Drawing difficult camera angles

[hades]

You may find this useful.

[ghostnxs]

Thank you all for your input. Thank you for @punkarsenic and @Marchen for those helpful links.

[serenitysquirrel]

I thumbnail everything out and try. If it's beyond my skill or looks dumb, I just keep thumb-nailing until I figure out something that works.

[ArtistHan]

I'm only really just getting started making comics. One of the reasons I started drawing comics was because it gave me a reason to practice consistently. I try to include at least a few new/challenging angles in each chapter just so I can practice and also so it won't look visually flat. I don't have many subscribers but that's an asset when you're trying to experiment a lot haha gives you room for mistakes. I often need to take pictures of myself or take objects and keep circling them like a hawk though. For my next chapter, I need to draw aerial shots so I'm actually going to build some stuff out of clay and take pictures. Yes, I'm intense and no, I do not want to attempt drawing such things without reference haha

[Menbung]

Hahahaahahaha I just remembered a manga by Samura Hiroaki, it has pretty sick camera angles, in one page appeared a litte quote above one panel: "An example of trying too hard to get a cool camera angle", hahaha it made me laugh XD.

I've always tried to do more crazier angles, it's more like a challenge + my dislike for flat images 8_8

[fanyart]

I have the complete opposite problem, haha I love drawing from various angles too much that when I have a calm scene, I tend to make it shorter because all the frames in that scene appear the same!
I know it's wrong to shorten calm scenes like that in favor of the action scenes but for me it's hard to find the balance >_<

[allenthomas]

Sometimes I'll throw an odd camera angle in my comic just to keep everything from looking stale. I'm not the best at drawing extreme angles but I like the challenge. A considering I'm drawing an action comic, I think dynamic angles are a must.

[ghostnxs]

I have a problem especially if I can't find any reference for it so it makes it more challenging to figure out the scene would look like at that angle.

[allenthomas]

I use to have the same problem, I started to train myself to draw in different perspectives so that I didn't have to rely so much on reference photos. Anything with 3-point is still a huge pain for me but I've tried it a couple of times in my comic. I'll let others be the judge on whether or not I was successful at it LOL.

[nobebocafe]

Programs like Poser or DazStudio (which is actually free) can help you to get an idea about "how it could look" .

[yvettegustafsson]

I don't want to be all over the place. I think a lot about "camera placement". If I were to watch a movie that changed camera angle every second I'd probably stop watching after a bit. But of course it can be used for effect and to flesh out the story. I've worked hard on showing the story, not telling it, and that thought has made it easier to think about what kind of story I want to tell. (so, less talking, more doing :D)

And when I notice I'm side tracked I look at this and start over.

[TetheredComic]

It is good to challenge yourself to different camera angles, perhaps freeze frame movies for inspiration of angles you want. Alternatively, I use google Sketchup someones to get the right angles. It's a free program and can provide you with a way to flesh out a basic scene layout and test various camera angles with different lenses. I used this method when I drew storyboards for indie films and animations, nice, quick and easy : )

If your wanting to get a good angle for a character, there's no harm in looking up reference or taking photos of yourself and/or friends/family. With enough practice you will find you no longer need these techniques as much and will be able to achieve it on your own as it almost becomes second nature. At least, this is what I found while drawing my comic! I purposely did dramatic angles to try and push myself to learn : )

[Doubtcent]

We are working hard at it
Angles never stale
Extreme close-ups are scary

[elixiadragmire]

I apply the angle I feel the scene needs to have impact, and then swear a lot during the sketch process and hate past self for choosing such hard angles

[Jrej]

I heard a lot about people using Sketchup for crazy angles.
I never really got into it but it's good to know it's there!

I'll try that in case of doubt!

[TetheredComic]

Just to give an example, if you just quickly scroll down in this chapter you can see my characters inside a house, one scene is in the living room, and then they head into the kitchen. Because of all the fiddly details, and also the fact that there would be repeated objects because it was based in the same area, it was easier to just mock it out in sketchup: http://tapastic.com/episode/43641

Another great thing about that program is that they have an online 3D warehouse where people have pre-made objects and such which you can download for free and add in.

A lot of storyboard artists use this program too because you can literally choose angles with the director without having to make expensive sets : )

Ooooh... This is the image that inspired me to use sketchup! It's a great step-by-step to see the possibilities! http://feigiap.deviantart.com/art/Google-sketchup-to-painting-2-285039677

Good luck!

[ghostnxs]

I would use sketchup but my computer can't handle it. So until I get a new computer I can only dream of using sketch up. Thanks for showing this.

[lindsayjeanmacaya]

I always go for it as long it as long as it some what makes sense after I'm done sketching.
I find having a reference helps out a lot, whether you google up an image or take your own. It helps me sometimes too to do the motion myself or get someone to pose for you.

[Jrej]

Very interesting!
Your indoor scene really feels realistic with a good space representation.
That proves the technique is worth it.
No shame in taking references...

[apurviance]

I don't mind doing perspective, but it's sooo boring.

If I know a scene is going to use the same location for a lot of panels I'll mock it up in SketchUp. It takes time to build the model, but it ends up saving a lot of time and frustration. Sometimes I'll even find better angles in the model than I'd had in my head. If you go this route be sure to go through the video tutorials.

Google street view is another great resource for cities and building references.