Comic Book Drawing Course for Beginners

Only write what you know writes say, and the same goes with comics. Learn how to write a good story based on your life experiences like Tim did.

Let’s start sketching out your first character. Tim and Russ will describe how to choose the interests, looks and vision of any comic book character.

Put pencil to paper and begin sketching the outline of your first character. Russ will show you how to shape the frame of your figure using simple geometrical shapes.

Test yourself under pressure and follow along Russ’ speed drawing exercise. Set yourself a time limit and see how far you get this early on in the course – you might surprise yourself!

What is the most important element when creating your comic? Is it the words, the storyline, the conversations? Or the actual drawings and characters? Find out what Tim and Russ think and why.

Back to the pencil and paper again as you’ll return to sketching the simple outline of a superhero. With classic good looks and powerful features learn how to draw your own superhero packed with style and impact.

A superhero is only as good as their backstory, so learn to write a good with the help of Tim and Russ. Plan out how your superhero came to be, what powers they have and, just as importantly, where their weaknesses are too!

Returning to the sketching now as you’ll fill in more detail on your superhero drawings. Add in action lines, creases, and other simple, yet important details.

While you can leave your comic in black and white, adding a bit of colour can make it an attractive front cover for your audience. Learn how and why Russ chooses the colours of his characters and what impact this has on the style of the comic.

Superheroes don’t just stand still all the time so it’s important to know how to draw motion and action in panels. Think about perspective, physics and natural position of limbs when moving in certain ways.

Starting off this section by drawing a series of different faces with varying expressions. This first lesson will deal with uplifting and happy faces!

But now the emotions changes and it’s time to draw sad faces that create mood and darker reactions to character interactions.

Comic book characters aren’t always happy, or sad – some get angry too!

And when someone’s angry, there’s generally someone who’s reacting scared so learn how to draw fearful emotions to depict genuine reactions to the story.

Watch how to draw one of Tim’s favourite menacing characters, The Joker. See how Russ brings to life from a blank page an antagonist filled with hate, secrets and danger.

Crafting your character interactions is paramount to furthering the storyline of the comic strip. Russ shows off his tricks for drawing conversations in perspective.

Just like a movie there are a number of points of view you can sketch a conversation from. Over the shoulder, POV, side-by-side. Learn to decide which is best for your panel.

Add some drama and style to your character’s interactions by drawing scenes from different angles to create tension, perspective and something a little different.

Drawing fairy tale characters gives you a natural head start as you may have seen versions of them in other books or on screen. This gives you a good point of inspiration to start your drawings from as Tim and Russ discuss.

Drawing one panel is a good start, but what comes next? Where does the story go from there? Watch as Tim describes how much information and progression of a story can be captured in each frame to show what a movie would otherwise take 30 minutes to do!

Why not become a twisted comic book artist and play around with the looks, stories and characters of established fairy tales? What if Cinderella ran into Snow White, or if Sleeping Beauty never awoke?!

Once you’ve got a good story and a few panels drawn turn your attention the front cover as a way to sell your story and what lurks on the next pages.

When beginning your own superhero comic use yourself as inspiration. Grab a mirror and start sketching out your face to form the basis of your own protagonist.

As we’ve mentioned previously your characters need a backstory. Can you bring in elements of their past in their current looks? Maybe their outfit, props, facial descriptions can give hints to their history with a few simple pencil-strokes.

Where does your superhero go on the cover? In the middle? At the top? Should they be the biggest person on the page or not? And what should they be doing? Don’t worry, Russ has the answers!

In TV you get 7 seconds to grab someone’s attention to make them want to stay for longer (even less on the internet!) so your first few panels need to be super-exciting enough for your audience to want to read more.

What is the name of your comic going to be – a pun-ladened laugh? A galaxy of superlatives, or just a quirky oddity? Tim gives you his experience in naming comings and where to place that title.

The ultimate paradox in comic book writing – time travelling. How can you play around with the realms of time and mix different eras without it being overcooked and forced?

Every good superhero has a sidekick or an accompanying cast – but who are they? What do they add to the story and how do you introduce them?

In just a few short frames Tim and Russ show you how it’s possible to create an interest and engaging story without spending months drawing.

Take something that’s already out there and make it your own in a comic book style. Maybe it’s your favourite book (doesn’t have to be a children’s book either) but think about brining it to life in graphic form.

Kids love comics – it’s where most comic book artists found their love for the art to begin with. So why not have a go at adapting your favourite children’s story into a comic. Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and JK Rowling could all be wonderful inspirations.

Russ and Tim look at some of the incredible art and illustrations of some of their favourite children’s books and talk about the importance of creating drama and excitement to back up the conversations and descriptions of your story.

How easy is it to transfer a well-know character and put them into a comic strip without it looking desperate or cheesy? Russ and Tim show you simple ways others have done it and how fun it is to try when you’re looking for original inspiration.

Why not head back in time and bring to life some of the iconic fables and myths we all know and love. Greek Gods, Banshees, Leprechauns and others could all live in your comic book story with a little imagination.

Using several examples, your course instructors Tim Quinn and Russ Leach discuss how other comic book artists make their covers exciting and something that compels you to grab it off the shelf.

Time for you to try it for yourself. Grab your paper and pencil and start sketching the outline of your front cover and think about where to place all your main characters.

The heads and faces of your characters propel the story of your comic. So getting their expressions and style correct for their personality is vital. Let’s start off by drawing heads with unique characteristics.

With every beast there must be a beauty so sharpen your pencils and let’s get sketching some handsome looking heads.

Orcs, ogres and trolls are a staple part of the comic book world. If your story needs an army of ugly monsters this lesson is perfect for you.

But if you’re a bit of a James Bond fan (or Inspector Gadget) then Russ shows you how to draw the simple outline of a suave and charming secret agent.

Vamp up your drawings with some sultry and beautifully depicted female vampires. See how to sketch feminine features with a slight undertone of danger.

Add a classic touch of the fairy tale to your story when you introduce the archetypal battle between jealous witches/old hags and enchanted but smart princesses.

How about adding some androgynous technology to your story as Russ shows you how to easily draw the head of a robot and gives it some artificial emotions.

Up until now you may have been drawing with any basic pencil and paper – which is fine! But take a look at the tools of the trade that Russ uses for his initial sketches and what he likes about them.

The best story you can ever tell is the one about your own life. Why not create your own comic based on tales from your life and why adding a personal touch like this makes a comic so appealing to people you’ve never met.

Tim talks about his extensive years as an established and highly successful comic book writer and how he got there in the first place. He’ll share his progress from fan to author in this inspiring lesson.

But once you’ve broken in the to world of comics, either as a writer or artist – how do you stay there? What makes publishers call you up and ask for your skills on a regular basis to slowly make comic books a full time job?

In the last lesson of this section, Russ gives you an overview to using his large digital graphics tablet and Adobe Photoshop. This is the next step to upgrading your pencil drawings to help refine the lines, add further detail and eventually colour!