Today on the blog we are continuing the theme from yesterday - designing character concepts for your story project. Now, I mostly focus on comics and graphic novels but I daresay the same tools and techniques can apply to things like animation and video games, too! Give this exercise a try.

The concept art stage of any long-form story project (animation, graphic novel, Webtoon, etc) is especially important. This is the planning stage where you decide on the visual look of your work, the physical appearance of your vehicle through the story and the world they live in. Here are three examples of great character concept art from the pros and what you can learn from them.

Scripting for comics can be a bit challenging. Unlike scripts for other media (like films, plays, or animation), movement through the scene can not be implied throughout the page. You have to break down each instant that’s captured within the panels, like snapshots, and be careful not to overload them. Here are five tips to keep in mind that will help you have successful scripts.

Writing an outline is an important step in making comics and graphic novels. It ensures you have all the details of the plot arcs and character arcs sorted out. And it ensures you have a compelling story told how you want it to be! It is important to ensure you have all the elements of good storytelling. Here are five steps you should follow to make sure your outline is perfectly crafted and ready to go.

In my post on Essential Skills for Making Comics, I mentioned that teaching graphic novel courses is one of my favourite things to do. Graphic novels and comics are challenging mediums to tackle because they exist at the intersection of many different skills! If you want to start making comics, this breakdown of all the steps you need to consider might be a good place to start.

One of my favourite parts of being an art student was being surrounded by fellow creatives every day I was on campus. Classmates, technicians, instructors - we were all creative people doing creative things. I miss the ease with which that creative community came together, but it’s not impossible to make your OWN creative community! Here are three reasons it may be a good idea to try.

My favourite class to teach is The Graphic Novel. Often, my students are brand new to the craft. Maybe they are a writer, an illustrator, often both! But combining those skills into a graphic novel is a whole new beast. You can expect many more posts about the skills for graphic novels coming up on the blog, including advice from beginner to advanced, but to start off, here are five essential skills you need to make a graphic novel.

If you are new to using Procreate as a digital illustration tool for creating characters, this step-by-step guide will walk you through an easy process. I use this process for each of my characters, and I design hundreds of them! And each step uses ONLY default Procreate tools and features, so no fancy brushes or extra software is required!

I’m primarily a digital illustrator these days, but that wasn’t always the case. My iPad changed everything because I could finally make the kind of art everywhere I went that suited the style idea I had in my head for comics. Still, I love using traditional tools, like markers, pencil crayons, watercolour and gouache, when I want to get messy. But which is better, digital or traditional illustration? Let’s bust some myths!

Gesture drawing involves dynamic, short poses by the model when the artist focuses on capturing the essence of the movement and shapes more than an accurate figure. You may find yourself ready to try new methods, practice new skills, explore new challenges, or mix things up. These three gesture drawing methods will keep the excitement in your practice!

I first learned about the elements of art in my incredible high school art class. It’s never too late to learn these basic skills. You probably already think about and apply them intuitively, but giving names to the skills you use can really help accelerate them. Here’s an introduction to the seven key elements of art-making.

In the internet age, sometimes, all the resources we have access to can be overwhelming. Sifting through all the resources and distilling them into useful ones for repeat viewing is a daunting task. Fortunately, I have three of my absolute favourites here today. Quality guaranteed.

I’m adamant that every illustrator should have a solid understanding of basic drawing and painting skills. Even if you do simple work, cartoony or non-realistic styles, these essentials will vastly improve your work. After all, you need to know the rules to break them. Here are ten essential skills every illustrator should practice to continually improve their craft:

Procreate is my main app for digital illustration. I love that it runs on my iPad so I can take my full suite of tools everywhere I go. It has absolutely changed the game for digital artists. I love learning new app features, some I’ve missed or some that are newly added, so I’m here to share my top five tips for enhancing your digital illustration in Procreate!

After graduating with my art degree, my first job was with a local print finishing and binding company. I’d studied letterpress printing and hand-binding in university, which seemed like a pretty good crossover. But I never expected just how much I’d learn about the real world of printing and binding! Here are the top 7 things I learned about art and illustration while working in the print industry.

You might recognize Viz Media as the incredible American company that brings manga (Japanese comics) to the West. They consistently find the best properties in Japan and translate them for the English-speaking world. But Viz Media has also started to publish original works, showing they are a force to be reckoned with in the graphic novel publishing space. Here are five graphic novels Viz Media has published that transcend the manga genre:

Drawn and Quarterly is an incredible publisher and a behemoth. Their works are some of the most cutting-edge and stunning artistic creations on the market. Here are my top five favourite graphic novels from Drawn and Quarterly.

First Second Books is a comic publisher based in New York that publishes graphic novels in all genres and for all ages. First Second is great for publishing cozy and uplifting stories, and t these five favourites I’m highlighting on the blog today are no exception.

If you’re interested in making comics, you also need to read comics. It’s the best way to learn about the medium, what publishers are looking for, and how to tell a good story in the comic format. This week on the blog, I will introduce you to some of my favourite comics by my favourite publishers. Starting with my number one: Image Comics.

I had the privilege of attending the opening of the exhibition Foodways at the Richmond Art Gallery. This stunning exhibition is about the techniques, histories, and social interactions surrounding food. It will be on display at the RAG from Oct. 19 to Dec. 31, 2024.