Here is some nice class work that was placed on the blog. Being showcased is lots of work from Octavio and Ronnie, a brainstorm from Sebastian, Jason and Alexis and a collaboration between Octavio and Lyndell.

Good stuff; I am very drawn to the perspective drawing in Ronnie and Octavio's work.

Last week, Isis wrote a screenplay for a comic. Why are screenplays important? What is the advantage to WRITING a comic before drawing it?

(This is a class question) ... class ... please discuss and respond.

By writing a screenplay, you can edit. Remember what Steven King says: "to create is wonderful, to edit is sublime." - having the ability to look at your work and improve it is the sign of a true artist.

When writing a comic, try to think of what is the MOST important panel. If there is one center, this is where the viewer will be looking first. Sometimes it is good to have a center to your page, sometimes not.

Fortunately, if we use the Will Eisner story structure, the middle of the page will usually be the problem, or dealing with the problem ... which can be the most exciting moment because you're in the middle of the story.

Today: Unless you're working on an independent project, play around with panels! Do some grids with centers and without centers. Then try drawing in the panels and see what the most important panel is.

GROUP HALL WAY DICE ROLL MANGA

Most of you are involved with dice roll group projects. If you're not moving a story along, decorate and finish previous panels with cross hatching, color and added backgrounds. Once the concept of the story is created, the drawing can be fully utilized.

You're receiving five panel manga strips at the beginning of this class. Underneath the panels please write the Will Eisner story structure.

* Settings:

- the park
- the mall
- the movie theater
- A hotel
- A residential apartment
- A coffee shop
- Deep in the woods, late at night
- A club
- The bottom of the ocean
- The distant past
- On top of a mountain
- The rain forest
- The laundry mat
- A police station
- Outer Space
- In a cave
- Madagascar
- At a race track
- A Basketball court

Problems -

1. Romantic Nature
2. Life-Threatening Nature
3. Rivalry
4. An act of vengeance
5. Jealousy
6. An epic act of nature
7. The bending of time/space

Dealing with problem -

Your job

Solution -

Your job

End -

heads - happy ending
tails - sad ending

***************************

On an unrelated note, people need to broaden their definitions of what "good drawing" and "good art" is. Certain students are falling into the "if it doesn't look exactly like Avatar: The Last Airbender" it isn't worth anything and it isn't worth your time. This is silly, everyone's hand is distinct, everyone has a certain style that is unique to them. There is no point to mindlessly attempting to make your drawings look exactly like somebody else's. Sure, doing an artist copy is a good exercise, but no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to make an exact duplicate. Your style is developed over time, through endless drawing and gradually perfected.

In the meantime, value your own work by how you present specific artistic principles.

EXAMPLE 1: GOOD COMPOSITION


It is appropriate to review. Here is a drawing DuJuan made last semester. While the figures in them are not figurative, rather iconic, the composition of the entire drawing is stellar.

If we break the paper into a grid, we notice that each area is drawn upon to varying degrees depending on significance. The weapon is placed in the center square giving it significance.

A drawer like DAMION can learn from this drawing. While Damion can render action heroes and environments well, I have YET TO SEE HIM FILL ONE PAGE OF MANGA!!! You must consider the entire page, and DESIGN the page! It is not enough to do good figure drawings.

If you're working in a group, continue to do so. If you're not actively working on a group wall drawing, please do a 5 step dice roll manga.

TODAY

Please take a break from individual projects to take place in two group activities. I'm excited people like Nygel and Danilo are working together. It shows entrepreneurship, problem solving skills and creativity. But today, I'd like to make groups so people can learn from one another better.

ACTIVITY 1:

20-8-COIN

ACTIVITY 2:

SUPER STRUCTURE WILL EISNER WALL STORY

IDEAS

Students are progressing with their understanding and ability to utilize drawing techniques. Students are developing with own aesthetics that combine figurative, abstract and iconic drawings. The drawings are becoming complex as we introduce perspective and cross hatching.

The class, for the most part, however, is lacking in narrative and ideas.

Manga is created in fragments. Each fragment is an idea.

"An idea is a thought. It's a thought that holds more than you think it does when you receive it. But in that first moment there is a spark. In a comic strip, if someone gets an idea, a light bulb goes on. It happens in an instant, just as in life.
It would be great if the entire story cam all at once. But it comes, for me, in fragments. That first fragment is like the Rosetta Stone. It's the piece of the puzzle that indicates the rest. It's a hopeful puzzle piece.
You fall in love with the first idea, that little tiny piece. And once you've got it, the rest will come in time." - David Lynch, Film Director, Painter, Cartoonist

Let us observe the many FRAGMENTS that have been created in this class.


Lyquan did a portrait of yours truly. His proportions in the figure improving! Remember the
"Adventures of Link" cross hatched drawings (see the last blog post). These arms are in perfect length, even though the hands are a little small. I believe this is an improvement because he's LOOKING at me while he's drawing, AKA - LIFE DRAWING. Drawing from life will always improve your drawing ability. Also, lots of cross hatching. Good stuff!

While there in narrative in this drawing, it is still just a fragment. This picture, in order to be manga, needs a sequential PANEL that connects it and throws the story in the future.
Once again, he is a very well proportioned figure drawing and a nice tonal portrait. However, once again, these are just FRAGMENTS. Who is this person? Where is he? Why is he in a mask? Is he hiding? Remember, this class is SEQUENTIAL. Very good drawing technique, but let's further the ideas.
Once again, incredible drawing. Now it is time to work more than just figurative. use the WHOLE page.

Eric is working on a long term project, Michael is working on a long term project, ... and they're working in fragments. One panel at a time. You don't need to have the whole story plotted out, just a sense of organization by using Will Eisner's story chart.

If you are stuck, start with something you like. The top right corner - something you've been thinking about. Maybe it's just a room. Or an animal. Or an object. Then, think of a problem related to this setting, etc.



EXTRA CREDIT:

24 HOUR COMIC.

1. Take your notebook home. Pick a day, start at midnight: record when you wake up. Example: 7:30 AM. At 7:30 draw one panel documenting yourself at that present moment. At 8:30, draw another panel recording yourself that that present moment. Then at 9:30. Then at 10:30. Then at 11:30. Finish when you go to bed.

The drawings don't have to be super detailed. make this activity and fun; don't kill yourself with the drawings.

Bring in the 24 hour comic on the next manga/anime class.