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  • Suggestion needed for graphics program.

    #1
    Hello,

    I want to draw my own comic book. I can draw, sort of. I could spend a lot of time and money learning proper anatomy and proportion, or I could pay someone to draw it for maybe the same amount or more. The last artist I worked with was a flake, so I'm hesitant about that route again.

    ***I could also get some kind of software that gives me a human figure, lets me pose it in any pose I want and view it from any angle I want. Then the software lets me clothe it. Then I can bring that figure into Photoshop or Illustrator, and take it from there by tracing it. I want a realistic looking human figure, not something cartoonish.

    Any suggestions on the software I need? I feel like a hack, but I'm more of a writer than a visual artist and I have waited too long to get this rolling.

    Thanks!

    Jesse

  • #2
    Welcome to the forum Jesse. Please read these important threads posted here. They will explain a lot about how the forum runs, from the rules and regulations to frequently discussed topics to the background on some of our lingo and inside jokes.

    I hope you enjoy yourself!

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    • #3
      Sounds like you want the easy button. There is no excuse not to learn to draw. And if you are using software that makes the figures and adds the clothing for you then they are not YOUR figures. Who wants that. Besides there would probably be copyright issues. There are posing programs (Poser 3D) but you aren't supposed to use the figures for anything more than a maquette.

      Almost any beginning figure-drawing person will make use of a poseable maquette. Mine is still standing in my bookcase. Right next to reference books on foreshortening and muscle anatomy. I can't bring myself to resort to tracing software.

      Learning proportion and perspective are necessary to make your drawings work. They are very basic to comic art and there are many tricks you can learn to make it easy.

      The other thing about learning proportion and perspective is that if you are doing anything 'heroic' in nature, there is a different set of proportions used. Pick up a How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way and while your at it pick up Comics and Sequential Art by Wil Eisner. The Hogarth Dynamic series is helpful too.

      Figure drawing is half the battle. Inking the art with proper shading and line weight will also require some artistic drawing ability.

      If you are still at basic drawing, pick up a Drawing in the Right Side of the Brain and work your way through it. Don't skip any of the lessons no matter how stupid you think they might be.
      Last edited by PrintDriver; 06-26-2011, 02:28 AM.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by JustJesse View Post
        I want to draw my own comic book. I can draw, sort of. I could spend a lot of time and money learning proper anatomy and proportion, or I could pay someone to draw it for maybe the same amount or more. The last artist I worked with was a flake, so I'm hesitant about that route again.
        Well, this time don't hire a flaky artist. I mean, if you're serious and willing to pay actual money, check out references, background information, former jobs, etc. There's no reason to hire a nitwit unless you're trying to talk someone into partnering with you on a spec project, and if that's the case, yeah, you'll likely find another flake.

        Originally posted by JustJesse View Post
        I could also get some kind of software that gives me a human figure, lets me pose it in any pose I want and view it from any angle I want. Then the software lets me clothe it. Then I can bring that figure into Photoshop or Illustrator, and take it from there by tracing it. I want a realistic looking human figure, not something cartoonish
        There's no substitute for being able to draw. Most illustrators work from photos or various kinds of models. There's no software that will do it for you. Well, at least there's no software that will do a good job. Software can't create good art. Software is only a tool — it doesn't take the place of ability, skill, aesthetic judgment or talent.

        That said, there are 3D clipart companies, like DAZ 3D, where you actually can buy pre-made 3D models and various clothes and hairstyles to go on them. Really though, it's a hobbyist approach, which for all I know, is all you're after. If so, go for it, and down the road, pick up a pencil and paper and practice some actual drawing.

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        • #5
          If drawing was that easy, everyone would be doing it.

          If you have a great idea for a comic book, you might find someone willing to work for a small payment and royalties. Look at doing issues rather than a full book. At least if it flops after the first 12 pages, the artist and your pocket hasn't spent a year working on a flop.

          Print off some business cards and a write up of your idea and visit your next local comic/illustration convention/event.

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          • #6
            I am a HUGE comic book nerd. I have met many of the artists out there, and the majority of them that do work for printed books still do it the old fashioned way - pencils then ink.

            If you are doing web comics, you can do the whole thing electronically. A lot of people use tablets to do the drawing. Some have static designs that they modify for each frame. Like they will have a body, then pick the arms, head, legs, etc. that they want on it, and assemble them in the design software (the ones I know use Illustrator, except for one who uses Corel).

            If you want to draw comics, you need to first draw. If you want to learn, I recommend picking up one of Chris Hart's books.

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            • #7
              Well, if you're looking for an artist, recognize that you are dealing mostly with a world of flakes. Not all artists are flaky, but a hefty proportion of them are.* Seems to go with the territory. Eisner was a rarity, a good arist who was also an astute businessman, and had a good sense of the realities of the industry in which he plied his trade (while most of the other classic comic book artists of his period were slaving away in shops, Eisner was running one).

              Agree with all of the above who advise not to use software as a substitute for drawing. If you're not at a skill level where you can realize your visions, it will probably take you at least ten years to get there.

              So, you're probably going to want an artist, and you're going to want someone you click with, and can have a good working relationship with. What you can do until you find that person is breakdowns. Breakdowns, that is, the plotting of each panel and what takes place within it, is the soul of comic strip writing. You don't have to be able to draw brilliantly to do that. Alan Moore is a passable artist, but apparently couldn't do what he wanted to embody the stories he came up with. Harvey Pekar would send his artists crude strips with stick figures and word balloons, and let them take it from there. Art Spiegleman is no brilliant draftsman, but knows what makes comics work.

              It's possible to be a good comic book writer whether your instrument is a typewriter or a crude, penciled-out breakdown. Just don't try and get a machine to do what really requires a human hand, be it yours or someone else's.

              *Not excepting Yours Truly.
              Last edited by Nobert; 06-27-2011, 04:32 AM.

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              • #8
                I can understand that you will need a proper tutorial that helps you better.

                Thanks

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                • #9
                  there is no particular software for creating human interface. there is lots of software for design human figure like if you want realistic base look on it than 3d max is the best also a Maya is the best one, & with illustrator you can draw it in vector art. Photoshop is just for giving realistic touch with colors & detail stuff. but for it you have to follow & read some Tutorials for it.

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