Archive for the ‘How To’ Category
How To Draw Comics
The comics industry has become a very good way of earning money, either as a publisher, an artist or a writer. There are a lot of avenues to explore in the comic book industry and people are starting to notice thanks to the hype that major comic book publishers like Marvel Comics and DC Comics has done for the industry.
A lot of people have often wondered how to draw comics the way professionals do it. The simple answer to that is that people should just follow their own style when drawing especially for comic books. People who have gained prominence in the early 2000s up until today have always stated that the reason they are still in the business in because they have evolved the level of their art and even their output without sacrificing too much of their own artistic style.
There will never be such a thing as lack of art or lack of style when it comes to answering the question how to draw comics. Instead people who would like to break into the comic book industry should stop asking questions and start by doing either of the following:
Reading comic books – While reading comic books might seem like a past time or a way to kill the boredom, an artist who would like to draw the Marvel or DC way should start reading as much comic books as they can get their hands on. This is because these are some of the sources not only for inspiration but also because they can help teach artists the proper anatomy or even the proper style of shading or lighting.
Watch Youtube videos – There are a lot of videos that are done by a lot of known artists that has been posted on video websites such as youtube. Comic book superstar artist Jim Lee, who now heads DC Comics, is known to share and upload videos on Youtube while he draws different characters including classics like Superman, Batman or even Wonder Woman. Sometimes while drawing images, these artists would go on and discuss other things and even the evolution of their style. Overall, its important that you watch and listen as the masters do their magic.
Buy Books – While in some cases reading comic books can be a good thing and an educational thing at that. There are a lot of great things that can be learned from getting art books and tutorial books. These books are great in forming or building an artists specific style or help them achieve a specific look that they would like to incorporate in their own artworks.
There are a lot of different artists through the years who have begun to experiment with their own art and gained fame. Artists like Adam Hughes and Frank Cho have been known for their own styles especially when it comes to drawing women comic book characters. Hughes has in fact done several books on how to draw comics based on his style. Hughes has also managed to gain a huge number of fans through the years. DC Comics has also managed to make a fortune from the works of Adam Hughes work thanks to the different merchandise and products that has been rolled out based on his art works.
For artists who are still hesitant about taking drawing for comic books seriously, a good thing to remember is the example of Jim Mahfood. Jim Mahfood was an independent artist who started out working and drawing for independent comic books before he was able to land a gig at Marvel comics providing the art for Ultimate Spider-Man Team-Ups together with writer Brian Michael Bendis; from there Mahfoods art has been all over the place. Another art style that is as unique as Mahfoods is the art of Mike Oeming. This artist has also worked with Brian Michael Bendis on several projects including Powers which is set to have its own television series sometime next year.
Then theres the dynamic and sketchy art of Leinil Francis Yu who has worked with several high profile projects with Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the past. The artist has worked on characters like Wolverine and Superman together with different big name writers. The artist also managed to land a big time project in the form of Marvels Secret Invasion where Marvel characters battled the shape shifting invaders known as the Skrulls.
There are still artists who follow the old school way of drawing characters. They might look old or classic in appearance but they certainly have a lot of followers and at the same time still get all the good projects, some even make it working with high-profile projects such as John Romita Junior who has worked in hit projects such as Kick Ass as well as regularly provides interior page works for stuff like Avengers. Other artists however would prefer more classic approaches when drawing comic books. Artists like Marcos Martin who follows a certain sense of Kirby-ism which is based on the art of iconic comic book creator Jack Kirby who has created some classic characters including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and even Captain America.
It doesn’t matter what your art style is, what’s truly important is the fact that readers would understand what is going on in the book and that it has also passed editorial mandates. It should also be important to note that there are a lot of readers who would not be able to understand an artwork or an interior panel if it gets to artsy or too complex. This is the reason why artists who would like to work for the comic book industry require a lot of practice because new artists tend to overdo these simple things.
People who are now raring to go should remember a few more things if they have already mastered how to draw comics? Here are some of the things:
1. Always remember to accept criticism. Don’t go and get mad or feel hurt just because somebody called your art bad. Instead use this energy in helping improve your craft.
2. Practice. Always remember that art is an ever-changing craft. Don’t stop just because you’ve felt like you’re on top of your game.
How to Memorize Quickly
In today’s fast-paced society, learning how to memorize quickly has become a huge challenge for most people. Bombarded by personal and professional commitments, they tend to be come forgetful as they try to handle different issues simultaneously. Sometimes they forget where they placed their keys or sending important emails to their clients. At other times, they forget to buy something in groceries even when they have already stayed there for an hour or so. These instances have become regular that most of them tend to take memory improvement more seriously than ever.
Whether you are a student who is preparing for an exam or an adult who is trying to juggle commitments at work and at home, you have to find ways on how to memorize quickly. Simple yet effective memorization tips will not only help you secure a rewarding career but will also make you feel more confident with the different aspects of your life. Here are some memorization secrets that will surely help you exceed everyone else’s expectations.
Always exercise the brain
As a student or a professional, the key to memorizing quickly is to exercise your brain as much as it can. All your efforts to perform better will only go to waste if you were not able to keep your brains health in optimal condition. Indulge in exciting exercises that can improve your memory such as crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, and Sudoku. As soon as you notice improvements in your memory, challenge yourself by engaging in harder memorization activities that will put your skills to the test.
Create mental images
Another technique on how to memorize quickly involves the need to create mental images as you try to memorize some things. For example, if you are studying for an exam and you want to memorize the symptoms of a particular disease, you can prepare mental images of people who are experiencing all those symptoms. This simple technique will allow you to retain pieces of information easily while you are reading books or listening to class discussions.
Talk to other people
One of the best ways to retain information quickly is to share to another person all the pieces of information that you need to memorize. This technique can teach you how to memorize quickly because it can encourage your brain to relate a particular concept with other subjects. As a student, you can do this by participating in class discussions instead of being a passive listener. This will greatly help you in keeping important information in your brain for longer periods.
Use cue cards
For students and professionals who want to memorize quickly for exams and important presentations, flash cards can be a very handy option. When you are trying to memorize technical terms and definitions, you can write the definition on one side of the card and jot down the term on the other side. For presentations and speeches, you can memorize whole paragraphs quickly by jotting down a clue on one side of the card and writing the entire paragraph on the other side of the card. To learn how to memorize quickly, try going through these cue cards during your free time.
Create handy scripts
If you are preparing a speech or presentation, you can also make things easier by writing down your entire presentation instead of typing them on your computer. This will not only help you memorize your presentation quickly it will also help you get rid of unnecessary words. Once you have written the script, think of a single word that can encapsulate the essence of every paragraph you have written. You can also break the entire script into chunks and start memorizing one important concept or idea at a time. A simple script can effortlessly teach you how to memorize quickly and deliver a great speech or presentation.
Listen to audio clips
Audio learners can also memorize quickly through a technique that most people tend to overlook. You can this by reading out your script and recording it into your iPod or voice recorder. Upload it to your computer and play it while you are sleeping. While you are working out, running, or doing other important activities, you can also listen to what you have recorded by playing it on your iPod or mp3 player. As an audio learner, you can easily retain huge chunks of information if are regularly listening to the things that you need to keep in mind.
Make the right food choices
No matter how hard you try to learn how to memorize quickly, you will keep on forgetting important things if you are not eating healthy meals. Diet plays a huge role in keeping the brain in excellent condition so you have to start eating memory-enhancing food. Salmon and fish are great examples because they are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Sources of iron such as grapes, papayas, cranberries, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and dark vegetables will also do wonders in improving the performance of your brain. Well-balanced meals can eliminate all your worries about the irritating memory lapses that you used to experience.
Study in short, repeated sessions
When it comes to learning, memory retention, and studying techniques, experts suggest that short, repeated study sessions can help you learn how to memorize quickly. Studying in long sessions will expose you to different distractions and make you feel stressed. After memorizing all the information you need, you also have to stop worrying about forgetting everything you have tried to keep in mind. Too much worrying will only make it harder for you to recall all the pieces of information that you need to remember. As long as you were able to follow these techniques, you can always be confident that there is really no point in worrying.
Retaining huge chunks of information is not really as hard as it seems. While most people think that memorizing things is as simple as reading texts repeatedly, you have to remember that memorization is more than just that. To learn how to memorize quickly, you have to improve your concentration and focus by trying some of the activities and tips that were mentioned above.