Hello Class!
As requested here is the lecture on Editorial Illustration & Visual Metaphor. Remember…as you work on your Thumbnails: Concept is KEY and try out the visual metaphor techniques we discussed in class: Juxtaposition, Fusion, and Replacement.
Ink can be a messy medium!
Before you begin your work in this medium, here are some helpful tips and tricks.
Just as you would warm up before exercise, warm up before using ink. Take the time to work on your lines and strokes on a separate sheet of paper before you begin working on your actual illustration. This will ensure that you have proper command of your hands.
This image is of comic book artist Jacob Halton’s inking warm-up, which he does in the morning to “get command of his hands”.
Jacob Halton’s inking warm-up page
Marks are easier to make when moving your hand in certain directions, so move your page around in order to make this possible. Work your hands in the way that they move naturally.
This is a way to keep warming up your hands. Thicker lines are safer to work with until you feel confident enough to move onto the drawing’s fine detail portions.
Don’t try to work on the illustration in a left-to-right method, or in any order like that. Instead, think about where your hand may smear the ink, and work in a way that minimizes that smearing. Some artists place a piece of paper or paper towel under their inking hands in order to help with this process.
All paper, including watercolor paper or Bristol board, will warp when wet. It’s much easier to draw controlled lines on completely flat paper. Therefore, draw your lines before soaking any large areas with ink, otherwise known as executing an ink wash. Another method is to fill in large areas of ink, and then either allow for drying time or use a hair dryer before moving on to finer details.
Successfully working in Wed Media depends on applying specific principles. There are habits you can develop and things to set up ahead of time that will make all the difference.
Painting in any water-based medium depends on the interaction among four key factors:
Begin by setting up your work area properly before you start.
To account for gravity, set your art board at an angle. The steeper the angle, the stronger the force of gravity will be.
This angle is subject to personal preference. Some people like just 20 degrees (equivalent to a couple of textbooks propping up one end of your work surface) while others have a much steeper angle like this:
To prevent your work from buckling and warping you should tape your paper or illustration board down with artist’s tape, or work on a watercolor block. This will let the paper block or work board help the paper maintain its shape through repeated applications of wet paint.
Finally, if you’re working on a watercolor block and want to remove your painting, or you need paper for tests and roughs, you should remove your work by inserting a dull knife blade or a credit card into the opening at the top of the block and running it around the perimeter to break the adhesive bond and remove the page.
Hello class – for those of you who could use a little extra Photoshop practice… YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE… go through the basics on this free tutorial site! No time like the present to learn!
Pen-and-ink drawings are usually created on different types of paper. The tooth or grain of the paper can affect the marks made by the pen. Because of this, most illustrators prefer to work on smoother surfaces that are still absorbent to the ink, creating detailed ink drawings in this way.
You can use ink to draw on your sketchbook paper, but over time this paper will warp or fray with the wetness of the ink. The paper in this sketchbook simply isn’t heavy or absorbent enough. For final work, illustrators usually choose something with a little more heft.
Bristol Board is a smooth-surfaced paper that’s heavier than regular drawing paper. It’s a popular choice for pen-and-ink drawings.
Another popular choice for ink drawings, and the paper used for this class, is hot-press watercolor paper. Hot press refers to the method used to make this special kind of paper. This paper’s surface has been ironed smooth, and is very versatile, allowing artists to make fine details in ink as well as combine other media such as watercolors or colored pencils.
However, an almost endless number of pen and ink tools and techniques exist, and it’s highly recommended that you experiment with as many opportunities as possible within this amazing medium. Some substantial differences exist between tools; it’s likely you will prefer some over others. Take the time to experiment and discover your own interests and comforts
In this and subsequent posts, we’ll cover the most commonly used pen-and-ink drawing tools and materials. In addition to the obvious ink-specific tools such as pens, brushes, and paper, you may also need to acquire paper towels, white-out pens (useful for reproduction work), an old toothbrush, and a water jar.
Quills
The first pens were made from feathers (quills), bamboo, or reeds. Usually, quills are created from the wing feathers of geese. Other common feathers used for quills come from the crow, eagle, owl, hawk, swan, and turkey. These feathers are carefully treated in order to retain their shape despite frequent wetting and drying. The hollow shaft of the feather acts as an ink reservoir, and ink flows to the tip by capillary action.
The modern version of the traditional quill—the steel dipping pen, or crow quill—remains widely used by illustrators today. This pen is included in your supply list and is the one recommended for use in this course. A quill pen can produce either very delicate lines or thicker, more dramatic ones. It can also produce lines of varying width. Check out all the varied lines produced by a crow quill in the next image. When you press down on the crow quill, more ink is released, making the line thicker. Apply less pressure, and the line becomes thinner. This allows your line to vary from thick to thin and visa versa without having to change the position of the pen.
Aside from the traditional look it gives an image, a crow quill helps to develop hand techniques that are needed for all drawing media. When working with a quill, you must learn to control the pressure that you apply to the nib in order to vary the weight of your lines.
Crow quills are made of both a holder and a nib. The nib is the metal point that you dip into the ink. They come in a variety of sizes and with a variety of point shapes (pointed, angled, or rounded), but all are flexible, have a small hole or reservoir, and are split at the tip, thereby allowing the ink to flow onto the work surface. They also work on the same principle as the feather, sucking up the ink through capillary action. You’re encouraged to experiment with several different types and sizes of nibs in order to see how they all perform differently.
When using your crow quill, don’t dip it into the ink past the nib. Doing so will cause messy, uncontrollable drips on your artwork and will also damage the pen, shortening its life. Dipping in just past the reservoir is ideal.
These drawing pens are similar to a felt tip pen, but they use archival ink. Several different brands exist but the most commonly used are the Microns pictured here. Various point sizes make it easy to control line weights. These pens are often used for sketching, particularly for comic book art and illustration. Again, note the consistent line weight and various sizes, each of which is ideal for different purposes. You’re highly encouraged to try using these pens if you haven’t already done so.
Watercolor brushes and brushes for working in ink are generally the same: they both use water as the dilution and clean-up medium. However, keep in mind that once a brush has been used for inking, it’s difficult to get perfectly clean again, so be careful that leftover ink doesn’t stain your artwork when subsequently using other media. Keep in mind we are specifically discussing drawing here; painterly brush techniques will be covered in later modules.
Brushes used for drawing purposes are generally of a smaller gauge. Though the sizes of brushes you’ll use will vary given the size of your picture (the larger the picture, the larger the brush, in general), good sizes for general inking—such as comic book style illustration—are the number 0 to number 3. These allow for both thicker and thinner lines, but will also give a “drawn,” as opposed to “painterly,” feel.
Also similar to the style produced via crow quill, a brush allows for line width variation based on pressure. For this course, drawing with a brush in addition to the crow quill is recommended. Take the time to practice with both.
Don’t dip your brush into the ink all the way to the metal. This will make for a messy drawing tool and will shorten the life of your brush. Clean your brush every time you’re finished using it. If you plan to use it again in a short time, rinse it in water that’s completely clean. Don’t leave your brushes sitting in water for long periods of time, as this will damage your brushes’ tips. In general, it’s better to periodically wash brushes with soap and water, which will not only keep your brushes in good shape but will also ensure their ability to manipulate ink effectively. Don’t use turpentine or other hard solvents to clean, as they’re unnecessary with ink and will deteriorate the hairs on your brush.
Getting the right reference is key in creating a great final art piece!
Though we some times don’t know how to get our figure drawing exactly right… we can sure see when it has gone wrong! Poor drawing is one sure way to ruin a great idea. So, lets get the right reference so that we can do out best work!
NOW of course the BEST thing to do is go and draw a REAL LIVE PERSON… but you may not have access or may not be able to get just the right pose for your visual concept. FEAR NOT! there are some great resources out there!
Art Pose and Art Pose Female Edition are perhaps the most practical and intuitive artist anatomy reference applications for iOS and Android. You can pose your figure, see musculature and move your camera all around it. You can even go to a silhouette view. Pretty good stuff! Learn more!
Pixelovely Is probably my favorite reference site. It has figure great drawing poses, choose between kinds of models, clothed or nude male or female etc. Plus animal poses! MEOW! Within each category are sub-categories. For example, under the animal category, you can choose the species of animal – and whether or not to time the session.
Quick Poses is a great figure reference site. You can choose between gesture drawings (timed poses) or random pose studies (not timed). There is a healthy selection of both clothed and nude models to choose from. The site also includes tips to improve your study.
Since we are in New York City artists have many options to improve their life drawing skills by drawing from a model outside of this class. Most of these options offer a student rate. Practicing our craft is VITAL. Take advantage of the resources in our city!
The New York Society of Illustrators is an incredible resource for up and coming commercial artists. The sketch night is a great way to get to know this institution. Its lively with great models,live music, pro illustrators, and often comes with FOOD! This one is wonderful and is the cheapest option I’ve found.
Hello Class!
In order to give you a little extra help drawing your illustrations from different points of view, you need to learn a little PERSPECTIVE!
One Point Perspective or Parallel Perspective point perspective works well for situations like the one below, where the viewer is oriented directly in front of a set of parallel lines like railroad tracks or a long hallway.
But what if you want to show the viewer something from an angle?
Two point perspective uses two vanishing points set well apart on the horizon line. The rule of thumbs here is sets of parallel lines must be either vertical or recede toward one of the two vanishing points.
READ CHAPTERS 4 and 5 of Creative Layout for Artists to learn more!
chapter-5-two-point-perspective
AND … Here are a couple of additional tutorials to get you started!
Happy Drawing!
Hello Class!
An additional resource for you…
READ these 2 chapters on Value and Perspective to help you create realistic VALUE STUDIES!
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