Ask
anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am a HUGE comic book and
movie fan.
In
fact, at one point in my life I considered being a comic book artist (yes, I
can draw) and/or becoming part of the movie industry.
The
problems I encounter with many of the books about how to draw for comic books
or create characters is that the books tend to be overboard when it comes to explaining
how to do each.
There
really isn’t that much involved. You
simply have to know how to draw (almost anything) and how to tell a story using
panels.
Comic
book illustration is much like staging a film, only artists use paper, not
film.
The
Rosen Publishing Group Company, Inc./PowerKids
presents two books about how to draw and tell stories that simplifies matter in
fun and entertaining ways.
Mark
Bergin’s ‘How To Draw Comic Book Heroes’ is a great resource for up-and-coming
comic book artists.
The
book explains in easy-to-understand text and clear, concise drawings everything
a young artist needs to know to get started.
Subjects
covered begin with perspective, drawing materials, creating heroes of all shapes,
sizes and types using simple geometric shapes and ending with full
illustrations.
So
what do you do with your characters?
Frank
Lee writes and illustrates a very compelling sequence explaining the elements
of the page, panels, composition, telling a story and much more in his ‘Telling
A Story In Your Graphic Novel’.
I
have to tell you this book is probably the best example of how to draw comics
that is easy to comprehend and understand.
Movies,
ya gotta luv ‘em!
I
especially love Monster and Science fiction movies.
And
what make them so interesting? Throw in
some Aliens, Robots and Cyborgs and you are guaranteed a good time at the movie
theater.
David
Kassnoff in his ‘Robots and Cyborgs’ book, part of the ‘Greatest Movie Monsters’
series, delves into the mechanical monstrosities that fascinate movie goers.
Starting
with classic creations such as Maria from Metropolis, Robby The Robot from
Forbidden Planet and other mechanized marvels such as The Terminators, the Star
Wars Droids, The Transformers and many more the book is a tour-de-force of
technological terrors.
Equally
impressive is Greg Roza’s ‘Aliens’ book with such creatures as Aliens, Gort,
Martians, The Thing and many more outer space monsters.
Both
books are filled with fascinating text and black and white and full color
photos and offer fun reads.
For
the hopeful movie director check out Mary R. Dunn’s ‘I Want To Make Movies'.
The
small hardback book offers a short and concise glimpse of what many would
consider a ‘Dream Job’.
Kids
will get a kick out of seeing their favorite stars, characters and movies along
with tips on costuming, directing, sets and much, much more movie magic.