Best illustration & graphic design books according to redditors
We found 185 Reddit comments discussing the best illustration & graphic design books. We ranked the 82 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 185 Reddit comments discussing the best illustration & graphic design books. We ranked the 82 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I had to look up the book and the whole thing is strange lol...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761184031
From this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Ink-Comics-Darwyn-Cooke/dp/1401258093
Fine here's the adult version since you're offended
Books :
Micheal Bendis : Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novel
https://www.amazon.com/Words-Pictures-Business-Writing-Graphic/dp/0770434355
Buddy scalera : Creating comics from start to finish https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Comics-Start-Finish-Complete/dp/1600617670/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539804620&sr=1-1&keywords=creating+comics+from+start+to+finish
you don't have to buy em obviously - hit your library even the college library and request them. check out "Libby by overdrive" on your tablet or phone and you could see if they're available via online rental. "
This book is a really awesome collection of old mens books bearing the style that this comic is paying tribute to
There's some really ridiculous stuff in there. Some great art too.
The most important thing that 99% percent of the photographers don't seem to know: if you want to make good photos consistently, learn the fundamentals.
Because a photo can be made in an instant, a lot of photographers work intuitively, without making any informed decisions about their pictures whatsoever. This is why a lot of photos taken without any training aren't appealing.
If you learn about composition, color, light, etc. like an illustrator or a painter does, you will be able to make repeatable successful photos. In the beginning, you shouldn't be overly concerned with sharpness, depth of field or your equipment. No, you should be concerned with how your photo looks at the most basic, fundamental level.
Since I started taking drawing lessons and reading books on color and composition this year, I feel way more confident about my photography. I make informed decisions that I know will work. I am able to analyze pictures that work for me, and I know why they work now. Thanks to drawing lessons, I can see a lot better, which is also a great help for retouching. I can think in terms of lines, shapes, forms, spaces, light, shadow. But the most important thing of all: I feel like I can reach the level of photography that I only could dream about last year, the high-end commercial automotive photography.
Some books that helped me a lot:
Believe me, you want fundamental knowledge to rely on, not a list of incoherent 'protips'. :-)
Who? Tons of people.
RED = sexy, dynamic, stimulating, exciting & provocative
YELLOW = luminous, warming, sunny, enlightening, cheerful
McDonalds, The Flash, The Iowa State Cyclones, Arsenal FC, Washington Redskins, & Manchester United plus more all have yellow on red & seem to have no problem with those colors representing their brand.
Check out this book, Pantone's Guide to Communicating with Color
Coincidence to me you made this thread. I have been with an otherworldly being for nearly 2 years without really knowing what it is. Never really considered faeries because I saw them in the romanticize popular Disney way.
Yesterday I found the book Faeries: Deluxe Collector's Edition. (It is a classic in new edition.) I have only read a little, but I instantly understood, trough the text and pictures, how much more nuance there is to them compared with the popular depiction (Victorian version). Now I almost dare to say I am certain it is a faerie I am with.
My advice would be to try to understand the pre-Victorian faeries, (unless you are exactly after the glittering innocent modern depiction).
An old documentary I am watching right now: The Fairy Faith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lguShTgS8GM
You will read much about going out in nature and making offerings etc. In my case, it contacted me in my home, or showed up, once I started to open my third eye. Opening the third eye really was not that fancy. I just started to assume my imagination was real and not controlled by me, and I had a real interrest in trying it (unlike the times I had consciously tried to "open the third eye".) It was like letting imaginary associations run freely, and I assumed they represented a force outside me. (Then we can question how much it was opened, but at least enough for me to spend the next 2 years with the being and trying to deepen it). If you learn about faeries and then open your third eye, then maybe you can contact them.
Wow - I'm envious. Would have loved to see that. For anyone curious here's a look at the exhibit: GENGA
And there's also beautiful exhibition catalog: Amazon link
He has a big art compilation that came out not long before he passed called Graphic Ink: The Art of Darwyn Cooke. I kind of got sad when I realized it was like his send off because he knew he might not make it.
Last time I tried to give advice on drawings the person got upset and quit reddit, soooo, please don't do that. My suggestion if you're absolutely serious about drawing is to absolutely learn the fundamentals.
Fun With A Pencil: How Everybody Can Easily Learn to Draw https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857687603/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ijZZDbCWDFEAQ
Drawing the Head and Hands https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857680978/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_AjZZDb0B3RBPF
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857680986/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OjZZDbW37G79H
Successful Drawing https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857687611/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4jZZDb95Z0W96
Creative Illustration https://www.amazon.com/dp/1845769287/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ikZZDbFRJYAJD
And after the basics
Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (Volume 1) (James Gurney Art) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0740785508/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alZZDbZW0Y1P4
Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0740797719/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DlZZDb676AWT6
It doesn't matter what medium you use, learning how to draw and understanding what you're doing will help out the most.
UpWork and sites like it are shit for a multitude of reasons. Freelancers are internationally competing for jobs on the open internet and the client sets the price, so the end result is a race to the bottom. Then UpWork (or Fiverr or whatever other similar platform your on) takes a ~10% cut of what little you make. Unless you live in the third world you effectively cant make worthwhile money from sites like it unless your just flipping templates and its networking value is basically nil.
Read this book. Network with local business', studios and established freelancers (they may have overflow work).
Awesome web resource is Jim Zub's blog. He covers tons of topics. Very honest and helpful.
There are a lot of great book resources you should check out too, but they tend to go more into the process of making a story. More about the craft and less about the process.
Scott McCloud's Books, "Understanding Comics" and "Making Comics".
Bendis's book, Words for Pictures
Check out the Freelance Manafesto. It’s a great book and blueprint. https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Manifesto-Modern-Motion-Designer-ebook/dp/B071JRYMSG.
I’m an editor but I used his to get started freelancing.
Hey, I'm not too sure how much I can help with the college choices, I come from a different country so I don't know enough about that, but I am big on learning things myself and if you'd like to strengthen your knowledge in graphic design, maybe even while studying, here are some awesome books to get yourself going in the right direction:
Meggs' History of graphic design: I love this book. before I bought it I found another on design as a whole but this is specifically related to graphic design. with a lot of briefs it helps to know what kind of association your font choice will create, and it's useful to look back at old graphic design to see if there's something you can re-purpose for your brief. if that's the case, this book is for you. Megg doesn't leave anything out too! it starts all the way back from the beginnings of written language!
The A - Z of Visual Ideas: How to Solve any Creative Brief: Imagery is almost as important to a brief as type. You'll need to be able to create something that grabs attention and gets a message across as quick as possible. If you're having trouble finding a way to express an idea, flip open this book and page through countless ways you could do it.
How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul: Work experience is the best kind of learning there is. and if you feel like you're lost when you begin, this book will be your faithful mentor. There's a lot about freelancing and starting your agency too, it's just invaluable all around.
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design: If you'd like to become a web designer, this is a good book to start with. I'm an experienced web designer so I find some of the points a bit obvious, but I found a lot to learn all the same.
I don't like to waste time when it comes to learning things through the books I've bought so I can tell you first hand that these books are absolutely useful and won't just waffle on about what successful agencies have done. I'd also like to let you know that one of the finest graphic designers my previous agency had was a guy who came straight from high school and just really loved doing graphic design. When he left, he left a huge space to fill. On the other hand, I've met designers with honours degrees who didn't stay for longer than a year. But get a degree if you can, it helps to get your foot in the door. Getting a masters is awesome, and if you went magna cum laude I'm sure you would knock it out the park :) you aren't over your head in the slightest.
I agree. I know there are a number of people who seem to be unhappy with what the Black Library have been doing with the Horus Heresy fluff, but it seems to me like all of the novels they've been pumping out are based on the skeleton of the story described in old graphic novels, "Visions of Heresy." You can still buy the collected works on Amazon, known as "The Collected Visions," and I absolutely love them. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Horus-Heresy-Collected-Visions/dp/1844164241
What it feels like to me, having read both that and all the HH novels to date, is that they're using the HH series to, "flesh out," all the little details glossed over in Visions. I mean, this is a GALAXY-WIDE conflict, there is a lot of story to tell.
The only things I've really been displeased with are the books written about the Dark Angels.
A few years back, Gav Thorpe wrote a book called "Angels of Darkness," in which an Interrogater-Chaplain is torturing one of the Fallen, who claims to be Chapter Master Astelan (The same Astelan mentioned in a HH short story, can't remember which one). Astelan reveals to the chaplain that in actuality, the, "Fallen," were ready and willing to head to Terra, but the Lion wanted to wait and see who won before committing his forces to either side.
This shakes the chaplain to his very core, and in the end, I like to think he believed Astelan, because he was able to put the pieces together and discover the truth for himself: Luther was the loyalist, and the Lion was the traitor.
Alas, The Black Library took their fluff in a different direction. Its not necessarily bad, per say, but after reading Angels of Darkness, I expected so much more.
Ahh, that might be it then. The primaries are rather transparent; the blue is especially so.
If you want a purplish-blue try ultramarine, it's quite nice and quite lightfast—unlike primary red (and yellow), which are fugitive.
W&N composition & permanence tables
Anything that isn't rated permanence A / ASTM Lightfastness I is probably not worth getting unless you have a specific use in mind (II is probably OK if you're mixing it with another I-rated colour). You can always mix permanent colours to get other colours/shades etc. I would for example never buy any purple pigments as they are virtually all fugitive; you're better off mixing your own out of Quinacridone violet and ultramarine, or a different red (or blue) if you want a more muted purple.
Other considerations are a bit harder to tell from a chart, and those are how opaque (or transparent) a pigment is, and how fine the particles are. Viridian looks great on the chart with a rare AA permanence rating, and the colour is gorgeous—but it is incredibly transparent, and quite gritty—not a pigment you'd ever want to use through a pen.
Transparency itself isn't necessary a bad thing, but is also something you have to be aware of when mixing colours; If you mix equal parts of a transparent colour (like viridian) with an opaque one (like most of the earth colours), the opaque colour will overwhelm the transparent one—so you'll probably need to use more of the former and less of the latter to get a balanced mix.
Anyway, don't throw away the stuff you have; you can still use it. Out of all three, the blue has good permanence and lightfastness, and the black (probably ivory or jet) and white (TiO² or zinc) are both solid as well and will see plenty of use.
For what it's worth, my mentor pointed out the two-palette system to me last fall, and it has resonated deeply with me. It not only begins with a great scientific explanation of how we perceive colour and how mixing colours works, but moves on to practical material very quickly. Not only does having a good practical understanding of how colours interact reduce wastage (from mixing “mud”) and frustration (“why can't I get the colour I want?”), and limits itself only to discussing pigments with good-to-excellent light-fastness and permanence ratings. It also goes into some discussion about mixing transparent and opaque pigments and some of the other stuff I mentioned above.
If you're interested in colour, definitely worth a look. The information you learn doesn't just apply to calligraphy, either—the same pigments are available in gouache, watercolours, oil, loose, etc.
Instead of trying to sum everything up in one Reddit post, I am going to direct you to this book. It is extremely informative, and written by someone who is quite experienced at comic book writing.
It may also help to actually look at some comic book scripts to see how professionals handle things.
You also seem to be asking about how to do the actual art, so I'll also suggest either buying some Blueline paper, or Clip Studio Paint if you want to work digitally.
Pretty much all you need to know.
Written for Motion Designers, but can apply to pretty much all creative fields. Its a must read.
It's not exactly advertised as a children's book.
Check out this book by Brian Michael Bendis: https://www.amazon.com/Words-Pictures-Business-Writing-Graphic/dp/0770434355
It's a fantastic look at the nuts and bolts of comic writing, but it also has great lessons on writing and process in general, as well as devoting a chapter or two to the business of being a writer. It's an easy and fun read, strongly recommend.
So as a writer, there's an impulse to exactingly describe what you envision in a panel--you've got the pacing down, the dialogue, and a firm belief that the comic will go swimmingly if/when the comic comes to life exactly as you've laid it out in exacting detail.
But more often than not, that's miserable for the artist. You're taking absolute control over what happens in a panel, and many artists will feel that you're encroaching on their creative territory. It is the artist's job to produce story in their particular style, and many will hate how restrictive it feels to draw a panel with little creative wiggle room.
Not all, of course. Some artists like very prescriptive directions so they can get on with it. Check out Bendis' Words For Pictures, there's an invaluable section where artists bitch about writers.
As a writer, it's difficult to cede creative territory, but making comics is all about trusting your partnership with your artist. A lot of the time, the artist will come up with stuff you couldn't have predicted.
I always recommend “Creative Illustration” by Andrew Loomis. It’s an older book, but Loomis was a great teacher and the fundamentals are so solid. Loomis book
Ideas from a to z This book is great when you hit a creative block or just want to expand your imagination a bit more.
Hey Hey! I assume you know this book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1927668417 Crawl Space with illustrations.
I was wondering, when are you going to do your own book? I may not know how long it would take you to create these pictures. I love the "Descent into the Mystic Temple" and the pictures with the white rabbit.... and yes this post too.
If you're going to make a book too, make it hardcover edition only too :) and if you need some ideas, let me know xD
This book would help you.
What's the name of the book?
Edit: found it!
Some Very Interesting Cats Perhaps You Weren't Aware Of https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761184031/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_PtSIwbX4BJ6SY
The best work of fiction I've ever read on this theme is [Crawl Space] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1927668417/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I have a lot of trouble with the writing aspect. Some things that have helped me are 1) taking a creative writing class in college and reading books specifically about comic writing, 2) making clear outlines and timelines of the basic way the plot progresses, and 3) researching the time period/setting to get new ideas for details and where the plot should move. I'm still at the beginner level for writing, struggling through the writing for a big project, but that's what's been helping me.
There are also a lot of prompts and questionnaires that can really help you develop your characters, like this one. Good luck and keep it up!
Learn from the masters.
Taschen put out a really great book about the covers of men's adventure magazines. Most of them are either epic, hilarious, or both. You can find it here.
So many things. I was never a competent pixel artist because once I got to semi-proficient I looked at the skill curve and realized that I wasn't making it through all of that.
I really recommend frequenting these two sites:
http://pixelation.org
http://pixeljoint.com
Someone mentioned the classic Disney animator bible:
https://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Life-Disney-Animation/dp/0786860707
It can't be understated how essential this book is to learning the essentials of animation. Further than that there were the Loomis books that were called out time and again as a great art education (palette selection becomes incredibly important in low resolution art). Those books are hard to come by-- scratch that, they used to be now they're just on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1845769287
There's a lot to dive in to. If all of this seems like too much, cribbing from OpenGameArt's better assets is a cheap and easy way to start.
The Gnomes book you mentioned was my first thought too. Faeries by Brian Froud is similar.
D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls also comes to mind, or something else by them.
This would be a good question to ask a librarian. I bet this kind of book is always very popular with kids in any library.
Thank you ! "The Bronze Age of DC Comics" it's a really great book, I should get the golden and silver age too.
https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Age-DC-Comics/dp/3836535793
one of the best books in the subject
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Betty-Edwards-Course-Mastering/dp/1585422193/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417458569&sr=1-2&keywords=color+theory
Anything by Scott McCloud for sure.
And I can't vouch for them, but Alan Moore wrote a book on it, and Brian Michael Bendis so those might be helpful.
Yeah, I like it too. It's Matthew Price's PBR dialectric, with the roughness at 0.5 (I think).
Also the colors work well; good color combinations make a big difference. This is my favorite book with examples of nice color combinations. You can buy it used (it's out of print): http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0891348573/ Well worth reading if you haven't thought much about color combinations.
Well being my own stuff you can look through my other work (moofart.com), but I think this is kind of unique even for me. I'm intending to run with this style for more projects so I can give you a heads up if I do anything.
Other than that, I can only think of Cannabis works:
http://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Works-Tatsuyuki-Tanaka-Book/dp/B003F7NS72/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395598044&sr=1-1&keywords=cannabis+works
and the guy who drew Akira:
Genga: Otomo Katsuhiro Original Pictures
http://www.amazon.com/Genga-Katsuhiro-Original-Pictures-Japanese/dp/4756242731/ref=pd_sim_b_19?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ZFDW7YWWQTHM4VNE1VA
There's gotta be others though, so if I find em I'll hit you up ;)
For less messy amazon links you can extract the part after "/dp/" in
https://www.amazon.com/Designers-Guide-Color-Combinations/dp/0891348573/ref=mt_hardcover
and make it:
https://amzn.com/0891348573
Or via smile link:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0891348573
BEEP BOP
Plz send any recommendations via PM
I am going to art school and have been drawing and painting for a few years now. I offer up a few suggestions, mostly things that helped me starting out. I run the risk of sounding like a know-it-all or a snob, but I'm just hoping to offer up what little things I've learned along the way. I don't claim to be an accomplished artist, but just someone who was where you were once, and took similar advice from people who had been doing it longer than me. I hope to humbly pass on some of the things that were passed on to me.
I mostly use oils, but the startup for oils is a little more expensive. I would consider trying them out sometime, because they offer a little more freedom in what you can do with them, but you don't need them to learn to paint. You can mimic a lot of these capabilities with acrylics. With oils, you mix the paint with medium to adjust the viscosity of the paint. You can paint thick, chunky strokes, or have nice smooth flowing strokes, just by how much medium you add. Acrylic is water based, so try adding some water as you paint to adjust the viscosity, it will give you more control and more options. I'd suggest going to an auto parts store and getting a little oil squirter can, (yes, like the tin man had) and you can squirt small amounts of water on your pallet next to each puddle of paint and mix it in with your brush as you apply it. Less messy that way. (I think other people have mentioned this, they've got the right idea.)
Another thing that gives oils an advantage is working time. They take an incredibly long time to dry, which gives you lots of time to work in transitions and shadows while the paint is still wet. To achieve this with acrylics, which have a relatively fast dry time, try using some retarder in your paint. It's a clear, gel like substance that when mixed with the paint, helps keep it from drying, without changing the color or consistency. This gives you more freedom to work, and keeps you from being restricted by time (as much). You might be able to get it at a big box art store, but I recommend finding a smaller, locally owned one. People tend to know their shit in the smaller, local kinds of stores, and will be more helpful at answering questions, and have a better selection.
Another piece of advice I'd give is to learn a little bit of color theory, and practice mixing colors. My professor always said that you should never use a color straight from the tube, because chances are it wasn't really the color you need, and that if you look closer, the color you really want is a mix of a few things you have. He used to say "You think that winsor newton knew exactly what color you needed there?". It mostly just helps you look and see more specifically. 80% of painting is seeing more specifically, and getting your hand, brain, and eye to work as a unit. The book "Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green" Is one of the better books on color theory and mixing with paint. Check it out. You can practice by finding something, and trying to mix that exact color, holding them side by side to test it. You'll find often that 3, 4, maybe 5 different tube colors mix to make the one color you need. Being able to mix any color you want will open doors for you and let you have more options.
Also, try painting on large canvases/paper. Giving yourself more room to work is a big thing that helped me starting out. I was still gaining control over the paint and brush, and bigger space made it easier to hone those skills and fit more detail in. You can make your own canvases for a fraction of the store bought price, message me if you're interested in that, I could write up a quick how to.
I think you're going to notice yourself improve greatly over time, you'll gain control over your brush, the paint, and then anything's possible. I think you've already got a good eye for things, and this painting looks pretty good, damn good for a 3rd painting. My third painting was in black and white (hadn't even ventured into color yet) and it was a sloppy mess. You've got strong compositional lines here, nice color choices, and a good sense of depth. It looks like you're trying out a little bit of an impressionist style, which is good. Find awesome paintings/painters, and learn from them by imitating. Once you've imitated some of the things they do, you'll have learned a little more and will be able to find what you want to do.
Most of all, practice a lot. Hope this is encouraging, if you like it, keep at it. Also, another must read is "Art and Fear" Good luck!
ok. I don't what style you want to go for, and I'm going to assume that you want to get into the comic book style. That doesn't matter though, where you need to begin is with Andrew Loomis' Creative illustration, Figure Drawing for all its worth(the free pdf, but I would recommend getting the book, because why not), Drawing on the right side of the brain, and Drawing the hands and face. All of these resources are what you need to start out. It doesn't look like you are out of the gate "I draw stick figures" level. But you have to keep in mind, that the ultimate tutor, is time. If you really want to get better quickly, then you have to devote a lot of time to studies and just drawing in general. Good luck, I hope I helped you at least a little bit.
I wholeheartedly recommend these books:
https://www.amazon.com/Panel-One-Scripts-Writers-Comics/dp/0971633800
https://www.amazon.com/Words-Pictures-Business-Writing-Graphic/dp/0770434355
There are some published:
https://www.amazon.com/Panel-One-Scripts-Writers-Comics/dp/0971633800/
https://www.amazon.com/Panel-Two-Scripts-Writers-Comics/dp/0971633819/
https://www.amazon.com/Words-Pictures-Business-Writing-Graphic/dp/0770434355/
You are a painter!
Casually for 8 years is a significant amount of time. Even the grandest painters are, in the most basic form, just pushing coloured mud around with a stick that has hairs on it so....no more noble than that!
Anyway, there is no finish line to art, we are all on a journey whether we have had formal training or not.
I have had formal training. I have a bachelor's degree in art with a focus on painting and sculpture. I am currently a high school art teacher and I have a studio at home to keep up my work.
You should look at Alex Grey. His subject matter might not be what you are into but his colours and layering remind me of your work...or you of him.
You should also check out Betty Edwards book on colour theory. It taught me a lot about how to emphasize my colour usage. I LOVE bright bold colours in my work!
So the ways that really helped me understand perspective where from Andrew Loomis' books on Illustration, specifically his book "Creative Illustration"
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Illustration-Andrew-Loomis/dp/1845769287
Here are the only 2 pictures I could find online of the pages I was thinking about, but he has several chapters on perspective in just about all of his books.
Perspective Page 1 | Perspective Page 2
The guy is like an old master of Illustration, and he wrote several books on the subject all of which I think are some of the best out there. Basically though, checking your perspective comes down to a few simple rules revolving around the horizon line. No matter where your objects sit in space, they will share the same relative height to the horizon line. Another thing is that the horizon line is an indicator of the height of your camera. This gets tricky to visualize if your camera is tilted up or down, but all of your objects will still share the same relative distance from the horizon line no matter how much you tilt the camera. The Page 2 link shows examples of wrong and right ways to place your objects in a scene based on the horizon line. People that draw backgrounds for cartoons blow my mind with this stuff
I can definitely help you with this.
How to Draw: drawing and sketching objects and environments from your imagination
This is the best book on perspective you can buy. Perspective is the number one thing you need to have a grasp on if you want to draw, especially from imagination. Practice this until it clicks for you.
For setting up scenes I recommend Andrew Loomis books, Creative Illustration in particular. Loomis has several books out and they're all amazing. Many artists have learned to draw from Loomis.
Burne Hogarth is another master of the craft and you can learn a lot about musculature and anatomy from his books. These are generally a step up from Loomis so you could move on to these once you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals to take your work to the next level. Dynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing, Drawing the Human Head.
For people and anatomy, Proko (http://www.proko.com/library/) has good free youtube videos. He uses a lot of Loomis and Hogarth methods (which are pretty much the standard) and presents them in a way that is easy to digest. He's constantly updating his channel and adding new videos.
If you can only get a few books, I would get the How to Draw perspective book first, then go through the Proko material, then move onto the Loomis and Hogarth stuff. These learning materials will take you pretty much as far as you want to go.
Also I highly recommend sticking to traditional materials (pencil and paper) while you're learning. Once you have the fundamentals down then you can move on to digital. You're going to make things much easier on yourself if you stick with traditional while you nail these fundamentals down.
Huh, interesting - didn't know that about review copies, thanks!!
A lot of the comics I'm looking at do say "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" (here's an example), which seems to mean that Amazon already bought them from the publisher, and so they seem to be "official", rather than review copies from third-party sellers.
Color by Betty Edwards: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing Colors
This book can maybe help, it contains a nice "formula" for mixing and decoding color. I've read through several chapters, and as an amateur artist myself, found it interesting and memorable. Good luck with everything!
Alan Lee is one of my favorite artists ever. I've loved his work since I got a hold of the book him and Brian Froud did called Faeries ( http://www.amazon.com/Faeries-Deluxe-Collectors-Brian-Froud/dp/0810995867 ) Also does some of the most fantastic pencil drawings ive seen. I LOVE his pencil drawings, which is why I got this book ( http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Sketchbook-Alan-Lee/dp/0618640142 ) Highly recommend both of these.
How about this one:?
http://www.amazon.com/Faeries-Deluxe-Collectors-Brian-Froud/dp/0810995867
I recommend this. It's an artbook, but it has several short-stories that are pretty good and gives an over-arching view of the entire heresy. Well worth the price.
It is. He was the writer on legion again right before and then after flashpoint, but no one was buying em and they got canceled. :(
The current thing of his that I've got my eye on and am ABSOLUTELY STOKED for are some big ole tomes of history he wrote on the DCU in general, on the Golden Age, on the Silver Age, and on the Bronze Age.
feel i should start by saying that emperors children are not a chapter they are a legion
these are the actual pre heresy emperors children the guide produced by fw is not the best i find for pre heresy painting examples the best example i like to draw from is the collectied visions book gw and black library made way back when there are plenty of pdf's of it out there but its got the best examples of any and all pre heresy stuff its what my palentine and fulgrim are based from its litterally just a book full of original art work of the horus heresy and if your really interested in why they are the colour they are or want to know more about the legion specififcally i would reccomend this
An A-Z of Visual Ideas: How to Solve Any Creative Brief is a useful book. It was recommended to me by my lecturer at University.
Happy birthday! hahaha this always cracks me up [NSFW]
and... this :)
Take the elves as they should be.
I would advise you to look for the book Faeries, illustrated by Brian Froud and Alan Lee.
Lovely drawings and paintings, and lots of background info...
I need this because I need a hobby. Like I seriously need a hobby. I work and then watch TV and go to bed. I need something to start.
Here you go: http://www.comicbookscriptarchive.com/archive/
Also check out Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels.
Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis. If you're interested in writing your story ideas as comics/manga, you need to have this book.
I just bought my new nephew a beautiful large hardback book of illustrated fairy tales. Not only can his parents read it to him as a baby but it is also an amazing object in its own right that will last forever.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3836526727/
EDIT: Hmm, the book I bought was actually in English.
This is really, really cool, though I'm a little surprised / disappointed to see that Chris Ware isn't among the contributors; he often employs styles and panel structure which seem like near-direct homages to McCay. Also, (I'm guessing purposefully) well-timed post: the reprint of Little Nemo comes out tomorrow.
Just went back to check. I was incorrect on a few things bookwise. Winsor McCay was American, not French, and it wasn't a graphic novel but actually a weekly full-page newspaper cartoon.
Looks like this is your best bet if you want to see it all, or else [this](
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Slumberland-1906-1907-Comic-Anthology/dp/1449576974/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1486416948&sr=8-4&keywords=little+nemo) is a considerably cheaper but less comprehensive collection.
Otherwise just search for comic collections by Winsor McCay and find one that suits.
Movie-wise, this is the drug-fueled plot-loose movie based on the newspaper cartoon.
Hope that helps!
Personally, I'm more of a learn-by-doing person. I would suggest looking for some local art classes. Color theory sounds like it would be the most useful thing for you.
If you do end up buying a book, try to find one that has lots of exercises, and basically treat it like a class. Don't just read all the way to the end of the book in one sitting. Read a chapter, do the exercises from the chapter, and then wait a day or two before you move on to the next chapter.
The book Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain is a good example of what you should look for. It's obviously tempting to say "I don't need to know about drawing!" when you work primarily digitally, but learning drawing really teaches you a lot about the fundamentals: perspective, composition, light and shadow, etc. To re-use my musician analogy, pretty much all composers start by learning to play an instrument (usually piano) before they start writing music. You don't need to be an expert, but it's very important to understand the fundamentals.
Oh, also apparently the same author has a book on color theory, but I haven't personally read it. Might be worth a try.
I love Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yellow-Dont-Make-Green/dp/0967962870
If she likes Fantasy art and stories, you might try Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee. It has a lot of stories about the different creatures in legends and stories like elves, faeries, brownies, etc. it's beautifully illustrated with pencil drawings by Alan Lee, so it should appeal to her artistic side.
http://www.amazon.com/Faeries-Collectors-Edition-Brian-Froud/dp/0810995867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414413776&sr=8-1&keywords=Faeries+Alan+lee
Look at the book on your desk, now look at the screen. You'll notice the illustrations are one and the same.
Have you seen the Noel Daniel edited versions of the Grim Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales? They are really beautiful.
Buy the sweet-ass hardcovers, like DC: The New Frontier Deluxe Edition or Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke. I have both, they're great. Of course, buying them from your LCS is better...
Go to the art section, get a book on color theory like this one http://www.amazon.com/Color-Betty-Edwards-Course-Mastering/dp/1585422193/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344050656&sr=1-3 and say I used to be into black and white photography too, but recently I switched to painting. Do you shoot in film or digital?
Yes, I would have played dumb about what the book is all about.
These two books are great. Best $40 you will ever spend.
http://www.amazon.com/Words-Pictures-Business-Writing-Graphic/dp/0770434355/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463121823&sr=1-1&keywords=words+for+pictures
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Comics-Like-Pros-Graphic/dp/0385344635/ref=pd_sim_14_11?ie=UTF8&dpID=61UB9MAkkjL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR125%2C160_&refRID=1D8HQXEZ6V4S2DP6P3Q6
Not scifi by a long way, but Brian Froud & Alan Lee's book Faeries (google images) is one of the most beautiful compilations of art I've ever seen - think "history of Irish folklore" done in the style of the Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth. Myths from around the world are illustrated in fantastic style.
Similarly, Brian Froud's Gnomes is an absolutely gorgeous book presenting itself as a documentary of the lives of gnomes from around the "old-world" (Ireland across to Siberia), and how they work with & around woodland animals. If you grew up with access to woods or forests, this is basically a beautifully-illustrated love story to that magic.
Going slightly more towards scifi now with Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero illustrated by Paul Kidby. More a comicbook than anything else, but does have amusing technically-illustrated-descriptions of vehicles, characters, animals and scenes that you don't normally get from the novels.
Both. It's folklore and he illustrates it. Faeries is the most popular one:
http://smile.amazon.com/Faeries-Deluxe-Collectors-Brian-Froud/dp/0810995867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419735694&sr=8-1&keywords=faeries
I have this one, also Good Faeries, Bad Faeries, World of Faerie, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book and Faeries' Oracle.
Hi all! I don't post here often, but am a long time lurker, and own over 30 trades. I am starting to read digital, because it's waaay too expensive to buy trades living in Denmark (1 HC costs 200 DKK, or 2 hours worth of work - quite a lot for me).
I saw this book on a Danish site, and it looked quite nice for a collector. Does any of you own a book in this series? :)
BENDIS wrote a book for it
Faeries: Deluxe Collector's Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810995867/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UPDRAbMH8ZCFK
https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Manifesto-Modern-Motion-Designer-ebook/dp/B071JRYMSG
This will be your best friend. Joey, who is a super awesome very friendly dude, goes over all the ways you can set up pricing.
TLDR version is it depends on the client. Day rates are most common in work for hire situations. Remote work is often hourly or lump some.
The rate can vary depending on client type (direct, agency, studio) starting right out of school don't do anything for less than 400-500/day assuming you are in the US and that is generally for a 10 hour workday.