Lessons from a Beginner

Here are a few things I have learned in my years as a failed comic artist.

You can't buy experience or ability

Buying pro-level gear when you're starting out won't make you a pro.  I've picked up two high end Wacom tablets specifically for drawing and only used one for less than a few hours.  The worst part is that the digital tablets and the software they use become antiquated every few years.  The first one I picked up can't even run on Windows 8 and above.  I couldn't use it now even if I wanted to break it in.  My drafting table is covered in expensive lead holders, curve sets, every brand of mechanical pencil I can find, and some compass looking thingy that I'm not even sure how to use.

When I was younger it just made sense that I would need the same tools that J. Scott Campbell used if I wanted to draw like him.

My main tools now are Ticonderoga and Col Erase pencils on regular printer paper.  I still want to get a Cintiq... badly.  Now I look at it as a goal to achieve.  When I am able to use the software and actually have a work flow for my comic then I will shop around for an upgrade.

There are no shortcuts

Cliche? Check.  Common Sense?  Check.  Are shortcuts promised in almost every book I've read?  Surprisingly, yes.  It's like the majority of "how to..." authors feel obligated to guarantee success with minimum effort.  The recommendations in these range from practicing just 15 to 25 minutes a day.  Try following some artists on YouTube and listening to their experience instead.  The professional illustrators I follow suggest practicing 1 ~ 2 hours per day as an absolute minimum.  Many will point out that they can sometimes put in eight hours or more each day because they do illustrations for a living.

Embrace the noob

It's hard for me to think of myself as a beginner sometimes because I've drawn on and off for so long.  The reality is that my earlier attempts to reverse engineer drawing techniques by tracing dozens of panels from comics or pulling characters from Nintendo Power always ended in failure.  I've improved more in a single week by following a beginners guide to drawing than I did in all the years before.

Someone had given me the awful advice of using short light dashes to work around my inability to draw long, clean lines.  So that's what I did.  I would make hundreds of feather like strokes for every arm, leg, and strand of hair.  Because of that I never learned the mechanics of how to draw clean lines, like when to use your full arm and when to pivot at the wrist.  Before I would pivot from my elbow, twist my wrist, and pull or push my fingers all at the same time to make a single line.  That can be learned but it is difficult for a beginner.  My lines improved dramatically when I isolated the movement to one location.  I use elbow pivot for long lines, wrist for medium lines, and fingers for tight details.

Final Remarks

Here are some quick notes I wanted to get out of the way before I officially start my drawing regime.

Unless stated otherwise, all books I review will belong to me or one of the two local libraries in my area.  I've seen a number of reviewers who receive free copies of products to test out, but I haven't been that lucky yet.  The majority of the books on my reading list that I do own were purchased using Bing's reward program.  The moral of the story is that cheap is good and free is better.  Art, even drawing with pencils, can quickly become an expensive hobby.  Be thrifty where you can so you have the money to spend where you need it.