...creation - correlation - confrontation...

In preparation for the forthcoming Superhero workshop at 

The Dragonfly Gallery in Watton, I set up a facebook page to allow 

those interested in taking part, to view the work of previous workshops 

and also to download character design templates, cover designs 

and professional comic scripts. 

I was able via www.facebook.com/DrawSuperheroesandComics/

to upload the workshop day's schedule and examples of 

previous co-creations and characters! 

 No sooner had I completed my timetable than I realised that 
I was being too ambitious by far, both for myself and the students - 

 if we got to Session 3 on the schedule we were well on target!

Because this class is more about designing (costumes and characters), 

than it is about drawing, I designed template sheets so that participants 

could get on with the task of creating characters/costumes without 

worrying about anatomical and proportional problems.

Attending a workshop myself at the London Cartoon Centre in the 80s, 

we were handed the above anatomical sheets to use as reference, so that 

we could understand the limits of anatomy and break them accordingly. 

…and encouraged to attend life study classes whenever possible...

In preparation for their first character designs, and in response 

to a creative back and forth between Jo, Roy, Paul, Gerry and myself, 

we co-created the following superheroes - 'Buck-Fast! (Lee), 'V-Tol',

 'Magenta' and 'No-Guy!' (What else do you call a character that is 

a vacuum, but is defined by their environment? Great idea Roy).

It's not always easy conjuring something up out of thin air 

and onto a blank piece of paper. I  recall Paul and Gerry both came 

from lighthouse keeper background and had discussed possibilities 

for a character with abilities that would be appropriate 

for the protection of lighthouses. 

Similar to the original Daredevil, this would involve some type 

of sonar/radar to overcome poor vision, and perhaps 

super strength to cope with the bulk of huge vessels 

and the power of crashing ocean waves. 

Jo investigated the formidable problem of foreshortening 

and dynamic lettering, and Roy who maintained he had not drawn 

for a long time, and had certainly not created a super characters 

before, surprised us all - and himself I think - by coming up 

with four good strong characters!

Naturally the creative process couldn't  continue without the 

obligatory tea and biscuits, wherein Paul showed us the handsome 

Dan Dare edition he had brought in, showing us panels that had 

painted background scenes reminiscent of a young David Hockney. 

(The early Dan Dare studio recruiting assistants  
from the local art college).  

And wonder of wonders - Jo produced from her bag the very 

same book on perspective that I used to study myself as a boy. 

And I thought I had the only existing copy.

After lunch we proceeded to create a dramatic cover scene 
between two of the comic characters we created in the morning 

- 'Buck Fast!(Lee)' and the weirder than weird 'V-Tol'! 

'Carmine Infantino' style design.

'Gil Kane' style design.

Rather than use my existing 'Carmine Infantino' style cover 
template, I rotated the characters a little to draw the reader closer into 
the action. Extending costume detail which was not immediately 
apparent in the original face on designs.

Strong as the cover was in black and white, we agreed 

adding colour would enhance to dynamics of the image! I use 

Winsor & Newton ProMarker pens which are excellent for quickly 

providing solid colour confidently with each broad stroke. 

As well as the chisel tip, the pens also have a sharper 

point at the opposite end for fine line and detail.

Well, I certainly could and would not have come up with these 

characters by myself, so a big thank you to my co-conspirators for 

allowing me to be the conduit for their unusual ideas. 

Since I had no idea who today's students would, little did I realise 

that when I brought along the Dr Strange collection of his earliest 

adventures, that I would be reacquainting Paul with the first issue 

of Dr Strange he'd read while waiting age six in his 

own doctor's surgery. 

Possibly the moment Paul revisits his first  Dr Strange story?

The Dragonfly Bullpen hard at work creating confrontational covers, 

revisiting old comic book adventures and pushing the boundaries of 

dynamic colour, dramatic anatomy and extreme perspective. 

Gerry very kindly showed us the very accomplished, finely 

drawn pen & ink illustrations and cartoons he had produced for a

local motorbike magazine, going back over many years. With fine 

design, great attention to detail, and taking more than a little 

inspiration from Punch magazine! 

Gerry's great work warrants a blog of it's own.

Let me know when you're ready Gerry!

Myself, standing with what a few hours ago
were blank sheets of layout paper!

When working with younger age groups I find there is 

always a common knowledge with a shared interest, working 

with participants of a similar age we were all referencing (and reminiscing)

at first hand the same experiences. 

The same comics in the 60s - Dr Strange, Fantastic and Terrific 

magazines, Dan Dare, Hotspur, Victor, Whizzer and Chips, of course 

the Dandy and the Beano. Whatever happened to Billy the Cat?

Also the same 'How to Draw' books on perspective, the human 

figure, hands and faces, and Hal Rasmussen's 'How to Draw Cartoons'. 

Paul, Jo, Gerry and Roy - the Dragonfly Gallery's fantastic four - and their co-creations
- alongside Captain America - created by the legendary Joe Simon and Jack Kirby!

SUPER thanks to Paul, Jo, Gerry and Roy for taking part and contributing 

heart and soul to great workshop - hope to see you all again for Part Two!

A big thank you to Jan Godfrey and Susan Hollingsworth of the 
Wayland Dragonfly Gallery in Watton, for kindly offering me the 
opportunity to take part in their 'Once upon a time' book event - 
A Wayland Feast of Reading, Writing, Poetry and Illustration.

And a big thank you also to writer/artist Sue Welfare 
for recommending me in the first place!

TO BE CONTINUED!

...where do those superheroes come from...?

Like every six (and sixteen) year old I copied characters and superheroes  relentlessly from any comic I could lay my eager hands on - TV21, Fantastic Four, Hulk. Pencil, colouring pencils - pots of poster paints when I'd progressed at age twelve to reproducing comic covers and full splash pages up to A2 on cartridge paper which were often often pinned up on the display boards outside the first floor school art room. 

Ahh a warm glow when a for a few weeks only, ascending the stairs from the vestibule to attend classes on the first floor hundreds of young minds were momentarily captivated by the vivid painted image of an angry Galactus raging at the Silver Surfer, or Maximus the Mad glowering over a trapped and frustrated Hulk. 

What marvelous joy.

Almost without fail in those 'best days of your life' if you were caught reading a comic - especially in class or assembly - you were facing comic book confiscation at least until the end of said lesson or in some cases - until the end of time ie four o'clock - home time. 

I almost lost Tales to Astonish #97 this way in assembly, but managed to distract the Deputy Head by dropping and breaking my glasses - yep - made of glass in those pre plastic lenses days - my mag became a side issue compared to my now inability to see the blackboard and learn. Still confiscated until the end of the day though - curses, I wouldn't know if the Hulk survived the terrible threat of the Legion of the Living Lightning for hours now...

Fantastic Four Annual #6 featuring the birth of Reed and Sue's baby boy almost met the same fate in woodwork class. As fascinating as mortice and tenon joints and wooden wall lamp units - shaped like an upside down shoe with a protruding tongue was - it couldn't compare with the majesty and mystery of Reed, Ben and Johnny going up against their newest foe Annihilus in the demented wonderland that was the Negative Zone.

Boy-oh-boy! When the woodwork teacher noticed that I was distracted by a comic when I should have been paying attention - I discovered that dear old Mr Griffin was as implacable a foe as any Stan (The Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby could dream up! Luckily he instructed me to put it away rather than have it confiscated here and now. Phew! Did Sue or didn't Sue have her baby???

OK - I've gone back to the beginning to get to the present, but - life drawing! From my first time life drawing at Croydon Art College during my Foundation course - I was 18 and I expect the model was 68 or so - the tutors mantra was as follows - "Draw what you see. Not what you think you see."

Any comic book course I've attended in the past - such as 'The London Cartoon Centre' back in the late 80s could not stress strongly enough the value of drawing the human body from life, and whenever the opportunity presented itself - to get onto a life class. 

Certainly it's all very well referring to and copying from your favorite artists such as Gil Kane and Neal Adams (who know their anatomy inside out) - providing you back it up with a solid foundation understanding how human anatomy works. One editor I spoke to said it was comparatively easy (and fun) drawing superheroes, but the hero has to inhabit a world of real people. Creating the real world environment allows our hero to be who she or he is. 

The more real and more believable the environment, the better.

The two life classes I have attended recently are The Ely Life Drawing Group which takes place on Thursdays at Ely's Babylon Gallery, and The Ouse Life Drawing group which takes place on Wednesdays alternately in a converted church on the River Little Ouse and Ely Community Colleges Art Department - both are highly recommended!


Oh, and by the way - Reed and Sue had a baby boy...