Life drawing classes are an indispensable part of an artist's education – comic book artists included. The stress on anatomy in many superhero comics makes experience with live models even more important, though alternative artists benefit just as much from such training.
Even if an artists' model isn't always available, comics illustrators should practice figure drawing from secondary resources, such as anatomy books or reference photographs.
The Advantages of Life Drawing Classes for Comics
The vast majority of English-language comics sold are superhero comics, filled with men and women with idealized figures. So it's understandable that aspiring comics artists would want to draw characters with the proportional precision of an ancient Greek sculpture.
Though it's easy for aspiring artists to copy the muscle-bound heroes drawn by others, without a grounding in life drawing, artists can't get an understanding of how a human frame and musculature moves and hangs in real life. (Breasts – which unpracticed artists draw like gravity-defying spheres – are the most obvious example.)
Creators of alternative comics, which often place a greater emphasis on realistic depictions of characters, can also benefit from practicing their skills with live models. Even caricaturists and cartoonists need to master human figures in real life in order to distort and exaggerate them convincingly.
Alternatives to Drawing Live Models
But even when aspiring artists are keen to draw live models, this is not always feasible. Life drawing classes can be expensive, or may simply not be available where one lives.
Artists' reference books can be a good substitute, and can be especially helpful for teaching theoretical and anatomical points not covered in a regular life drawing class.
There are many books now available on drawing specifically for comic books, starting with the classic How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. However, even the best of these manuals can be limiting, as they focus on figures with super-heroic (i.e., unrealistic) proportions.
Another option is to find a reference manual of photographed figures, or an online figure photo service. While learning to draw from photographs isn't always ideal – artists can't see other angles, making it harder to depict depth – photos have advantages.
Artists can work with photos just about anywhere, and take as much time as they like. Also, photos allow artists to study hard-to-hold poses or motion shots that are impossible in a studio setting, but often perfect for using in a comic book panel.
Life Drawing is Essential for Comics
No matter what style of comic art an aspiring illustrator plans to work in, mastery of figure drawing is a prerequisite for success. Even when life drawing classes aren't available, artists should use supplementary books and resources to study the human figure as much as they can.
In fact, combining life drawing with studying photos and reference books is often the best way to gain the complete understanding needed to depict convincing, dynamic characters in comic books.
Luke Arnott - Luke Arnott has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where he is currently enrolled in the ...
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