Who said anything about a degree? Reading this thread is studying writing. Reading the McCloud books is studying writing. Reading a book or a website on the elements of fiction is studying writing. I am from a generation where studying something did not mean that you had to go to school. Frankly, most schools are more concerned about the grades and the tuition than the learning of the actual skills. I can give you horror stories about trying to find competent computer techs out of a graduating class of computer science majors.
No, you don't need to get an art degree to draw well, but you need to study. You need to understand composition, techniques, colour theory, perspective, anatomy, and a dozen other things to be a good artist. Never have to go to school a day in your life to do it, you just have to find ways to learn it.
In fact, I can give a cogent argument that studying on your own and taking small courses is more effective than large classes, especially if it is a subject you have a passion for.
And I stand by that statement. In fact, let me add to it. You very rarely see a writer look at art and say "I can do that, it's just slapping colour and lines together". Yet, it is very common to see an artist look at writing and say "I can do that, it's just letters and words".
And I have a nice sized reading list at Comic Rocket that I am enjoying very much. There are some real gems on the web, and I enjoy finding them. Oh yeah, just to repeat, I tend to be blunt. That's just stating things in a concise way without sugar-coating. It doesn't mean I am angry or bitter or any of that, just that I say what I mean, usually in a factual and logical manner.
And uh...Tell me, how do you practice ANY hobby without educating yourself about it? Hobbyists usually tend to be the experts because it's their passion. On just about any hobby.
And as a note, you can use art to tell a story without words (though difficult) and you can use text to tell a story without art. Comics are a story told with (usually) art and text. The writing is only half the story, the art is the other half. The artist and the writer together are the story-tellers. They both have a part in it. But that's mostly semantics.
Eagle
(and I usually avoid semantics, not much fun)
