by Christopher Hart | Apr 23, 2013 | Blog old
Here’s a common problem all of us have experienced, which only seems to happen when we really, really like something we drew: We run out of room on the page to complete our drawing.
Even as I type, I can hear the sounds of groans emanating from fellow artists coming through the computer. You know the scenario: you begin to draw a character. The head turns out great. You continue downward. The torso and arms have just the right pose. You keep going. You’ve drawn the legs well proportioned.
Now you get to the feet, and — Nooooooooooooooo! The page ends at her ankles. Her ankles! Anywhere else, and you could pretend that you meant to do it that way. But any 4th grader in art class can tell that you messed up this drawing.
Well dab your dewy eyes and put the box of tissues back down. In the next sentence, I am going to give you the can’t-fail-always-works solution to the problem.
Here’s what you do: Before you actually draw a figure, lightly sketch a “Height Line,” and you will never, ever have this problem again. A Height Line is not a Line of Action. It doesn’t represent movement. It’s just a vertical line, the length of the character you want to draw.
For example, if you’re planning to draw a person in a room, you would begin the Height Line at floor level, where you want your character to stand. Draw a line, from the floor up to the point at which you want the head to appear. The taller the character, the longer the Height Line will be. Keep your character in proportion to the rest of the elements in the picture. For example, you might want to bring your character’s Height Line to within 3/4ths of the length of a doorway. Alternatively, you can use the vertical line to “stack heads,” in order to make your character 7 heads tall, for example. Or simply use your gut instinct to choose the level for the height.
But what happens if you should forget to do that, and cut a character off at the ankles again (oh, trust me, this will happen). Not a problem. Take another piece of paper, and place it adjacent to the one that has the cut-off drawing. Place the extra piece of paper where the figure was cut off, creating more drawing space. Make sure that the two pages touch exactly, with no gap, and no overlap. Don’t leave a scintilla of space between the two pages. Next, tape the pages together on the reverse side – the side that does not have the drawing. If you were to tape side with the drawing, the tape would add a subtle layer, and this thickness causes a shadow when scanned.
This solution takes the frustration out of making this common mistake, and allows us to make different mistakes! Well, such is life. We’ll tackle all of it, together.
The takeaway:
When all is lost, all is not lost!
See you next week!
– Christopher Hart
by Christopher Hart | Apr 21, 2013 | Blog old
I’m often asked if, as a professional cartoonist, if I actually draw the way I teach other people how to draw in my How to Draw Cartoons and Manga books. Okay, I’ll explain, but promise to keep it confidential, just between you, me and the internet.
What a person wants to know when they ask this question is whether or not I start with the basic shapes and guidelines, which are so plentiful in my books. In other words, is there some kind of secret shortcut I am using while, at the same time, trying to keep the rest of the proletariat from advancing.
Granted, there may be some paranoia in my interpretation of the question, but nonetheless, the answer may surprise you.
To explain, I first need to tell you how I teach. In a nutshell, I blend classical art training with contemporary styles of pop art in a way that’s easy to follow, which gives the reader a foundation. If you just teach style, without foundation, then the reader can’t take what he’s learned and apply it to other styles and characters.
I also developed a method of simplifying more advanced techniques, so that the reader isn’t forever vanquished to “Start-With-A-Circle”- Land. As a result, the artist starts to draw better, sooner, and creates more contemporary characters, which reflect the ever-evolving styles of manga and cartoons.
I have found that this not only works for students, but works for me, too. If you watch my How-To-Draw videos on Youtube, you’ll see that I start with a modified head shape, onto which I add the guidelines before beginning to draw the features. Is this mere habit, like going to the refrigerator every 20 minutes to see if there’s something new in there? (You know you’re really desperate when you check the frozen foods section more than twice.)
The basics always remain necessary. Cartoons and manga are mainly based on line work, without shading. That can make a drawing look flat. To compensate for the flat appearance, we need to emphasize rounded shapes and curving lines to create a 3-dimensional look.
So for today’s takeaway, I’m going to quote a wise friend, who once advised me in this manner:
“If you don’t leave the basics, you’ll never have to go back to them.”
See you next week!
– Christopher Hart
by Christopher Hart | Mar 19, 2013 | More Manga, Tutorials
Manga Eye Types
Here are some classic examples of manga eyes. Practice these so you can use the same eye-types when drawing your own characters.
Guest Artist: Diana Devora
Click the image to change to the next one in the series. Click Show Thumbnails to see small versions of all images.
[ngg_images gallery_ids=”99″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow”]
by Christopher Hart | Mar 19, 2013 | More Manga, Tutorials
Girl Chef
When someone falls, or trips, they don’t fall down, they fall forward. So be sure to draw her leaning, not upright. That will imply motion.
Guest Artist: Makiki Kanada
Click the image to change to the next one in the series. Click Show Thumbnails to see small versions of all images.
[ngg_images gallery_ids=”98″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow”]
by Christopher Hart | Mar 19, 2013 | More Manga, Tutorials
Fighting Robot
Before starting to draw the robot, first draw a very simplified version of the entire figure. Work from the general to the specific. This is especially important on complicated characters.
Click the image to change to the next one in the series. Click Show Thumbnails to see small versions of all images.
[ngg_images gallery_ids=”97″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow”]
Here’s a common problem all of us have experienced, which only seems to happen when we really, really like something we drew: We run out of room on the page to complete our drawing.