I recently posted a list of books recommended for comic creators. But for as long as the web has been around, artists have been freely posting how-to’s and step-by-step process shots. Study the masters in any way that you can.
Instagram, Youtube and Twitter have become a goldmine for drawing technique videos and photos. I’ve selected some of my favorites. Let me know about other ones in the comments.
The Artists
- Jock Draws Batman
- Mike Hawthorne’s Venom Red Skull
- Sean Phillips Page Breakdown on The Fade Out
- Jason Shawn Alexander 9-Step Empty Zone Panel Breakdown
- Paul Pope’s Japanese Snow Woman
- Yuko Shimizu Draws Big
- Practical Drawing Tips from Greg Smallwood
- Sakura Pigma Drawing Pens Demo by Alphonso Dunn
- Jim Lee Drawing the Joker
- THE PROCESS: Inking Old-School
- HOW to INK! Supplies & Techniques
- Kim Jung gi with the Pentel Pocket Brush
- Jae Lee Draws Wolverine
- How To Create and Develop YOUR comic style
Jock Draws Batman
Here’s a quick 3-step ink drawing from Jock. He posts a lot of detail shots on his Instagram page.
That was a bit quick. Here’s a video of Jock doing his thing.
Mike Hawthorne’s Venom Red Skull
Check out the process shots for Marvel artist, Mike Hawthorne’s Venom Red Skull. Cool right?
AND for my fellow Process Junkies here are the inks, pencils & layouts! Shout to @EDevinLewis for trusting me with this (fun!) nightmare! pic.twitter.com/hlRbOSdSHR
— Mike Hawthorne (@MikeHawthorne) September 8, 2017
I think Marvel may have released the wrong version of that Venom Red Skull design cover. Here's how it's to look. #Marvel #marvelcomics pic.twitter.com/gxjxFHk1BP
— Mike Hawthorne (@MikeHawthorne) September 8, 2017
Sean Phillips Page Breakdown on The Fade Out
Sean Phillips has been very generous with sharing knowledge on his site. He went the extra mile with this step by step that he presented on The Fade Out.
After receiving the script from Ed Brubaker, Sean makes a thumbnail sketch in his sketchbook – just for storytelling purposes. From there he’ll shoot any photos and research out any other references needed for the pages.
Then it’s over to the Cintiq using Manga Studio to start pencilling. His reference photos are pasted up on another monitor and he sketches from them freehand. For the final panel he dropped the photo reference right into the page, along with a background in the first panel. This was ensure better accuracy on the finished drawing.
Then, on another layer he inks the pencils with a couple of Ray Frenden‘s Manga Studio brushes. And then draws in some grey tones on seperate layer to finish the page.
The flattened page is then sent to Elizabeth Breitweiser to color in Adobe Photoshop.
Sean then adds the color file to the lettering and panel borders that he’s previously created in Adobe Illustrator finishing the page.
Jason Shawn Alexander 9-Step Empty Zone Panel Breakdown
Here’s a very detailed step-by-step demo from Jason Shawn Alexander – following the progress of an illustration from his Empty Zone comic series.
Paul Pope’s Japanese Snow Woman
Feast your eyes on this Japanese Snow Woman by Paul Pope.
Hungry Ghosts #4 final cover and WIP for @karenpberger @Bourdain @joelrosebooks a Japanese Snow Woman ghost//colors @josevillarrubia pic.twitter.com/YI7KiyKF3h
— PULPHOPE (@PULPH0PE) January 4, 2018
Yuko Shimizu Draws Big
Yuko is a world-reknowned illustrator and an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. You can take her Skillshare course—Ink Drawing Techniques: Brush, Nib, and Pen Style—and up your inking game.
Practical Drawing Tips from Greg Smallwood
If you search through the #comicprotip hashtag on Twitter, you’ll unearth a long stream of indispensable advice for creators.
https://twitter.com/SavageSmallwood/status/950816950040526848
https://twitter.com/SavageSmallwood/status/949279983826030592
https://twitter.com/SavageSmallwood/status/948971505609736193
Sakura Pigma Drawing Pens Demo | Drawing a realistic skull – Alphonso Dunn
How to draw a skull with Sakura pigma ink drawing pens. This video demonstrates Sakura of America’s wide array of ink drawing materials including the pigma microns, graphic pens, mechanical pencils, brush pen, and electric eraser.
Here’s Jim Lee Drawing the Joker
Jim drew this Joker sketch during his Twitch stream [https://www.twitch.tv/jimlee] and gave it away to one lucky viewer.
THE PROCESS: Inking Old-School
Shane White shares a few techniques for inking with a brush.
HOW to INK! Supplies & Techniques
Mary Doodles: “Here’s the inking video of my How to Art series! I’m gonna go over the supplies & materials I use to draw & paint with liquid black india ink. I’m also gonna show you some techniques you can use.”
Kim Jung gi
Tab and her mother are ready to dive head first into the Trawl. Artist @KimJungGiUS shows off his variant cover for MOTHERLANDS #2! Colored by June Chung. Out 2/28. pic.twitter.com/nLSqI5vXOQ
— DC Vertigo (@vertigo_comics) February 23, 2018
Kim Jung gi with the Pentel Pocket Brush
Here’s Kim Jung gi drawing using a Pentel pocket brush pen and a Pentel Color Brush on Korean traditional paper mounts on wood.
Jae Lee Drawing and Inking Wolverine
How To Create and Develop YOUR comic style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIu04eOWH9c
Ever wonder how to assimilate your favorite artists into your own unique style? This video shows you how to use textures, and different approaches to start building that all up. Examples include a few David Finch pieces, Chris Bachalo art, and a really nice Leinil Yu Red Skull piece.
The feature image ‘Ink Pens‘ by TMAB2003 was used under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license.