We're moving...

Yes my friends, we're moving... to another website.  We are going to be moving our articles to our main website.  This has been a great run but that time has come where we have to become committed to presenting a higher quality of information.  In the time that we've been doing this we have found a great wealth of information on the creation, distribution, and marketing of comics and graphic novels and even though they fall in the same industry, both are managed significantly different.  The same applies to print vs digital publishing. 

Our main website will host a magazine style page for New Miami Comics, Miami's local indie resource magazine.  I'd like to start including printers and advertisers, distribution methods and guides, upcoming conventions and local comic book stores.  There are many resources out there but as a creator its easy to miss, especially when your focussed on your work.

There are a few magazines that touch many of those topics and address the local FLORIDA comic community.  Come visit us at:

www.digitalhandstudios.com

Meet & Greet (Updated Date changed)

Attention!  Date has been changed to the following week due to Supercon!

 

Calling All Comic Book Artists/Writers Near Miramar

July 8th

 

6:00pm

 

Panera Bread on Miramar and Dykes  

Come and join your fellow artists for a simple meet and greet.  Get to know the different artists near you and their work.  Many of us know each other from several Facebook comic pages or we've run into each other at numerous conventions, but what I'm proposing is a simple meet & greet where we can bring and share our comic book art in a relaxed environment.  Bring your sketch books and enjoy some coffee with other artists.

No admission fees or booth fees.

Some where relaxed to draw and eat.

Miami is experiencing a fluctuation in creativity.  As art districts begin to pop up in many places it would seem a great time to cultivate this culture up in Broward.  There are great comic book stores in the area and a good amount of talent to work with.  Sharing our creativity in person, explaining our techniques, and stories will inspire all of us in creating better art.

Stay tuned on your Facebook page New Miami Comics for the event.


Hope to meet a lot of creative talent out here!

Keeping an Amazing Comic Studio

The studio is where the magic happens.It is the home of the comic artist's inspiration.  Littered with comics, sketchbooks, statues, it is a breeding ground for the imagination.  Each is unique to its owner's style and a destination of pure comic delight. A well organized comic studio will help you be more productive and creative in all of your projects.

The main purpose of your studio is to support your creative endeavors.  It should be a place free from distractions, but full of motivational tools.  Keep in mind that the design of your studio will help you come up with better ideas and lot faster.  Here are some tips to consider when organizing your comic studio:

Your Studio is your research library.  It is your inner sanctum.  You should have a small collection of reference materials that you commonly use during your creative process.  This normally includes comics and graphic novels of your most inspirational artists, books on anatomy, perspective, and other "How to" art books.  I also include books on writing and publishing because its what I do.  Make sure that your collection is customized for you.

Keep you space dedicated.  Not only should this space be free from distractions, but also be completely dedicated to your comic projects.  This space can be a small desk or a full sized room.  The important part is that it is just used for your comic projects. 

If you work on different different media, keep your projects separated.  Have a section for your digital art, another for your acrylic paintings, and perhaps a section for your sketching or traditional drawing.  This way you can accommodate your art supplies in a way that make sense to your productivity.  Staying organized like this will keep you focused.

Have enough art tools out so that you can easily reach for something without losing your train of thought, but not too many supplies that it makes your creative space messy or cluttered.  Boxes and carousels make a great organizing tool for your pencils, pens, markers, brushes, and other supplies. Do not use anything toxic in your studio.  I'm talking about aerosol sprays or heavy paint thinners.  And even if they don't smell it doesn't mean that there aren't any harmful fumes.  You don't want to use that in a space that you're going to be constantly in for hours.

Here is a small list of useful thinks to keep in your studio:

• Trash can
• Adjustable lamp 
• Dry erase and/or cork board
• Computer, laptop, or tablet
• Portfolio
• Art supply bin
• Pencil/pen carousel 

Remember that maintaining an organized work space help keep the imagination flowing. 


        

Doodles, Sketches, & Studies

Drawings are not all the same, nor are the benefits.  We're going to briefly explore the 3 basic drawing types and what they do.

Doodles are a simplistic drawing that you do while you are engaged in something else.  It takes minimum effort or concentration, in fact somethings its your subconscious moving your pencils.  Even though you aren't really creating anything significant with this type of drawing, your body is learning basic strokes and pencil/pen movements. 

Sketching is usually done with a purpose.  You have in mind a particular subject and attempt your best in creating a sketch.  This is the most common approach to practice in many intermediate artists. 

The last is the study.  Its when you vet a particular subject

or artist and practice several sketches dedicated towards that same subject in order to improve or better understand the subject. Hands, faces, even other artist's styles all become subjects to study.  This is very common among advanced to professional artists.

Now you have something to think about before you put the pencil against and create a new drawing.