Category Archives: Blog

Art Tutorials, Blog

How to Draw An Eye – Step by Step ( Comic Style )

In this tutorial you will learn how to draw a comic style eye step by step. Be sure to practice this often but also to experiment with each stage of this process. You will find your style by experimenting with variations of shapes and rendering so just have fun with it!

In this drawing exercise I will be using a 2H lead on Bristol board smooth paper but you can follow along with whatever art supplies you prefer. Remember to start loose and get some sketches going to warm yourself up.

Step 1 – Drawing the Basic Shape of the Eye

Step 1 - Drawing the Basic Shape of the Eye
Drawing Comic Art Style Eye Tutorial

For this first step I like to focus on the overall shape of the eye as well as the angle from the tear duct to the opposite side where the eye lids meet. I tend to notice an upward tilt and by establishing that early on, it becomes easier to consistently draw them.

This is an excellent time to play with various differences in the shape of the eye. Practice making the shapes more narrow, more rounded, more pointed to one side, and so on. You can create all sort of fun variations for your comic book character types!

Step 2 – Drawing the Iris and the Pupil

Step 2 - Drawing the Iris and the Pupil
Step 2 – Drawing the Iris and the Pupil

For the second step, draw in the iris and the pupil. A good rule of thumb is that the iris is about one third the distance across of the eye. To be honest I experiment with this proportion as well. Sometimes to really push the expression of fear or excitement I will purposely make the iris smaller by comparison. It’s comics so we can get away with it I promise.

Also notice that the iris is touching the top eye lid. This gives a more relaxed look to the eye. Subtle differences in the position of the iris and pupil can change the expression of the character so keep an eye on it!

Step 3 – Drawing the Shape of the Eyelid

Step 3 - Drawing the Shape of the Eyelid
Step 3 – Drawing the Shape of the Eyelid

In this third step, draw the shape of the eyelid. This can pretty much follow the existing edges but I like to taper it a bit taller as it moves around the rounded or middle part of the eye. We have to try to envision the spherical form of the eye ball beneath the skin. Again, play around with this area within your work to find what suits your style the best.

Step 4 – Drawing the Shape of the Eye Lashes

Step 4 - Drawing the Shape of the Eye Lashes
Step 4 – Drawing the Shape of the Eye Lashes

In this fourth step, I like to draw the eye lashes as large basic shapes. This helps me to simplify the process a bit and it makes a lot of sense for comics especially when you are drawing your smaller faces within a scene. Individual eye lashes are great for close ups but that’s about it. Besides you can always add those in as you will see shortly.

I think it goes without saying but this is another on of those times where you can really experiment with a variety of shapes. I will be honest and tell you I didn’t like the look of this stage of the work but I knew I could save it so I pressed forward. Some times you just have to keep fiddling with it and not give up!

Step 5 – Drawing in the Shape of the Eyebrow

Step 5 - Drawing in the Shape of the Eyebrow
Step 5 – Drawing in the Shape of the Eyebrow

In this fifth step, draw in the shape of the eyebrow with some basic angles in mind. I like to imagine the plane changes of the characters forehead when doing this. I also feel that by keeping this step as simple as possible I can lay in the ground work for the details later. If I start by trying to draw in a bunch of little hairs I tend to end up with a mess. No one likes messy eyebrows!

Step 6 – Drawing the Glare and Shadow

Step 6 - Drawing the Glare and Shadow to the Eye
Step 6 – Drawing the Glare and Shadow to the Eye

In this step we will draw the glare and the shadow on the iris. Draw the shadow over the iris as a curve. This helps to push the look that the eye is a sphere and not a flat object. Then draw in the glare on the highest point of the eye, usually right by the pupil. This is another chance to play around with style choices but then again, you already knew that didn’t you?

Step 7 – Draw in the Shadows and Add Some Eye Lashes

Step 7 - Draw in the Shadows and the Eye Lashes
Step 7 – Draw in the Shadows and the Eye Lashes

In this step we can fill in the shadows and add some eye lashes. I tend to change the shape of the eye lashes as I do this. Sometimes I will erase back the perimeter shape so that I can try different effects with the eye lashes. I like paying attention to other comic artists and how they define this area of their work. One of my favorites to study for eyes is the late Michael Turner (RIP). His work is breath taking and the way he rendered eyes was nothing short of AMAZING!

Step 8 – The Final Rendering

Step 8 - The Final Rendering
Step 8 – The Final Rendering

In this final step, soft eraser all those rough lines and clean it up. I like to push and pull the lines here. Some need a little more curve and some need a little less. I also like to add in a bit of cross hatching to the eyes to create a look of tonal value. And, that’s it. You can take these same steps and apply them to all sorts of eye variations.

For some more examples you can head over to our Artist Resources and Templates page here – https://staging.ramstudioscomics.com/index.php/art-resources-templates/

I hope you found this drawing tutorial to be helpful and if you did please share the content with your fellow artists. More on the way soon and good luck with your art!

Sincerely,

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

Blog

Comic Art Review – Livestream – Special Guest David Finch

Art Review Livestream with Special Guest David Finch
Art Review Livestream with Special Guest David Finch

Welcome back comic art enthusiasts! We were honored to have the awesomely talented artist David Finch back on our humble little Youtube channel for another Art Review Livestream! As you probably already know, David Finch has worked in the comic industry for over 27 years and is  known for his work on Top Cow Productions’ Cyberforce, as well as numerous subsequent titles for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, such as The New Avengers, Moon Knight, Ultimatum, and Batman.  He has provided album cover art for the band Disturbed, and done concept art for films such as Watchmen.

With such an impressive resume we are very fortunate to have him reviewing the art of our aspiring colleagues. There is something entirely powerful about getting feedback from a pro. It helps us to see things that we otherwise might be struggling to figure out. I truly feel that this is an essential aspect of becoming a better comic book artist and probably the path of least resistance! Well, as long as we are ready to receive the information provided to us of course.

This is the third time David has been on our Youtube channel and each time he has taught us some very useful techniques. Even though this was more for the subscribers of the channel to benefit from you can bet I was taking my own notes! Hey, I’m still learning to you know! 😉

The other nice thing about this process is that David will sometimes stop what he is explaining and start drawing for the student. This is insanely beneficial as you might expect because as artists we are generally visual learners. These interactive sketches just seem to make things click. It is one of the reasons why we do so much better in a studio with other skillful individuals. By watching their approach and being able to ask questions we tend to gain a sense of confidence. Unfortunately, not all of us have that opportunity so these live sessions are the next best thing in my honest opinion.

David Finch explaining some techniques to a student.

If you weren’t able to attend you are welcome to watch the latest episode here –

David is also creating some exceptional course content for us to learn from. You can find his comic art courses here on his site. I have taken a few and they are exceptional and well worth the price!

Check out David’s Courses here on his website – https://davidfinchart.com​

You can support his Youtube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidFinchartist

Thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you on the next Art Review Livestream. Keep drawing and keep having fun!

Sincerely,

Robert A. Marzullo Ram Studios Comics

Blog

What screen protector do I use for drawing on the iPad Pro?

Hello fellow Digital Artists!

Choosing the Right Screen Protector for Drawing on Your iPad Pro can be tricky and there are a few things to consider. The main things are protection from damage, a better surface to draw or paint on, and protection for your eyes. We will primarily focus on the drawing aspect today.

So you have an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and you’re not digging the slick screen right? Been there and done that and I want to share what I have learned with you.

Now before we get started, please keep in mind that we all have different needs so this will not apply to everyone the same. Hopefully my experience will save a few of you from timely and frustrating mistakes. Ultimately it may take some trial and error to find what works for your specific needs.

First let me explain what I have used in the past and what the Pros and Cons have been. I purchased the first Genenteration iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2015 version. ( Look for the big home button on your device before making your purchase! ) It still works great by the way. I started drawing on the screen and although it didn’t feel natural it was still amazing to work on. I knew from working on the Intuos tablets that digital art just isn’t exactly the same and it takes time to adjust to any new device.

After a while I started to look for the screen protectors that would also give me a more natural drawing experience and save it from any accidental damage of course. I did a ton of research online and landed on the Tech Armor Antiglare protector. You can view it here on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3kGpwI3

Tech Armor Antiglare is my 2nd Favorite Choice!

The Tech Armor Antiglare Protector is still my number 2 on the list. It slows down the Apple Pencil slide and softens up the feeling of the hard glass screen. For me that was a big game changer. I was finally able to draw on the iPad Pro more naturally and stay in the moment of creating the art that I love to create. Comics baby! 🙂

Over time, many new screen protentors hit the market and a lot of them boast things like – Paper Like, the feeling of Paper, etc. I didn’t worry too much about it but as mine started to age I began to look around. I wanted to try one of the Paper Like products and here is the one that caught my eye based upon the reviews – https://amzn.to/2IIBWSA

Paper-Like…More like Sand Paper-Like!

I actually enjoyed this for all of about 2 days. It started to get very annoying very quickly. Not only does your 2 finger pinch and zoom not work as well, you can start to see an effect on the Apple Pencil nib. ( Not cheap to replace those little guys! ). So I started to think the Paper-Like feeling just wasn’t worth it. Besides it really is too coarse in my opinion. More like a fine grit sand paper. So I ripped it off and went back to my Tech Armor.

I still felt like I needed try something else. Don’t get me wrong the Tech Armor antiglare is nice but it stills has a bit too much slide for me. So I decided to keep trying. I then tried the iCarez Antiglare protector. You can view it here on Amazon – https://amzn.to/38PEZTE

iCarez Antiglare Screen Protector

Not only did I like this one more but it was also cheaper. It slows down the Apple Pencil a bit more but without the sand paper like feeling. I have been using this one for weeks now and it doesn’t negatively impact the nibs either. I am back to drawing on my device and not getting distracted about sliding around on the slick screen and that keeps me creating, which I love!

Keep in mind that all of these protectors will knock back the clarity of the screen. That isn’t as big of a deal for me since I typically only draw comic art but your needs may vary. To me its minimal on the Tech-Armor and the iCarez but be sure to read the reviews about what applies to your type of work. Another tip is to find someone who creates a similar style to yours and find what works for them.

Keeping the Surface Clean is a Must!

You also want to be aware of your own skin oils. Sounds gross right? Your hand is going to leave oils on the screen protector so clean it with a microfiber and sometimes with a small amount of water and or light cleaner. Nothing too aggressive so it doesn’t destroy the finish. By keeping the oils off the screen protector you will retain the optimal feeling for drawing. Just my two cents of course, you may prefer an oily screen…I don’t know you very well. lol

Remember, we all have different levels of sensitivity and needs when drawing and painting. So do your research and you may need to try one or two options before landing on your preferred choice. It is worth it when you find what you looking for since eliminating those irritations will keep you in the creative moment.

Good luck to you and thank you for stopping by! 😉

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

For more art tips check out my Youtube channel here – http://www.youtube.com/c/robertmarzullo

Blog

Drawing for Comics – The stages of comic art

In this post I want to talk a bit about the primary stages of the drawing process for comics. There are obviously a lot of different ways to create stunning art for comics but the main ones that come to mind are the rough sketch, the pencils or refined lines, and the inks!

Most artists develop the work in this way but not every artist goes about it the same. Some comic artists can draw a clean image over a very loose sketch and sometimes no sketch at all. Yes, they do exist and yes, I do want to Karate kick them in the face. Just kidding…I don’t know Karate. 😂

People like me at least need to refine things a bit more to stay consistent with my end result. Some artists might need to draw things over and over again to get what they want. The point is, whatever works for you is, “The Right Way!” Over time we all get better at skipping steps that once were essential to the goal. It’s kind of the magic of art really. It’s also why it’s so powerful when you see the work of an artist you admire. You are witnessing the collective ability that they have acquired over years and years of hard work. That is the reason they make it appear so easy. Drawing for comics isn’t an overnight process, it’s a journey so be ready.

Step 1 – The Rough Sketch

I take my time with the initial sketch. Let me be specific, I take as much time in the thumbnail stage as it takes to know I have a good concept to work from. I purposely draw them loose and fast. I know, I just contradicted myself. I draw them quickly because they are small and very little detail but I also take my time to draw as many as I need to get the composition right. Not getting caught up in the details too soon.

Drawing for comics is a tricky thing. We tend to overthink it or put details where they don’t belong or will not even get noticed. Try to think big to small as you layout your scene. If the big shapes make sense then all those amazing details will just be icing on the cake.

J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-man “Get me Parker!!”

Drawing for comics is hard work but it gets much easier when you plan it out!

Step 2 – Refining the Pencils

Now I move to exploring my composition. Refining the lines and seeing if I can realize my original vision. The good news is if you work through the rough sketch properly this part is much easier. If you fail to put in the necessary ground work then you have to work harder at this stage. Some artists can envision things a bit better but if you can’t just double check you initial sketch. Check the perspective, proportions, composition, and gesture. Chances are if those things are working this stage will be much more fun!

Tighten up the work and add in the details but not everywhere. You have to have negative space for the viewers eye to rest. Cluttering up every square inch of the page can actually hurt the scene. Use a combination of angles and curves to explain the forms. Too much of one or the other can leave the art feeling too stiff or too soft. Same rules apply to texture. Some surfaces need to look shiny, some need to look gritty. Balancing out the contrast while keeping your focal point In mind is the key.

Step 3 – Inking the Work

Now you get to put those pretty solid lines everywhere. This is where the real commitment comes in. I like to think about this part as making the art feel solid but not so much that it looks lifeless. Not always easy to do, for me anyways. Depending upon your style, rendering can make things appear overly stiff. Just do your best to remember that initial concept. That is one of the reason I like to save the incremental steps as I work. I can look back and see where I may have lost the initial energy of the thumbnail sketch.

I also think that when your inking the work you should experiment with different levels of shadows and cross-hatching.

Some styles work better with less and the opposite can be true too of course. Another thing I like to pay special attention to is the time to add all those glorious little details.

As I mentioned before, think like a painter does, large to small. Make sure everything works with the bigger shapes and then render in the tighter refined lines. We can get caught up in the details that no one ever really sees. Plus, we are trying to draw comics here. Waste too much time and we miss our deadline and no one wants that!

In what ways do you stage your work or break things down. Be sure to comment below and let others know how you draw for comics. We all learn and grow together.

I hope you find this post helpful and be sure to share the content. Good luck with your art and remember to have fun along the way! 🙂

-Robert

Do You Want to Learn more? Check out my Art Courses here – https://ram-studios-comics-art-school.teachable.com

You can sign up for my free course on The Importance of Thumbnail Sketching –https://ram-studios-comics-art-school.teachable.com/p/the-benefits-of-drawing-with-basic-forms-and-thumbnail-sketches/?product_id=2474109&coupon_code=RAMSITEDRAWFORCOMICS

Blog

Ram Studios Comics ART SCHOOL Online

Welcome to Ram Studios Comics Art School Online!

Happy to announce that I will be hosting my courses here now https://ram-studios-comics-art-school.teachable.com
Not to worry if you are a student on the other platforms, I will still be taking care of you and adding new content. This new site will allow me to address certain needs that have come up time and time again.

For those of you that are new here, my name is Robert A. Marzullo and I have been creating online courses for over 7 years now and it has been an amazing journey. I have been able to help over 120,000 students from all over the world. I get to see their progress and offer feedback or encouragement where I can. I am extremely grateful to be doing this for a living.

I have been primarily using Udemy, Skillshare, and Gumroad to host my content. They are all great but they all have some major flaws as well. With Udemy and Skillshare I have to be careful how I communicate with the student. I cannot direct them off site for one. That can be a problem when I need to help the student but afraid to get a strike from the platform. Skillshare is pretty great overall but I can’t currently respond to students with any draw overs. Those are really helpful to show someone exactly what I mean in a response to their question.

What will I learn?

The main things you can expect to learn from this site are figure drawing, comic art, benefits of digital art programs and how to use them, traditional art techniques, creature design, and character design. I also want to help artists realize their potential at achieving success. It amazes me that so many talented people fail to achieve their goals when they have so many awesome opportunities these days.

The primary Art applications I use and teach are Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, Photoshop, and Sketchbook Pro.

Here are some of the great features of the new site –

  1. Better lesson structure with comments + images attached to each lesson.
  2. Live-streaming options to be help students and offer mentor ship programs.
  3. More control for me to communicate with you properly without worrying.
  4. Specifically designed and focused on art education.
  5. Better overall student experience.

I will be uploading all my courses here in the next few days. I already have a couple of my most popular courses on there. Be sure to sign up for updates if you are interested in knowing more.

This should be a huge help for everyone involved. Feel free to give me any feedback you have or let me know if have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support and good luck with your art!

-Robert

Blog, Uncategorized

Digital art for Beginners – unleash your creativity

Digital Art for Beginners
Digital Art for Beginners

Hello Artists!

I have just released my course, “Digital Art for Beginners.” This is something I have been working on for some time. If you follow my work then you already know most of everything I create these days is done with digital tools and programs. I have been working with digital software for over 20 years and drawing tablets for over a decade. So I felt it was time to share everything that I know about Digital Art production.

This course is designed to help you break into the world of Digital Art by giving you the information that I had to search for or learn by trial and error. It is my goal to save you time and alleviate any frustration you might incur while making the jump.

Learning to create with Digital Art Tools can seem frustrating at first but you have to realize that there are so many neat ways to edit your work that you can still be productive while developing your skills. The main thing is to keep an open mind and keep creating!

In this course you will learn about some of my favorite art programs that I have used for many years to create my style of art. We will cover Sketchbook Pro, Clip Studio Paint, the Procreate app, Adobe Photoshop, and Krita. You will learn about the tools that each of them have adopted from one another over the years as well as the ones that make them unique.

In the next section of this course we will cover 3 types of drawing devices. The Wacom Intuos 4 Medium Tablet, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD, and the iPad Pro 12.9 / Apple Pencil. This will give you a good range of what is available to you as a Digital Artist.

Then we will jump into using these tools to produce 2 different art projects. This will allow you to see how I use these to create my Digital Art on a daily basis. I will explain my Drawing and Painting process and how I use the tools to make edits. The main focus here is to get you to feel more comfortable with these tools. Many artists experience a feeling of disconnect and that is entirely natural when trying something new. You will overcome it with patience and practice. I assure you and I am speaking from experience!

Watch the Introduction Video to this Course here –

I am here to help you. If you take this course and have any questions please send me an email through my website form. I will help you as quickly as possible. If you have any ideas for new lessons that will make this a better learning experience for everyone, then I will be more than happy to add them to this course!

This course is currently 4 Hours long + Art Files and Brushes

Get Lifetime assess to this course here on my Gumroad – https://gum.co/eAnSS

or Watch it here on Skillshare –

https://skl.sh/2Ik1PnV

Thank you for considering my content and good luck with your Digital Art! 🙂

-Robert

Blog

Dynamic Anatomy for Artists – Drawing the Muscles of the Arm

As artists and especially as comic artists we have to have a good understanding of human anatomy. It is not an easy task but it is definitely worth the effort. You can immediately tell when an artist spends time doing their studies of the human body. From gesture and figure drawing to countless illustrations of the complex muscles and their relationships, nothing about it is simple but it truly transforms your art into something to be desired.

I avoided these studies for far too long in my own career. Even after hearing criticism from professional artists and editors that I admired. We have all been there or will hear it at some point, “You need to work on your anatomy! It is never fun to hear a comment like that but it is the cold hard truth. If you want to be a great character artist, you need to study anatomy.

So let’s stop avoiding what we know we need to learn. I created these lessons to help simplify the anatomy and make the drawing process easier to accomplish. In this first class we will focus upon the Arm Anatomy. Here is the class introduction to let you know what you can expect to gain from it –

Welcome to my class, “Dynamic Anatomy for Artists – Drawing the Muscles of Arm.”

Dynamic Anatomy of the Arm for Artists
Dynamic Anatomy of the Arm for Artists

I am extremely excited to bring you these lessons on drawing the muscles.  Learning anatomy isn’t easy but it will vastly improve your ability to draw impressive character designs and comic book superheroes.

What You Will Learn in This Class – 

  • How to Draw the Muscles
  • Basic Terminology
  • Visual Patterns
  • Form + Volume
  • Stylizing the Work
  • Efficient Ways to Improve

This class is designed to simplify the process of drawing the arm anatomy.  I will teach you the basic forms that I use to draw the arm from memory and you will get access to all the art files to study along with.  Including diagrams with all the terminology.

Don’t beat yourself up though!  Just try to improve a little each day and commit a muscle or two to memory here and there.  Consistency is the most effective way to improve in my opinion.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?! 😉

Dynamic Arm Anatomy Drawing
Dynamic Arm Anatomy Drawing

After you work through the anatomy breakdowns I will show you how to implement this into a few examples. We will work on these to help you transition your new skills into your own stylized version.

Signup for this class here on Skillshare – https://skl.sh/2REAuCA

or

Get the Lessons Here on Gumroad – https://gum.co/pXUkR

I am here if you have any questions and remember you can send your artwork for me to review by using my contact form here on the website. You can also submit your artwork as a project file on Skillshare as well. Next we will be covering Leg Anatomy so I hope you will join me for that class as well! 🙂

Sincerely,

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

www.staging.ramstudioscomics.com


Art Tutorials, Blog

How to Draw Smoke + Clouds + Explosions for Comics

In my latest Youtube video I explain how to draw some of the basic dynamics for smoke, clouds, and explosions. These effects are widely used for comics and other forms of storytelling.

Drawing Smoke Clouds and Explosions for Comics
Drawing Smoke Clouds and Explosions for Comics

Check out the video below to see these two effects created!

Hopefully this post + video will help you get a bit better at drawing these elements within your own work. Remember if you don’t get it right the first time there is nothing to worry about. I didn’t either! Let’s jump in and start practicing.

Drawing Smoke

Let’s first start by drawing some basic smoke coming off a smoke stack. This is used in countless scenes in comics and is pretty much my favorite one to draw.

You can have this effect swirling in the background and make any city scene immediately look 10 times cooler. ( In my opinion of course! 😉

Step 1 – Start by drawing the area of influence or the basic flow of the smoke. Don’t be afraid to swirl it around a bit. I like to think about ribbons and scrolls when drawing smoke.

Drawing Smoke - Step 1
Drawing Smoke – Step 1

Step 2 – Erase back your construction lines or turn the opacity down on your layer. Then draw the smoke again with a bit more clarity. I like to go back and forth from thick to thin forms as the smoke rolls around. This way it looks more organic and dynamic. Use S and C curves for energy.

Drawing Smoke - Step 2
Drawing Smoke – Step 2

Step 3 – Draw in some of the interior lines. These can swirl around any which way you want. I like to start envisioning how the smoke might look with color at this stage. It helps me to think more dimensionally about the work as I go. You can also add in some line weight at this stage as well.

Drawing Smoke - Step 3
Drawing Smoke – Step 3

Next just ink and color it and voila! Comic book smoke! Just play with lots of variations and see what you can come up with. There is no right or wrong way with comic book smoke and art in general for that matter. If you’re having fun then your on the right track! 🙂

Watch my this Youtube video on the subject and get more tips and tricks on creating more effects.

I hope you enjoy the tutorials and more on the way soon!

Check out my Gumroad Store here for Video Course Content and Custom Brushes – http://www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Let me know what other topics you would like to see covered on this blog and I will do my best to answer them with a new tutorial. I love doing break downs like this and your ideas help me to focus on what to do next.

Keep Drawing and Keep Having Fun!!

-ROB

Blog

For Aspiring Comic Artists

Hello Fellow Comic Artists!

My name is Robert Marzullo and I have been drawing comics since I was about 14 years old. ( Getting ready to turn 44 ) I was first published when I was 18 in an independent series called Aerial and Assault by Tyme Press. I have since published my own comic Blackstone Eternal and I am the author of the book “Learn to Draw Action Heroes”. I have done many other things as an artist but this is about creating comics so I won’t list everything. I don’t want to bore you to death!

The main thing I want to impart on anyone reading this is that if you want to be a comic artist you have to just start creating comics. I wish I would have focused more of my time creating comics rather than trying to figure out how to get into comics. The act of doing is the most important part. Nothing will grow your skill set quicker than actually drawing page after page of sequential storytelling. I only have a total of 5 comics under my belt but I have noticed great improvements from completing each of them.

Blackstone Eternal Comic Book Art by Robert A. Marzullo
Blackstone Eternal Comic Book Art by Robert A. Marzullo

You might say, “I draw every day already. I draw pin ups and splash pages!” So that is enough, right? Wrong! That actually can hurt you as much as help you unless you are specifically going to be a cover artist and the odds are you won’t start there. Pin ups are great but they don’t tell much story. You won’t learn how to direct the viewers eye through the page, you won’t get as good at drawing the same character with a variety of emotions, you won’t develop your ability to move the camera in and out of the scene more confidently, and the list goes on. You learn these things by drawing a comic book. You also need to practice working from a script not just drawing whatever pops into your melon while your watching Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube! ( Make sure to visit my channel by the way! 🙂

You may look at my work and say, “Rob, you draw Fan Art all the time!” You’re right, and that is why I can honestly speak from experience. I have drawn comic books and I have drawn countless pieces of fan art. Guess which ones will get me more offers to work on a title. Yep, sequential art. I don’t currently get calls from the big guys like Marvel, Dc comics, or Image but when I draw and post sequential pages I get more offers from other independent comic book creators.

Blackstone Eternal Comic Book Artwork by Robert A. Marzullo
Blackstone Eternal Comic Book Artwork by Robert A. Marzullo

I am speaking from my own experiences but also reconfirming what I need to implement in my own strategy. If I want to work in comics I need to draw amazing stories that show the viewer what I can do. Besides, working through a series of pages from a script will expose my flaws and that is exactly what I need to fix within my work so why fight it.

So I challenge you to get out there and create some comics! Throw a script together or find one online and put yourself to the test. If you can’t muster up a 22 page book then go for a short story. Show it off to everyone you know and accept the criticism so that you can make the next one even better. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect comic or a perfect piece of art. Remember, done is better than perfect!

Good luck to you and thank you for reading my blog! Check out my YouTube channel for more content on drawing comics – http://www.youtube.com/c/robertmarzullo

Get my Video Course content and custom brushes here on my Gumroad – http://www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

-Robert

Blog, Uncategorized

How to draw comic style art – from sketch to rendering

How to Draw Comic Style Art – From Sketch to Rendering

Welcome back fellow comic art enthusiasts! I have completed a new series of lessons for you on drawing in a traditional comic art style. From rough sketching to the final rendering and cross hatching stage, you will learn the process I use to create my art with good old pencil and paper.

If you are looking to learn how to draw comics in a step by step fashion then this course is meant for you!

I first walk you through my basic supplies. I show you how I use a variety of pencil leads ranging from 2H to 2B to get the look I am after. This course has multiple projects files so that you can work along with me to better understand drawing with Line, Shape, Form, and Shadow. With these fundamental ideas you can draw anything around you and translate it into your imaginative work of art!

Here are some of the things you can expect to learn in this course –

  • Understanding Line – Shape and Form
  • Constructing Your Designs with Primitive Shapes
  • Working with Light and Shadow
  • Cross hatching or Rendering Techniques
  • Line Weight and Line Clarity
  • Focal Points
  • Contrast within the work
  • And Rendering a Variety of Materials
  • Drawing Dynamic Poses
  • Creating a Superhero Character Design

Get Lifetime access to these video lessons here on my Gumroad – https://gumroad.com/l/PNGi/RAMSTUDIOSCOMICS101

If you prefer to get this course on Udemy then please use this link here – https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-draw-comic-style-art-from-sketch-to-rendering/?couponCode=RAMSTUDIOSCOMICS111

Once you have purchased this content you get all updates for free. I will be adding more lessons as I learn new techniques to share with you on drawing comic superheroes! Currently this entire course is 6 hours long.

I hope you enjoy the lessons and you can share your artwork with me here through my contact form. Good luck with your comic art and have a great day!

-Rob