Last week I had to draw a comic book cover for the next issue of William the Last (published by Antarctic Press.) Below you’ll find the steps from initial thumbnail scribble, to a tighter scribble, to inks (which I did by hand this time), to color. It took an afternoon, and the hardest part is…
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If you’re trying to figure out how to animate in clip studio paint, this might help. There are about four or five things to keep in mind getting started, and they’re not hard to learn, but they’re not obvious when you first get going. I’m not a great animator, but if you’re looking to use…
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Here’s one tip for building an audience: No one cares about you. Well, okay, your friends do and your family does, but if you’re trying to scrape together an audience from the vast online world of strangers, no one cares about you. At least not yet. The ugly truth is people want more of what…
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Sometimes I have to remind myself how to make drawings more interesting for other people. I’m more likely to be impressed that someone drew a really expressive hand, or simplified a character so well. But most people respond to story more than technique. The ideal is to combine excellent draftsmanship with storytelling. Then you’re hitting…
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You need space to think. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking if something doesn’t directly generate immediate results, we’re doing the wrong thing. “Is this making me money? No? Why am I doing it?” That’s the classic, utilitarian/pragmatic, trap we fall into, especially as freelancers or entrepreneurs. This mindset doesn’t necessarily have to…
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Sometimes I abandon drawings too quickly. It might be because I’m tired or not feeling into it or any number of subconscious reasons. But sometimes it’s just because I’m lazy and want a solid drawing to appear by instinct rather than working out the sketch and refining it. A good drawing is more satisfying when…
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BRIAN’S 2019 REVIEW Every year I say I don’t do resolutions, I make goals. I even usually write them down. Then, typically, keep them in my head more or less and at the end of the year stumble on that list and realize those goals represent the general direction I headed. Being December 31st it’s…
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I’ve given some thought on how to approach covers for comics. Some people complain when they get a book and what’s happening on the cover never happens within the story. I think there may be some validity to that sometimes, but not always. Covers would be pretty boring as a whole if they were limited…
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…and Hell’s comin’ with him. (If you’re having trouble seeing the image in the email, click the link!)
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Twenty Nineteen is officially underway and I hope you’re as excited as I am to getting back to a normal routine. With the family at home for almost two weeks, one of whom is seven years old and unceasing energy, not a lot got done. As is, practically nothing. No drawing, no shipping, no organizing,…
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