Posts Tagged ‘sketchbook’

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Artist, Illustration and Comic Forums

by Jason Brubaker on January 28, 2010 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Making Graphic Novels

Which Forum is right for me?

When I first heard about artist forums and online communities I was totally lost. I had no idea where to look and how to find them. When I did a google search, I typed in "Illustration Forums" and the only one I found that seemed legit was IllustrationMundo.com. I didn't realize the forum was a separate part of the site and I never got anywhere because they didn't want to include me in their artist portfolio database. I assumed they were all a bunch of snobby artists who thought they were God's gift to mankind so I marked them off my list.

Months later I was talking to a another good friend, Jason Scheier, who suggested I try out CGsociety and ConceptArt. I immediately signed up and finally saw what a forum was all about. I was still very lost and didn't really know where to begin. They seemed so big and complex and I wasn't sure if my art would fit in so I put 'em on the back burner as well.

Months later another friend told me about the Flight Forum. I signed up with Flight, which seemed more my speed and subject, and posted some old pages of Phobos to test the waters. The next morning I had a few comments from other members. Suddenly my eyes were opened. I began posting comments on other threads that I found interesting. I started getting friends and began following other comic stories.

Later I learned about PencilJack and signed up there too. This forum is mostly comic artists both pro and amature.

Each forum is tailored specifically to something. I've been learning that it's good to find one with your same taste or niche. Here are a few things I've learned about specific forums and I suggest getting involved if you haven't already. But no need to join all of them as I have. Just find the few that specialize in what you want to do.

Art, Illustration and Comic Forums:

 

  • ConceptArt.org - Over 180,000 Members.  This is my favorite at the moment, especially the SKETCHBOOK threads.  I can spend hours digging through the sketchbook threads.  I started one here where I post panels every now and then and the response has been overwhelmingly good.  The rest of the forum is not really my taste because it's more about paintings for games and stuff. But this one will keep you busy once you start. Every second someone is posting something new. It's crazy.
  • PencilJack.com – Over 16,500 Members. This is a great place for posting comic art.  Both professional and amateur artists post here so it's great for everyone.  I've gotten really good critiques and comments on how to improve some of my panels and it's really solid advice too.  There may not be as many users on this forum but the participants here really love comic art. If that's your niche then jump on the wagon.
  • GutterZombie.com - Over 3600 Members. This is a very professional forum specifically for comic artists and even more specifically for comic colorists even though anyone can join and post work.  Some of the art here is amazing and the feedback is very extensive and helpful. I've gotten some great advice here about lettering as well as finding a flatter. If you want to color comics then drop everything and goto Gutterzombie!
  • FlightForums - Over 2500 Members. This is a very niche forum for small press comic artists.  It's a good one to start with because it's slow paced and very friendly. If you're making an indie comic or want to show off 8 pager then start here.
  • CGsociety.org - Over 407,500 Members. This forum is more for 3D art and paintings but there are some interesting areas.  I haven't posted anything here yet mainly because I'm not sure where to start and I don't really think it's right for my style.  But you have to admit, this one's a monster! Almost half a million members? Dang!
  • IllustrationMundo.com - Over 2,100 Members. For serious illustrators.  I started a thread (finally) in this forum and waited a few days.  When I finally got some comments, they were good and helpful but very catered to the tastes of designers. This forum isn't for me but if you want to specialize in illustration then go for it.
  • DigitalWebbing.com – Over 34,000 members. I just found this one and I really like what I see here. There are specific talent showcase sections for Creators, Artists, Sequential Art, Inkers, Colorists, Letterers, Writers and more. If anything, it's a ton of specific information for comic artists as well as a bunch of niche threads you can post in. Remember, find your niche and post there.
  • TheWebComicList.com – Over 74,000 members. I haven't tried this one yet but I plan on it in the near future.  It looks like a good niche forum for webcomics.
  • ComicBookResources.com – Over 54,000 members. This one was introduced to me by Drezz from iDrawDigital. It's a pretty big community that I've only started posting in.  Another great one for getting to know others who work in comics. Professional and amateur.
  • WhiteChapel – I don't know much about this one but I have heard that many people like it. [edit] WhiteChapel is a forum associated with comic book writer Warren Ellis' blog. It's a bit different then other forums out there in it's thread structure.

Does anyone know of other great forums helpful to graphic novel artists?  I'm sure there are plenty more I haven't found. Hope this list helps.

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Making Comics – Thumbnails

by Jason Brubaker on May 13, 2010 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Blog, Making Graphic Novels

Page Layouts and Thumbnails - How I Started

Planning out pages has been the most challenging aspect of creating reMIND and when planning a good set of pages, I always start with thumbnails. I’ve mentioned it before in the past assuming everyone knows what I’m talking about but since every artist is unique with their workflow I figure I should show the early stages of mine. I also noticed many young artists visiting here, trying to make heads or tails on how to start their own comic or graphic novel so hopefully this can shed some light on the subject enough to get the ball rolling.

After I finish a loose script (and I mean loose. No dialogue. A script with the main plot points. About a chapter per page) I started my thumbnails. Thumbnails are super small drawings just to get the initial ideas of composition and page layouts out of my head and on paper. Sometimes I have a clear idea in my mind but most of the time I don’t. If I have absolutely no idea where to start I force something out, however crude it may be, and this usually gives way to ideas that eventually start to gel.

I usually don’t like to show my thumbnails because they are so sloppy and bad. In the case of the pages above, you can really see where I struggled to figure out what to do. There are a few rehashed versions of the same things. Now days I like to draw my thumbnails with ink. This forces me away from little details. If I mess up then I have to start another one. It keeps the ideas fluid and loose.

Thumbnails can easily get really messy and scattered here and there and lost on small random pieces of paper. To battle this bad habit I’ve learned to keep all my thumbnails in nice tidy sketchbooks. I learned this working with many commercial directors. Many would keep similar hard bound sketchbooks clearly marked for each project in which they could collect all their random thoughts.

I started doing this for reMIND long before it was a graphic novel. The top book with the Fuel sticker is full of storyboards and concept art when I was planning on making reMIND an animation called “Vittles”. Most of these pages are full of clipped sketches and thumbnails, taped down to keep organized. I’m glad I did this otherwise I would have lost track of most of it.

This is the first image of Victuals (Vittles at the time) that I liked. I cut it out and taped it to the front page. Yeah, that says Tender Vittles 3.2 for some dumb reason. I just like that cat food name. I don’t have a cat…really. I don’t even really like cats. I just like drawing Victuals.

Above are some storyboard thumbnails for the animated version in it’s extremely early stages. The yellow panels were sticky notes that I later taped in the book. The lower left page is the first sketch of a lizard man. Sonja was going to be a boy at one point and above is a sketch.

Anyway, that’s my way to develop ideas. I’ve got to keep it all organized or I never get anything finished. And hey, it’s fun to look at later on…or put in a blog.

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