How To Draw Comics

Finding your path as an artist can be tough. Sometimes we fall off track and lose our way. Other times we question our ambitions and wonder if we're going down the right road at all. This doesn't just apply to artists either. Knowing which way to turn next is a decision many of us find difficult to make, especially when we inevitably arrive at a crossroads. In this episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast Ric Bulow and I get together after a long awaited reunion to talk about where Ric's been, what he's been up to and how to he got himself back on track with a little introspection and a much needed break. What we'll learn in this episode is the importance of taking time to self reflect and asking yourself what it is you really want to go for in life - and most importantly why. The 'why' of anything we set out to do is the key to understanding what makes us tick, yet so often we forget to find a good enough reason for doing what we do. I hope you enjoy this episode of the HTDC Podcast and that you tak

Finding the courage to start your art is hard sometimes, no matter what level of skill you're at. Feeling apprehensive, nervous or even scared of jumping in and taking action on your ideas can happen for a number of reasons. Maybe you had an idea that began as something fun and manageable, but somehow it quickly got blown out of proportion the more you thought about it - to the point where now it seems impossible to accomplish. It could be that you don't have a positive support system around you, to build you up, encourage you, and believe in what you're doing. When you feel like you've got no one on your team, setting out to achieve something great can seem impossible. Or you might not feel like your skill-set is up to snuff enough for you to pull off your grand vision. In this episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast I'm going to give you solutions to all these set backs so that you've got no excuses left to not dive in and start your art asap. I hope you enjoy this episode and that you take away a

As much as we love to draw, sometimes we're just not in the mood to put pencil to paper. When we feel lazy, tired, lethargic or simply uninspired it can seem almost impossible to get anything down onto the page at all. And it sucks. Because we know we're better than that. Ideally, if we could whip out a drawing at will whenever we liked it'd be game over. Just imagine how much more productive you could be? You'd triple your practice time, tear through your commissions and make real headway on your comic books. The sad truth is, no matter how much ability you have, there are days where you'd rather do anything else but draw. So knowing how much more we could get done, how do we get around that? How do we get in the mood to draw in the first place? That's what today's episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast is all about. You'll learn four nifty techniques to nip procrastination in the bud and pull yourself back on track to work toward the goals that matter most. Best of all, you'll learn the surpris

In this episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast Ric Bülow and special guest artist Aaron Bartling talk about freelancing, and how you can use it to build up your portfolio and professional reputation to score bigger and better job opportunities. We hope you enjoy this episode of the HTDC Podcast and take away loads of insight from it. Thanks for listening. Check out Aaron's art work at: https://www.instagram.com/aaronbartlingart/ If you liked this podcast episode, show your support by commenting, sharing or subscribing. Comic Art Community - https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/comic-art-community/ How to Draw Comics .NET - http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/howtodrawcomics/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/howtodrawcomics Twitter - https://twitter.com/howtodrawcomics Tumblr - http://howtodrawcomics.tumblr.com/ Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/howtodrawcomics/

This episode, special guest artist Deth Phimmasone joins Clayton Barton to talk about a creative dilemma most, if not all, aspiring comic artists face - Getting whats in your head down onto paper. Oftentimes, the ideas inside our mind seem complex and intricate. But in reality, our brain stores information in a simplified manner, meaning that most of the mental imagery we might visualize is in fact symbolic, sometimes abstract versions of the idea we'd like to manifest on the page. In a sense, that's the best way to approach an illustration - to think on a more macro level and build the composition from the ground up using simplified forms that are representative of what will ultimately become the finished art work. Intuitively we have a natural tendency to tackle our art in the opposite way, attempting to incorporate the details and decorative intricacies without first having a solid foundation to build them upon. However without an accurate road map to follow it's very easy to lose your way. In this epi

In this episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast Ric Bülow sits down with special guest artist Christopher Wilhelm to talk about developing a style true to you, and what it's like to delve into the world of freelancing for the first time. If you'd like to learn more about Christopher Wilhelm and see some of his art, you can find it via the links below. ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/barelynormal_activity If you liked this podcast episode, show your support by commenting, sharing or subscribing. Comic Art Community - https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/comic-art-community/ How to Draw Comics .NET - http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/howtodrawcomics/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/howtodrawcomics Twitter - https://twitter.com/howtodrawcomics Tumblr - http://howtodrawcomics.tumblr.com/ Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/howtodrawcomics/

When you're able to find a passion you can fall in love with, productivity becomes addictive. Sadly, many of us haven't found one yet that truly fulfills us in that way. Lets be realistic, we all have responsibilities and general house keeping to take care of in our lives. Unfortunately that can get in the way of what our heart truly yearns for, sometimes to the point where we become blind to the thing we really want to do most. It gets lost amid the mainstream narrative many of us fall into by default. However, as you'll learn in this podcast episode, there are ways not only to find a passion you can truly fall in love with, but also to pursue it. Funnily enough it's when we're in love with what we're doing that we're at our most productive. It's hard to stop. That's when you know you've found your purpose, when you become obsessed with the goal you've chosen to work toward. At that point you become unstoppable, and that's the power of love - loving what you do. Because the truth is, that's what you w

If there’s one thing that holds us back creatively, its artistic anxiety. In this episode of the HTDC Podcast you’ll learn what it is, why it happens and what to do about it. For the most part, thinking too much is to blame. In the beginning we start out with the best of intentions, pondering the next grand idea we intend to realize. In our mind we figure out every detail it’ll entail, bringing it into focus with sharper clarification before pencil ever goes to paper. Then it begins to ferment. Now that we’ve built that idea up so much in our head, the train of thought transitions into worry. A state of nervousness at the sheer scale of the task we’ve set for ourselves. Because as we dwell on an idea, it grows, and sometimes it grows so much that it becomes a monster. It’s at this point the perfect storm occurs and anxiety is bred. From that a reluctance comes about as we put that project we were once so excited about off for as long as we can hold out. We stall, and if we ever do eventually bite the bull

You’ve been waiting, wondering where we’ve been. Well, we’re back bearing a host of brilliant announcements you won’t want to miss – because they’re all to do with you, and for the most part consist of the copious amount of comic art know how we’re putting out faster than ever. That includes brand new episodes of the HTDC Podcast, coming back to you pretty much every day. The question is though, where on Earth have we been all this time? The truth is life has been happening for all the hosts of the show, and with it, upheavals, responsibilities and the dwindling pot of ideas that had had its last scoop. So we needed a little time to make a new batch. This time we’ll be hitting you with hot new episodes almost every day, mostly covering the questions you’ve sent in along with regular guest artists whose brilliant brains we’ll pick to garner the very best insights from their extensive knowledge and experience. But why is the HTDC Podcast back? What compels us to keep on rolling onward? The Podcast has he

In this episode Clayton and Ed talk about HTDC's first ever competition - how you can enter and what's in it for you! This is the contest you’ve been waiting for. This is the one that’ll finally give you the nudge to get off your pin-up seat, and start working on sequential pages. We all know that Anatomy, Form, Structure, Perspective… they’re all important for making comics. But the most important, the holy grail of sorts, is storytelling. And in our medium, there’s no better way than through sequential panels. This friendly contest is designed to help you grow with that. To grow as an artist AND a storyteller. So take this time before the summer sets in to really get yourself on the right track, and join on in. This is for the HTDCs community to come together and learn, both from the experience, and from each other. For more information on the competition visit this link: https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/post/sequential-summer-slam

Ed Foychuk and I finally built up the courage to talk about Politics in Comics in our latest episode of the HTDC Podcast. Have comics changed, and if so have they really changed that much? How have they changed, and most importantly have they changed for the better? There are creators and readers sitting on either side of the old and new, who either read comics for nostalgia sake, or to get a hit of something fresh and meaningful. But at the core, we explore what drove the industry back then, and what drives it today - and whether or not that's a good thing. We present a balanced argument, coming at the topic from two different angles that don't necessarily align, but somehow make up two sides of the same coin. There has never been a better time for creators to get into comics than now, yet at the same time, it could be argued that there's never been a worse time. In this episode we attempt to shed some light on the pros and cons of the industry, and how you can make a change within it by bringing your ow

In this episode of the How to Draw Comics Podcast, Ed Foychuk, Ric Bulow and Clayton Barton team up once more to talk about originality, vs relatabilty when it comes to creating compelling comic books. Cliché's, Stereotypes, Tropes and Archetypes often get a bad wrap for being overdone and boring. But are they really all that bad? The answer is yes, and no. They can be bad, but often times are fantastic for creating an instant connection with your audience. In fact, the only way a cliché can become a cliché in the first place is when an idea is struck upon that's so great, it's repeated over and over again throughout the established genre's people either love, or love to hate. This episode we attempt to determine where the line in the sand needs to be drawn when it comes to a unique idea, vs a captivating idea that allows the audience to become entranced in your stories. And try to nail down a strategy one might use to get a satisfactory balance of the two to make their idea that much more powerful. We

The topic for this weeks episode of the HTDC Podcast is on how to get commissions as a freelance artist. When it comes to making money from art, clients are our bread and butter. Without them there's simply no way to financially sustain our creative trade full time. But where do we find them and how do we get them to give us work? Ed and Clayton share there experience as freelance artists, sharing their insights on how they found, bonded and ultimately worked with clients who were a pleasure to partner up with. The life of the freelance artist isn't an easy one, but when you can come up with a strategy that helps to promote your services and connect with people in the right way it makes the notion of doing your art for a living something that could realistically happen. If you'd like to learn more about getting regular commissions as a freelance artist, here's a comprehensive article we've dedicated specially to the topic: https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/post/the-artists-guide-to-freelancing We hope yo

This episode Ed Foychuk and Clayton Barton get together to talk about the importance of setting milestones as an aspiring comic book artist. Having goals in place that you can strive toward not only keeps you on track but holds you accountable to yourself and those around you. They give you a clear vision of what you should be focused on next to make real progress. Without them you've got no compass to guide you along the way when the going gets tough. And at that point it's too easy to just give up. By the end of this episode, our goal is for you to come up with some milestones of your own to aspire towards. We hope that you get a ton of value out of this episode! If you do, please tell your comic art friends to give it a listen. They'll appreciate it, and so will we. Thanks for listening. -Clayton For more comic art tips, tricks, tutorials and courses, visit our website at https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/. We've got a ton of free resources for you to check out that'll make a huge difference in your le

In this special edition, bonus episode of the HTDC Podcast, Clayton Barton brings you his Friday lecture straight from the Virtual Comic Art Classroom (VCAC). This talk focuses on the topics of: 1. Making 'Real' Progress In Your Art 2. Cultivating Patience and Long Term Determination 3. Having Love and Respect for the Art You Create 4. Drawing Groups of Characters on Double Page Spreads We hope you enjoy this bonus episode of the HTDC Podcast. As always, thanks for listening - and keep on practicing! -Clayton For more comic art tutorials, videos, courses and resources visit our website at https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/ Check out our brand new guide to making comics here (it's free): If you would like access to the Virtual Comic Art Classroom, you'll need to enroll in one of Clayton's course below. Comic Book Character Creator: Superheroines - https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/superheroines Figure Drawing Foundations: Proportions - https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/proportions-lesson

The HTDC Podcast is back after a month long break. Join Clayton Barton and Ed Foychuk as they break the ice with a freeflow dump of comic art knowledge and insights focused on topics such as - How to conquer perfectionism Self preservation on the job How to promote yourself as an artist Honing in on your mistake to give your abilities a boost Getting past your setbacks as fast as possible! Is it better to learn from realtime or timelapsed demonstations? And much more. We hope you enjoy the return of the HTDC Podcast. From now on we'll be bringing you a new episode every Monday. Look forward to joining you then. For more comic art tips, tricks and tutorials visit https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/ Get Clayton's new course 'Comic Book Character Creator: Superheroines' at: https://www.howtodrawcomics.net/superheroines Check out Ed Foychuk's art at: https://www.facebook.com/JuggerthaArt/ Check out Clayton Barton's art at: http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

In this episode of the How To Draw Comics Podcast, Clayton's joined by special guest creator Rob Arnold to talk about what it takes to get your first comic book off the ground. Rob Arnold is the creator and writer of Replicator - a post apocalyptic sci-fi comic set in a dark future where disease, famine, violence and robot killing machines are an everyday occurrence. This is a project Rob has been rallying behind for years now to fully realize it - and the journey hasn't been easy. Like many creators, Rob turned to crowd funding platforms such as Kickstarter to financially back Replicator which he has successfully done now for two issues in a row (and soon hopefully three). So he's got some experience behind him when it comes to getting a comic book successfully funded, and in this interview that's one of the main topics we cover among the many others that'll give you insight into getting your first creator-owned comic book out there. We hope you enjoy this episode of the HTDC Podcast, it was an abso

This week in the How To Draw Comics Podcast, Ric Bulow and Clayton Barton get together to talk about the importance of scheduling and deadlines! Most artists don't like to confine their creativity in any way, shape or form, and that includes limiting it to a deadline. But what we don't realize is that schedules keep us on track so that we can remain conscious of what needs to get done and work toward completing it. Most importantly, completing projects in a reasonable amount of time is simply part of our job when working with clients. If we don't have the discipline to sit down, focus and work hard to meet those deadlines we simply won't be able to make a living from our craft. There's a lot to cover in this episode, so sit back, relax and enjoy. We hope you get a ton of value out of it - and until next time, remember to keep on practicing! -Clayton For comic art tips, tricks and tutorials, visit www.howtodrawcomics.net and subscribe to our mailing list.

In this weeks episode of the How To Draw Comics Podcast, Clayton Barton and Ed Foychuk talk about the art of taking and giving critique. Getting feedback on your work is one of the fastest ways to grow as an artist - unfortunately many of us have an automatic defense mechanism that kicks whenever someone points out a flaw in our work. And rightfully so! Our art is an expression of us, an extension of who we are. So when it gets criticized, it feels like we're being personally attacked. But in most cases, that's not the case at all. When someone takes the time to give you thoughtful feedback, usually they're heart's in the right place. They see your potential and they just want you to succeed! So we've got to be open and know that people are just trying to help us out when they offer a suggestion on something that might work better. But what makes for a solid piece of advice? When giving feedback, how can we critique someone's work in a way that's strategically going to tell them what they're doing right,

In 2019's first episode of the How To Draw Comics Podcast, Clayton and Ric talk about clearing the slate, and setting new resolutions to reach your goals in the new year. Breaking into the year with a crystal clear idea as to what you want to achieve helps give you direction, priority and most importantly, substantially increases your chances of reaching the goals that matter most. We hope you enjoy this episode and that you take away a whole lot of value from it. Thanks for listening and let us know - what are your New Years resolutions for 2019? -Clayton Find more comic art tutorials, videos, courses and learning resources at www.howtodrawcomics.net