This post features all of the collected elements of an exercise in analysis, emulation and synthesis of varying comic attributes. It's from Ivan Brunetti's Cartooning book.
Firstly a direct copy of a Matt Forsythe page, then an essay that discusses my take on two comic pages from different comics. Next up is a really interesting and very much recommended way to get to know another style of working. Then, the pages of the comics in question and ending with a dump of false starts and trials for good measure.
You can buy Matt Forsythe' magnificent comic here
...and you can read it online here (but it's nice to have it in your hands.)
Feedback is always appreciated...
Dan.
My Comics Class copy
Matt Forsythe's Comics Class in the background, my prelim inked
version in the fore and adding halftone in Photoshop.
Essay
Ok, so here is the really interesting/brain-bending task. Take a panel from the 'bad' one and recreate it in the style of the 'good' one... and vice versa. I thought this was a surprising task. In order to be able to succeed you have got to look and think really closely about many different things at once. How would the other artist reveal this, what would and wouldn't be shown? How can i get the character to look both 'in the style of' another artist and like themselves? What is the easiest way to recreate that slightly off halftone pattern? etc etc...
Here is the first and below that is a quick diagram...
and here is the next one. The opposite way of approaching this. Similar diagram below.
Below are images of Mattew Forsythe's Comics Class - Cover and pages for exercise.
You can buy this magnificent comic here
Below are two excerpts from American Splendour that collates two or Harvey Pekar's books. The examples are those that I used for the exercise.
A collection of process shots of the exercise. I've included it all, warts 'n' all. I'm continually surprised by how it takes me a fait few minutes to be able to warm up... but I pretty much always start of bloody awful. This has never been any different. By the way, these are not in any order, just cut and pasted and slapped on.
