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Kevin Corcoran
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 July 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 149
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| Posted: 08 April 2013 at 3:53pm | IP Logged | 1
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Don't forget the trick John Romita Sr. taught me -- "reversing" the webbing. The scallops should curve in the opposite direction to the body part ... And, yes, this often means the scallops change direction panel to panel, or that they go one way on one boot or glove, the other way on the other. But it really does look better, almost at an unconscious level.
••••• Great advice, and a quick search turned up a Romita Sr. and Jr. collaboration that has exactly that: Spidey's right hand has scallops with curves toward the wrist, while his left hand has them curved away from the wrist. Since the drawing (from The Romita Legacy,) is signed "The Romitas," my guess is Jr. on pencils and Sr. on inks. 
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 08 April 2013 at 3:53pm | IP Logged | 2
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JB, which version of the Artograph to you employ?•• This one: 
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Eric Kleefeld
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 December 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4422
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| Posted: 08 April 2013 at 10:58pm | IP Logged | 3
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John Byrne:
QUOTE:
| And, yes, this often means the scallops change direction panel to panel, or that they go one way on one boot or glove, the other way on the other. But it really does look better, almost at an unconscious level. |
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Is the Romita trick on Spider-Man's costume an example of drawing superheroes as they should look, rather than how they actually would look in real life?
As I've observed before, the difference between stylization — versus getting it wrong — is that the artist can demonstrate that he knows how to do it with technical accuracy, and is bending the rules for a desired effect. In this case, the desired effect would be to convey a sense of body motion and muscle tension.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 12:24am | IP Logged | 4
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The invention of photography had a profound effect upon many artists. Almost overnight their "special" place in the world was taken from them, as any schmuck with a camera could do in a few hours -- then minutes, then seconds -- what it took painters days and even weeks to achieve. And it didn't matter that the early cameras could not produce images as magestic or as moving as a great painting. Photographs had an aura of magic about them, and as they got technically better with time, they did eventually start to encroach upon the kinds of emotions artists had long thought their unique and inviolable domain. Some artists reacted, realizing they had to adapt or perish. Thus was born abstract expressionism and other non-representational schools. Artists were no longer limited by what they saw. They could begin attempting to portray what they thought, and to invent whole new kinds of visual languages with which to do so. The comic book is a kind of bastard cousin to all this. The whole reason comics and cartooning were invented was to portray the world in ways that were not merely representations of what IS. From political cartoons, to caricature, to Mickey Mouse and Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy and Superman, it's been about portraying something MORE than "the world outside your window". Very often the world not as it is, but as it could be.
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Glenn Brown
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3095
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 5:17am | IP Logged | 5
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JB, can you give a tutorial on proper use of the French Curve? I have a set but as I don't do a lot of inking or technical drawing, I never learned the right way to use them. Thank you.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 5:25am | IP Logged | 6
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The french curve definitely falls under the "PRACTICE!" heading. It's not a tool anyone is likely to pick up for the first time and immediately be expert with.The most important thing to remember is that the french curve is for building PARTS of curves, linked together to make a larger one. It's rare (tho not impossible) that one of the built in curves exactly matches the entire length of a curve sketched in by hand. Of course, as artists we're adaptable, right? So there's always the option of adjusting our original curve to match a segment of the tool. Something I mentioned a while back, which I still find effective, is occasionally using the french curve to draw "straight" lines. If the lines are not very long, using the straightest part of the french curve to draw them can add a little subliminal "bounce" to a drawing. Again, PRACTICE!
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Kevin Corcoran
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 July 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 149
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 8:00am | IP Logged | 7
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Thank you, JB, for the input - these conversations evoke fond memories of art classes (from elementary to high school and eventually college,) and the projects that were assigned to us. While not all of my teachers affected me the same way, the ones that had lasting impact tended to strike a balance between explanation of the "why" behind an assignment and the motivation to compete the assignment to the best of our ability (while testing and pushing the limits of those abilities.)
After several weeks of practice with the French Curve, the desired curves begin to "reveal" themselves from within the myriad possibilities. Tho if I were to pick one up now .... fuggedaoboutit
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Joe Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 August 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6601
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 11:32am | IP Logged | 8
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Great thread!
Love that idea of using the French Curve for straight lines, even though
my brain bled while I read it.
I can remember a time not too long ago when I thought brush inks were
done in big swooping strokes. My ignorance of how a brush inker
worked kept me from attempting the craft.
One day, I see a JB commission with these long flowing lines, and I'm
moved to the point of expounding on how I wish I could've seen him
pull those graceful swooshes off!
He answered me in a way that was not only gracious, but, funny, and
informative.
I can almost draw now!
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | 9
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...I thought brush inks were done in big swooping strokes...••• Well, SOME are! A master like Joe Sinnott can make his brush dance like a prima ballerina!
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Joe Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
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Location: United States
Posts: 6601
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| Posted: 09 April 2013 at 3:47pm | IP Logged | 10
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That YouTube video of Joe Kubert drawing the JUST IMAGINE version
of BATMAN is another thing that blew my head off.
He picks up a PITT brush, and I say, " Cool! I have one of those!"
Then, he TREATS IT LIKE IT STOLE HIS GIRLFRIEND, and I say,
"Holy crap! I am seriously puttin' the pussy on a pedestal, here!"
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132279
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| Posted: 11 April 2013 at 4:49am | IP Logged | 11
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At the risk of turning into Erik Larsen, an image posted in the Mjolnir thread affords an opportunity to demonstrate the 90°-to-the-axis rule. . . 
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Erin Anna Leach
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Joined: 21 February 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 746
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| Posted: 11 April 2013 at 8:26am | IP Logged | 12
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Yeah, and on that hammer makes getting the circle right even easier. All the line work need to line it up right is already there.
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