if you ever wanted to know what every single muscle in the face does, this is the book for you
starts by exploring the structure of the face and its specific muscles, then takes a deep dive
into the six categories of human expressions. everything discussed is clearly demonstrated with its
own illustrations
the color theory book that Everyone recommends
goes very in depth on different types of light
sources and how light interacts with forms, then onto color theory and how to build color palettes.
told from the perspective of a traditional painter, so it also includes tips on how to mix pigments
so much information on how clothing folds and wrinkles form around the human body. Hogarth has this drawing style where he really exaggerates the structures and forms of everything he draws, which i think works to his advantage in his art books. makes it very clear exactly what he's talking about
OBSCENELY in-depth guide on how to professionally letter comics. gets right into the nitty gritty on how to use graphic design software for lettering (Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard and what Nate uses in his work). covers the tools of the trade, lettering templates, dialogue, word balloons, captions, sound effects, titles and logos, and taking everything from proofs to finals
a visual encyclopedia on various categories of apparel and accessories. geared more towards fashion designers, it details the anatomy, measurements, and different styles of various apparel, all using industry standard terms. if you want to deepen your understanding of clothing to add more variety and specificity to the outfits you design, this book is for you
The Classic Figure Drawing Book
it covers proportions, muscles, methods for constructing the
figure, and various poses. this book only demonstrates "ideal proportions" so you ain't gonna be
seeing any body diversity here, but it is pretty thorough on how to draw the human figure
comic editing guide written by Shelly Bond, a long-time comic editor who worked at Vertigo for over two decades. as a comic creator, it's incredibly insightful to see what a comic editor looks for in a new comic, and what she's thinking when putting together a comics team. also covers the whole comic creation process: writing, rough art, pencilling, lettering, inking, coloring, and cover and logo design
one of my top favorite art books of all time!!!
incredibly useful book for learning how to draw
people who feel alive by understanding how force and motion moves through the body. includes great
illustrated examples from life drawing sessions. also has an animal drawing counterpart but i
haven't read that one yet
great guide on how to make purposeful and effective compositional decisions for visual
storytelling.
useful tips on how to frame the focus of a composition, visually communicate the
dynamics between characters, and effectively use different types of camera angles. fantastic for
storyboarding and comics
a book that is, indeed, all about drawing noir comics.
topics covered include drawing tools, the
comic creation process, and establishing moods with heavy black fills. unfortunately this book mostly
just scratches the surface of its topics, but im a sucker for the noir aesthetic so i like having
it around
in this house we love Lynda Barry!! this book is very accessible for anyone at any drawing
level, thanks to its focus on having fun and using pictures as a form of communication.
it's structured
similar to her college courses, with various assignments and exercises meant to get your creativity
flowing. a treasure trove for any comic artist who wants to spark their creativity and reclaim their
confidence
superb little guide on drawing in perspective
it starts out simple and gradually builds upon
its concepts in an easy to understand way. if you struggle with perspective and want to learn more, this
book is an easily digestible place to start
another perspective book! doesn't go into the basics as well as Perspective Made Easy,
but it does go into way more complex perspective setups that are helpful for comics
it even
teaches you four-point perspective if you wanna go straight to hell
a collection of random tips by Griz & Norm, a married duo who work as feature animation artists
various topics include gesture drawing, color theory, stylization, and storyboarding, plus
A Lot More. you can also see most of their Tuesday Tips for free on their instagram!
a member-driven co-op aiming to improve the careers of comics workers globally
"A library of visual-narrative devices that are specific to the medium of comics"
comic freelancer resources, including page rates, agents, contracts, and more
blog for the How to Think When You Draw series of art tutorials
James Gurney's personal blog where he shares artwork and art advice
an annual digital comics fair held each October where 100% of sales go to artists!
a now defunct podcast hosted by Northernlion and Dan Gheesling, they discuss theirs and others' careers as gaming youtubers and twitch streamers. provides great insights on the logistical decisions for their careers, how to best interact with your audience, and how to navigate such an online career
Andy J. Pizza's weekly pep talk for all creatives, focusing on strategies for cultivating your creativity and creating momentum in your career. also includes lots of enlightening interviews with other creatives
an incredibly in-depth guide to every facet of the graphic novel publishing industry. if you've ever been interested in publishing a graphic novel, this is an AMAZING place to start
"a surprisingly positive podcast about what surrounds the lives of artists in the entertainment industry!" discussions and interviews about how these artists approach their careers, professional work, social media, and personal projects
if you're interested in getting into picture book illustration, this channel is a good place
to start! Anoosha offers business advice, other insights, and demonstrates her illustration
process.
also includes studio vlogs and old podcast episodes
Bobby Chiu is the founder of the art education website Schoolism, and uses his personal youtube channel to further share artist interviews, business advice, and drawing classes. it's shocking how much knowledge is stuffed into this one channel!
a whole channel dedicated to analyzing and critiquing game design, with a decent amount of
focus on visual design.
covers such topics as save systems, RPG party chemistry, side
quests, boss design, and collectibles
want specific, actionable writing advice from someone who knows what they're talking about? Ellen Brock, a freelance novel editor, shares her expertise on a range of topics, including prose, story structure, editing, and writer types
Emilyena draws a lot of cool and expressive portraits, so it's really cool seeing her process! watching speedpaints is one of my favorite ways of learning different artists' techniques--you can learn a lot by analyzing how different people approach the Process of Drawing
altho it is now unfortunately inactive, Every Frame a Painting is the best cinematography analysis channel i've ever found. each video takes a deep look into the specific visual techniques and decisions film directors utilize to enhance their storytelling
literary analysis of video games!!
this channel features a lot of deep dives into the narrative elements of
various video games. you know you wanna slurp up all those themes and symbolism
James Gurney is the author of Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter, a very comprehensive guide on color theory, so his youtube channel works well as a practical exploration of his book's concepts
Joy Ang is probably most known (at least to me) for painting the title cards of Adventure Time, but she's also one of my favorite artists out there. every once in a great while she occasionally drops a speedpaint, which i immediately slurp up to absorb as much of her power as possible
"LightBox Expo is an annual event that connects fans with the artists and creators behind their favorite films, animation, games, TV shows and illustrations." this channel shares some of the very informative panels hosted at this expo
legendary game director of Super Smash Bros and Kirby fame digs into his treasure trove of practical game dev knowledge to impart bite-sized pieces of wisdom to the masses. he covers Many aspects of this field, giving people plenty of good jumping off points to dig deeper into their own research
another speedpaint channel! Mirey paints a lot of portraits with Nice Colors--always interesting to watch someone who has a nice rendering style
Nicholas Kole is an illustrator and character designer who more recently worked on Crash Bandicoot 4 and the Spyro remakes. he has a really fun style! and it's very informative to witness how a working professional approaches his craft thru his speedpaints
lots of good tutorials on anatomy, digital painting, and General Art Advice. my favorite is his Paintover Pals series, where he takes art submitted by his patrons and paints over them, providing critiques and his thought process on his revisions. EXTREMELY informative
channel all about analyzing visual storytelling in comics!!!
how come i haven't found any other channels
like this!!!
can't overstate how cool it is this channel exists, it's SO enlightening seeing someone do the
comics equivalent of film cinematography analysis
very popular art education channel. covers anatomy, design principles, different approaches to learning art--there's tons of knowledge here. tbh i haven't watched his videos in a while but it looks like he's still (occasionally) putting out some good stuff
2D animation education channel! explores the various aspects of creating animation, professional career advice, all sorts of Animation Knowledge. plus his mascot is a cute puppy
tons of good art courses that cover skillsets for various entertainment industry positions, plus drawing and painting courses for both beginners and professionals (and tons more)! the monthly subscription is $30, and the yearly subscription ocassionally goes on sale for $100 off
courses focused on illustration. they cover basic to advanced techniques on various traditional and
digital media, plus a few courses on business practices.
monthly subscription is $25
career advice, job sites, studio lists, and portfolio advice
what it says on the tin!!
job, freelance, educational, and career resources, plus a studio list
template for tracking your comic creation progress
CSP Brush Masterlist
brushes for Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, and Procreate
Hot Tips on surviving as an artist, including residencies, pricing, and self-promotion
awards for books/comics, children's books, illustration, and individual achievement
big list of residencies, grants, and fellowships
quarterly estimated tax info for the USA
recommended readings!
resources for color design, background paint, props, and character design
resources for specific art software, inspiration, drawing references, and more
a color style portfolio reviewed by various animation industry specialists
okay i wanna start this section by warning y'all that i am a huge amateur when it comes to making websites. anyways Visual Studio Code is the software i use to write all my code--from what i can tell, it's a pretty nice free program
a Visual Studio Code extension that lets you launch a live, local preview of your website in your browser so you don't have to publish it all online just to check how your code's looking
Mozilla's resource for learning web development. i've only poked around it a little bit, but from what i've seen it seems to explain concepts in a very easy to understand way
website with lots of coding tutorials. i mostly use it as a reference to search up whatever random coding stuff im desperately clueless about at any given moment
hands-on tutorials for learning coding. i took the (Legacy) Responsive Web Design Certificate and, while i forgot like 99% of the stuff i learned, it was a good way to get acquainted with the capabilites of html and css
where i originally hosted my site! you can sign up for free and get one free site with up to 1GB of storage. and if you need more than that, the paid plan is only $5 per month!
where i currently host my site! you can host a static site for free, like with Neocities, but it also allows you to have a custom domain on the free plan. slightly more complicated to set up bc you'll probably host your site's files on GitHub