How to Write & Draw Comics
“I find that art is 90 percent fear!”
Artist, teacher and CEO of MakingComics.com, Patrick Yurick, visited Copenhagen and I got to show him the better parts of the city. We also managed to record a podcast on his view on the craft, career, his experiences with teaching comics to teens, his zombie buddy comedy Hipster Picnic and the future of making comics.
Links to stuff mentioned on this episode:
My video on lessons I learned from working on Thomas Alsop
I talk to artist Ben Dewey about art, music and the Faustian aspect of working crappy jobs while pursuing a carreer in comics creation. Besides being the artist and writer of his own Tragedy Series (http://www.tradegyseries.tumblr.com), he is the artist on Tooth and Claw with writer Kurt Busiek, released this week from Image Comics. Luckily Ben is not just incredibly talented but also very articulate about the craft and the life of a creative person. Really good advice in this episode!
For a preview of Tooth and Claw, go here.
Related podcast: Episode 25 – Periscope Studio with Steve Lieber
Richard Starkings is the creator and writer of HIP FLASK and ELEPHANTMEN. Born and raised in England, Starkings worked for five years at Marvel UK’s London offices as editor, designer and occasional writer of ZOIDS, GHOSTBUSTERS, TRANSFORMERS and the DOCTOR WHO comic strip. He is perhaps best known for his work with the award-winning Comicraft design and lettering studio, which he founded in 1992 with John ‘JG’ Roshell. Starkings & Roshell also co-authored the best-selling books COMIC BOOK LETTERING THE COMICRAFT WAY and TIM SALE: BLACK AND WHITE.What made you decide to work in the medium of comics?
I always loved comics — at the age of 9 I started reading a comic called COUNTDOWN featuring strips based on TV shows like DOCTOR WHO, UFO and THE PERSUADERS. In some ways I preferred them to the TV shows they were based on. That comic inspired me to draw comics and cartoon strips myself and from that young age I started identifying the artists and styles I liked.
Years later, I remember reading an article in Dez Skinn’s WARRIOR magazine in the 80’s about breaking into comics. I was on a train from Weymouth to London and I kind of realized at that moment that it was possible to get a job in comics and committed myself to that goal. I never seriously considered anything else.
What part of the process is the most challenging or frustrating to you?
As a writer, you’re dependent on your artist to make real your imaginings. So it’s important to find artists with whom you are sympatico. Finding those creators can be very rewarding and challenging all at the same time.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring comics creator, what would that be?
Write! Draw! ALL the time. Write about life, draw from life.
More about Richard Starkings and Elephantmen on hipflask.com
My partner Chris Miskiewicz and I pitched Thomas Alsop to several publishers at SDCC 2013, and now only a year later, BOOM! Studios has published the two first issues of the series. Crazy times.
I got invited on two panels this year, both the Breaking Into Comics Right Now panel hosted by BOOM! and the Uniting the Worldwide #makecomics Community panel, hosted by my friends over at Making Comics (In case you missed the podcast interview they did with me, click here) starring Mark Waid, Jim Zub, Christy Blanch, Rachel Beck and Andy Schmidt. The talk was recorded and will probably go online soon.
I could tell you stories… But most of them are unrelated to the process of making comics, which is what this site is about. So I’ll just share a few quick things I learned:
The next few weeks I’ll be working out of Periscope Studios in Portland, Oregon, making new contacts and slow progress on the next issue of Thomas Alsop. Stay tuned…
Jason Copland has produced art for various companies, including illustrating The Perhapanauts: Molly’s Story for Image and short stories from Trickster: Native American Tales and Postcards: True Stories that Never Happened. He recently provided art for a story in Ed Brisson’s Murder Book, and is currently working on the online comic Kill All Monsters. He also runs an experimental comics blog called Poutine alongside fellow artist Noel Tuazon.What made you decide to work in the medium of comics?
The discovery of comics at age 13. There was so much awesome work coming out from artists like Frank Miller, Walt Simonson and John Byrne that it inspired me to start drawing comics. Miller’s RONIN in particular really opened my eyes to what could be done in comics.
What part of the process is the most challenging or frustrating to you?
Inking. I try to do most of my drawing in the inking phase. I keep my layouts/pencils pretty loose and then start inking over those so that the lines I put down are more spontaneous. I think the act of drawing should have a little fear infused into it. There should be risks taken. Needless to say, I use a lot of whiteout.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring comics creator, what would that be?
Don’t be afraid to fail. Drawing is an adventure and should have the risk of failure present. Don’t let mistakes stop you from pushing on. It’s only lines on paper; there is nothing to worry about.
More at http://jasoncopland.com/
As you may know, my first monthly book Thomas Alsop is out from BOOM! Studios and is doing very well. Hooray! But how do you get there? In the first episode of this podcast, I discussed the three biggest mistakes of my comics career. But it was a different time back then. In this episode I go into what I would do if I was starting out making comics today. Follow these 8 simple steps and your comics career is guaranteed! Er, no… But there are some good tips in this episode, that’s a promise.
Related podcast: The Three Biggest Mistakes of my Comics Career