Name one book to reccomend for new webcomic artists

Klaustasya 2019-10-10 22:57:13 UTC #1

I thought this could be an interesting topic to set for those who, just like me, have only recently started to seriously think about creating comics but have no idea which are the foundamentals to follow about creative process, story-telling, character design and building (and so on...) so why not telling at least one book that we think every new webcomic creator should read first?

For me, i suggest a classic: Making comics by Scott MCloud

Iris-Grimoire 2019-10-10 23:16:57 UTC #2

Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu-Mestre. Invaluable book for anyone wanting to learn better composition and storytelling. You might not get anything out of your first time reading, but once you see the cogs behind the machine so to say, you start seeing those rules everywhere, and eventually learn to integrate them without even noticing. It's also somewhat short and mostly example illustrations, for both storyboards and comics.

CloudyMagpie 2019-10-11 00:14:13 UTC #3

Maybe Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" It explores 5 classic character archetypes and how they are developed to different effects for different types of stories

Klaustasya 2019-10-11 06:04:16 UTC #4

Oh yes, i really wanted to give it a read! I heard it's a really good book.

darthmongoose 2019-10-11 06:50:14 UTC #5

Drawn to Life volume 1 by Walt Stanchfield is a book a lot of the top pro comic artists swear by. It's a collection of lecture notes from the legendary animator who trained the team of young animators who would be behind the Disney renaissance (Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King etc).

It's very free-form, and it's not necessarily for newbies, but if you're already drawing your basic anatomy, perspective etc. to a reasonably consistent level and want to know how to really add expressiveness, polish, impact and weight to your work, this is probably the book you need for it. It's all about acting and expressing motion and feeling through your drawings.

apbarratt 2019-10-11 13:58:04 UTC #6

It's not web comic specific but I'd say Understand Comics by Scott McCloud is essential reading. Followed by the sequel, Making Comics.

apbarratt 2019-10-11 13:59:01 UTC #7

Aha, I just realised the last line of your original post! Serves me right for skim reading!

Klaustasya 2019-10-11 14:10:45 UTC #8

It's okay don't worry! These books are always on point ^^

Solias 2019-10-11 14:14:24 UTC #9

go read burning effect, the feeling of motion and physicality is incredible it will really help you better visualize an action scene

silacinnamon 2019-10-11 14:27:00 UTC #10

I already reccomended this in another topic xD but I really liked Alan Moore's "Writing for Comics" for the creative process. Will Eisner's "Comics and Sequential Art" and "Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative" talk about creative process too, but he also gives some great visual tips on storytelling!

Not really related to comic making fundamentals, but if you're interested in history, Thierry Smolderen's "The Origins of Comics" is a great read. The book goes from 18th-century "proto comics" to the comic strips made before the boom of super-heroes.

Sosofellow 2019-10-11 15:55:50 UTC #11

To add to everyone's suggestions of McCloud and Eisner, McCloud's The Sculptor is him taking everything he talked about in regards to "comic theory" in his Understanding Comics series and everything he learned from Will Eisner and putting it into practice.

Not exactly an informative book and defo one you should read after Understanding/Making Comics, but still incredibly worth it to see someone meticulously applying what he teaches to an actual graphic narrative.