is talent or native ability in drawing and what is knowledge of the craft. Too often, knowledge is construed as talent. On the other hand, drawing that lacks constructive knowledge is seldom successful as drawing.” —Andrew Loomis, Successful Drawing

ABOVE and RIGHT: From Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth by Andrew Loomis.

54 DRAW! • WINTER 2003

fter twenty-some years of working full-time in the comic book business, you might think I’d be sitting back and resting on my laurels (whatever the heck “laurels” are), but it seems the more I draw and the older I get, the more aware I am of what I don’t know. In light of this, I’ve lately decided I need to go “back to school” and work at expanding my knowledge and improving my art skills. With a full work schedule, a hefty mortgage and demanding family commitments, there’s neither enough days on the calendar nor enough flexibility in the household budget for me to actually return to school full-time (though I have just signed up for a once-a-week life drawing class, just to get back in gear), so I’ve taken another route to increase my knowledge and skill level: I’ve been on a vintage art instruction book buying binge.

I have haunted used book stores since I was a kid, looking for “cool stuff ”—and along with vintage paperbacks with great cover art and books of/about comics, art instruction books have always been something I’ve sought. My best find? A hardcover copy of Andrew Loomis’ Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth, in dust jacket, for the princely sum of $6.00. Of course that was twenty years ago, and you’re unlikely to find that essential volume at so cheap a price these days. But you never know what you may find, and I still haunt the shops just in case a rare gem pops up at a bargain price. However, we now have the advantage of something that didn’t exist twenty years ago (at least not in its present form): the Internet. With auction sites such as eBay, and sources for used books such as Half.com, a plethora of vintage “how to” volumes are offered up every day. A quick check of prices on the webpages of used/rare book dealers will drive home just how lucky we are to have these other sources available. It’s not unusual for a copy of Loomis’ Fun With a Pencil to sell in the $40.00 range on eBay, while one used book dealer is asking for almost $700.00 for a copy! I suspect that copy will remain in inventory for many years to come. The books I’ve been picking up seem to fall mostly into the following categories: correspondence course volumes, cartooning books, anatomy/figure drawing books, general drawing/painting instruction and specialty titles (How to Draw Horses, etc.). Some of them have struck me as great fun on a collectible level, but with little valuable information—some have had little to recommend them at all—and still others have had me wondering where they have been all my life, so full of

ABOVE: From Fun With a Pencil by Andrew Loomis.

incredible advice and information that I can’t help but wish I’d had them in my library thirty years ago. My intention here is to sort through this three-foot-tall stack of books sitting by this desk, and point you in the direction of the ones that you may find useful, and direct you away from a few that might be a waste of your time and money. This is by no means a complete list of worthwhile art instruction books. There are many volumes I don’t own that I’m certain are worth having (see sidebars for recommendations by other artists). I’m just going to share with you the information I do have. Let’s look first at some correspondence school volumes. The cartooning field has a long history with correspondence schools. Biographies of early newspaper strip artists will often mention that they took instruction from the Landon or Federal Schools. I have a bound copy, two-and-a-quarter inches thick, of the Federal Schools’ Modern Illustration (Including Cartooning) lessons, and while it does contain some solid advice on figure drawing, perspective and more, I’m afraid that, by a hair, this one falls into the collectible category. There are contributions from cartoonists as notable as Winsor McCay, William Donahey and Frank King—and illustrators the likes of Parrish, Gibson and Russell—and an excellent section on animal drawing by Walter J. Wilwerding (more on him later)—but much of the technical advice (“Zinc Half-tones Versus Copper”), and most of the styles presented here (lots of “big-foot” cartooning as in Sidney Smith’s The Gumps) are too out-of-date to be of

TERRY BEATTY

much help to today’s working cartoonist. A number of cartoonists have created their own cartooning courses—one of them was Paul Robinson, who drew the teenage gag strip Etta Kett. His two-volume Professional Syndicate Cartooning for Greater Profits from 1958 is a fascinating look at how he created his strip, full of sweet examples of his funky artwork (lots of pretty girls—always a plus, in my book). Good stuff here on coming up with gags, laying out a strip, etc.—but all for a kind of comic strip that doesn’t really exist anymore. Another one for the collectible category. The king of the correspondence courses is, of course, that offered by the Famous Artists Schools. Silver Age comic book readers fondly recall the back cover ads for the school with the portrait of Albert Dorne (and later Norman Rockwell) at work in his studio, inviting us to be a professional artist. What some may not know is that there were a variety of courses offered by the school. You might be surprised to read that I am not going to send you in search of the three volume cartooning course. Despite some wonderful contributions from comic strip giants Milton Caniff and Al Capp, this too is a wee bit too dated to be of much use to the current cartoonist. One notable exception is the lesson on drawing “pretty girls” by advertising artist

BOOK REVIEWS

DRAW! • WINTER 2003 55

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DRAWING HANDS

BRET BLEVINS

DRAWING HANDS BY BRET BLEVINS

he human hand is a miracle of function and design—an instrument of wonderful dexterity, strength and grace. Our opposable thumb is generally credited with the rise of Homo Sapiens as the dominant species of Earth—the hand’s sensitive flexibility enabled and encouraged the human mind to create technology and reshape our environment, and continues to do so. When drawing hands, you are engaged with a unique marvel of the natural world—approaching them with awe will help you understand their complexity. Although knowledge of anatomy is crucial, the subject is too deep to cover in this article—I suggest using the material I’m presenting in conjunction with a good anatomy book designed for artists. Our focus in these pages is the capacity of the hand to express human emotion. The face and two hands form a triad of visual expression that is capable of remarkably subtle communication—as every child quickly learns, interior thought and emotion is often revealed more clearly by these silent means than through speech. Indeed, the amazing structures that crown our arms can literally place language in the hands of mute or deaf people who learn to talk by signing. It’s useful to keep this image of “speaking hands” in mind when posing the hand gestures in your figure drawings—what are the hands in your image “saying”? Always remember their importance as expressors of interior emotions, thoughts, intentions and attitudes, and compose the hands as condensed visual “dialogue” that punctuates the character’s body language. Of course, in many cases the position of the hands will be determined by the need to

explain a physical action—there is limited emotional nuance to be gleaned from the gripping of a hammer or the motion of unscrewing a jar lid—but even here you can find opportunities to convey character and personality if you are attentive. Watch someone eat leisurely, savoring the food, and compare their actions to someone on the run scarfing down a hurried meal— the difference in body language is startling. For a more whimsical contrast, compare the demeanor of a child eating vegetables to that of a child eating ice cream! Beginning with a sketch done from life, I’ve made a second drawing that clarifies the forms by simplifying detail and accenting the important contours, the third drawing is a pure “rhythm chart,” and the fourth is an arrow diagram of the big sweeping rhythms of each pose. Train your vision to notice and “feel” this

underlying movement—think of it as visual music—learn to hone in on the melody lines first, and worry about flourishes and detail later. As I mentioned above, the rhythms of the hand echo those of the entire body—everything is a flowing connection, as these two whimsical sketches illustrate.

DRAW! • WINTER 2003 69

DRAWING HANDS

BRET BLEVINS

RIGHT: The essential means of achieving this clear communication is, as always, an understanding of rhythm. Grasping the rhythm of the hand (which echoes the rhythms of the entire body) requires close, intuitive observation. Fortunately, the hands are almost always unclothed and exposed, so opportunity for study is everywhere—including the ends of your own arms! A small hinged cosmetic mirror is an invaluable aid for drawing your own hands. Here are a few studies of hand rhythms.

BELOW and RIGHT: Surprisingly, I often see figure drawings that haven’t integrated the hands with the body—take care that a character’s hands agree with the rest of his or her body. A gaunt person doesn’t usually have plump hands, and vice versa. A bricklayer’s hands don’t belong on a hairdresser, etc. ABOVE: Watching (and sketching) as patrons eat and drink in a cafe, musicians play instruments, carpenters work, children play with toys—examples to study are endless. Especially instructive for our purposes, though, is to watch people talking and thinking with their hands. You can often read a person’s thoughts by watching what their hands are doing. In these examples notice how the action of the hands immediately suggest an interior state of mind, and how shifting the hands changes the character’s attitudes and thoughts.

70 DRAW! • WINTER 2003

DRAWING HANDS

BRET BLEVINS

LEFT: To strengthen the expressive clarity of a drawn hand, an awareness of our old friend silhouetting (see DRAW! #1-4) is crucial—though hands present challenges particular to their structure. From many viewpoints the fingers inevitably overlap, forming an indistinct “clumped” silhouette— care must be taken here to prevent confusion, or simple lack of drama (visual interest). Often this requires a strong accent on the gesture’s defining fingers within the shape of the entire hand.

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