Tag: comic artist blog

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This Saturday is FREE Comic Book Day

Here lies an illustration of a mermaid in white ink on black paper. Next to it are two 4 by 6 inch illustrations of a cat-dragon, and a pile of business cards.

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day – and I’m making a guest appearance!

See, the fine folks at Superscript Comics & Games liked having me at the Genghis Con Mini Pop Up Event last month. (Me and a bunch of others, to be fair). They liked us SO much that they invited us to once again showcase at their Free Comic Book Day Event.

So Saturday, August 14, from 3 to 8 pm EDT, I’ll be showcasing my work! And lots of other folks will showcase there, too! (Superscript has been giving creator shout-outs on their Instagram. Go check it out).

Now, this event is SO big that the artists and vendors will be in Bottlehouse Lakewood across the street from Superscript. So keep that in mind if you’re able to be there in person. Also, masks will be available and encouraged, as well as social distancing guidelines.

If you’re a reader who met me through the Genghis Con Pop Up event – or you’re just local to Lakewood/Cleveland – I have a special surprise for you. I’m announcing it in a special edition Thursday email newsletter. So if you’re not on the newsletter yet, be sure to sign up. It’s free and I don’t sell your email to anybody.

As a gentle reminder, Friday is the LAST DAY for my Ko-Fi Clearance Event. Anything not sold will go with me to Free Comic Book Day – but the show is the FINAL day to get the clearance items. Anything marked for clearance will not be at any show after Saturday.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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LIVESTREAM: Character Design Basics for Comic Artists

Are you an aspiring comic artist struggling with basic character design? Do you even know what the basics ARE?

Well, strap in and join me on this live stream! I’ll walk you through what I’ve learned in 8+ years of drawing comics. Plus, I’ll show you some of my favorite character designs in media.

“But I don’t have time to watch an entire archived live stream!” Well, I DO encourage you to set the time aside to watch this. But here are some important bullet points to keep in mind:

  • The Silhouette Test – this is a tried and true method, and is even used by Disney’s animation team. Basically, does the silhouette of your character stand out in a lineup?
  • Symbols – what symbology is present in your world? How does that affect the character? Do they wear colors or symbols that resonate with them?
  • Contrast – If you’re designing multiple characters, how can you make them stand out from each other? Can you have different or complimentary colors to each character? What if one character styles their hair up, but the other lays it down? etc.
  • Similarity – If you’re designing a team, how can you indicate that – but still have them stand apart from each other? What elements do they have in common? WHY are they in common?
  • Simplify – when you draw comics, keep the design SIMPLE. You will be drawing these characters repeatedly. Don’t make it complicated or you will hate yourself.
  • And finally… Be Open-Minded and Be Curious!

I hope this helps you on your creative journey. Thank you for watching and reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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LIVESTREAM: Character Art Stream

Join me in this archived live stream as I draw character art for a new project. In this art stream, I’m drawing for The Character Compendium.

The Character Compendium is a new personal project of mine. It will compile as many character designs as I can fit into one book. With this book, I aim to simplify life for game masters and dungeon masters. Just open the book to any page, take a character, and BOOM! Instant NPC for the players to interact with.

Heck, any of these characters could also be a good jumping-off point for players to make their own characters.

This is a similar concept if you’re familiar with some of my previous Inktober sketchbooks, like Gods & Spirits or Witches. (Both books are available through my Ko-Fi shop, by the way.)

As this project grows, I want to add more content specific to role-playing games for each character. Specifically, I want to add basic stat blocks. All in due time, though!

I hope you enjoy this live stream. Thank you for watching and reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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LIVESTREAM: Clip Studio Paint Tips and Tricks

In this archived live stream, I show you some Clip Studio Paint tips and tricks!

Clip Studio Paint is my preferred drawing program. I’ve been using this for years, yet it feels like I learn something new every day. And here, I wanted to share with you some Clip Studio Paint tips and tricks I’ve recently learned!

I streamed this back on May 29 on YouTube. Now it can be archived here for your reference.

Here are some timestamps for easy reference:

BASICS:

  • 3:00 for opening and setting up a new document. (Includes how to change canvas color)
  • 4:00 recording timelapses
  • 4:45 hand-lettered effects
  • 7:00 coloring entire layers
  • 8:17 how to change colors of specific elements in a layer using “lock transparent pixels”

INTERMEDIATE:

  • 10:30 a nifty trick erasing bordered lines
  • 13:00 add outlines to objects already drawn
  • 13:45 add shoelaces and other costume details
  • 25:03 my old method of adding symmetry
  • 26:00 make rulers visible
  • 27:20 add guidelines
  • 28:20 group layers together
  • 31:20 how to make custom brushes

Did I forget something in the live stream? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Do you have questions? Let me know, too. I plan on doing another live stream like this one, showing even more tips and tricks.

I hope this helps you. Thank you for watching.

You. Are. Awesome.