VCU Library – Recommended Reading

If I keep a green bough in my heart,
the singing bird will come.
               ~Chinese Proverb

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #76 on: Nov 12, 2006, 05:46 PM »
oh god i want Fire and Ice so much.

Ralph Bakshi is one of my favorite people.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #77 on: Nov 18, 2006, 09:36 PM »


It's been 10 years since batman was last seen, and bruce wayne and has aged into his 60's, but the horrible state that gotham city is in drives him back into crime fighting after some dark "monolouging" followed by "flicking through grusome news stories on the tv"

It reminds me of VOID because of it's dark moody as well as bizzare storytelling techniques. I reccomend it, but what would I know? I don't read many comics (Though I may once I get a job).

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #78 on: Nov 19, 2006, 04:19 PM »
You can read comics without actually buying them--that's why I love Borders and Barnes & Noble. XD

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #79 on: Nov 19, 2006, 06:43 PM »
You can read comics without actually buying them--that's why I love Borders and Barnes & Noble. XD

Hey buddy! Support your artist!!

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #80 on: Nov 19, 2006, 10:53 PM »
You can read comics without actually buying them--that's why I love Borders and Barnes & Noble. XD

My local Borders had to remove the chairs from the Graphic Novels section because all the kids keep piling at that corner. They still do, just on the floor lol

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #81 on: Nov 20, 2006, 02:06 AM »
Hey buddy! Support your artist!!
I buy enough monthlies and weeklies to feed families.  Besides, sitting to read the new volume of Ultimate X-Men hurts me all at once, instead of getting little doses of monthly pain.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #82 on: Dec 26, 2006, 03:03 PM »
Well, im sorry, but i cant read that book, Mr. Elio, after watching spikes reveal him for the LEFIELD he is.

people should just study different works i believe. Although!
i have this book, and its really great.

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Drawing-Realistic-Carrie-Stuart/dp/1581802161/sr=8-1/qid=1167174076/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4879861-5729729?ie=UTF8&s=books



it talks about omitting lines and opting for shading. even if you're not doing portraits, it still helps.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #83 on: Dec 28, 2006, 06:01 PM »


A superb guide to figure drawing. It offers clinical imagery of the human anatomy both male and female in great detail. Very good book. I reccomend it to all artists. Contains nudity.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #84 on: Dec 28, 2006, 10:31 PM »
You can read comics without actually buying them--that's why I love Borders and Barnes & Noble. XD

My local Borders had to remove the chairs from the Graphic Novels section because all the kids keep piling at that corner. They still do, just on the floor lol
Hahaha, yeah, that happend at our are B&N also

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #85 on: Jan 08, 2007, 11:24 AM »
So Dagger doesn't read much. I can't afford to drive to the nearest book store, let alone buy books once I'm there, so don't hate on me so much if I don't have a lot of smart stuff to say. (Our local public libraries (one in each neighboring town) are shit, do not bring up those piss poor excuses for establishments.)

Graphic novels I can't hang with you guys on, because there's no way in Hell. I did manage to skim over a copy of "Blankets" which was mentioned earlier in the thread, and I loved what I saw of it. I didn't read much at all, but the images really tugged at my emotions (being the emo little shit I am).

Now if we want to talk about straight up writing, then "Ender's Game" is the most badass book I have ever read. Orson Scott Card wrote it, and a How to Write book that I have, as well. I hear that Card is a dickhead, but after reading Ender's Game, there is just no way I can't respect the man. There should be a graphic novel series done for it. Or an animated movie (The people that did Steamboy... was that Miyazaki's work? They would do a great job.)...  Eh, anyway.

That's all I can come up with right now, cuz I just finished reading it, and it's what's on my brain.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #86 on: Jan 11, 2007, 11:47 PM »
Any of the Ender books would make a great animated movie.  You should check out Ultimate Iron Man, Dagger--my real draw to the series is that it's written by Orson Scott Card.  While there are a lot of great writers in comics, getting "real" writers--people who write actual BOOKS for a living--to write comics is even better.

And Steamboy was damn good, but it was by Katsuhiro Otomo, the gent who did Akira.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #87 on: Jan 21, 2007, 03:18 PM »
Someone in the "What Comics are you Reading" thread recommended Blacksad, which a friend showed me a couple volumes of a while back--it was un-be-fucking-lievable.  Classy, classy stuff.

In other news involving large-format comics from the pages of Heavy Metal, Enrico Marini and Jean DuFaux's Raptors is a very slick read involving vampires.  Large cityscapes in the vein of Blade II's beautiful-if-eerie sepiatone presentation of Prague (and lots of nudity) highlight this comic, which is pretty to look at and enjoyable to read--a rare combination.

If you can find it, also look for Marini's Gipsy, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Brian Pulido title Gypsy.  The art of Gipsy strikes me as very familiar to Otomo Katsuhiro (Akira and Domu) but hey, if you're gonna pick something to be similar to, it's nice to pick a legend.

Same goes for Fairy Tail, a recent weekly shounen series that I started reading.  While almost retardedly similar to the exceptional One Piece in visuals, the action sequences wrap up a lot faster (can't say whether that's a good thing or a bad thing) but do the more seinen approach of "let's have a few really big hits from each side from all these random different angles."  Author Mashima Hiro (Rave Master) also shows off some pretty unique things that can be done with basic-sounding fire and ice powers, so that's a plus.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #88 on: Jan 23, 2007, 01:32 PM »
Neil Gaiman's: The Sandman. Hot stuff.
I bought the issue - Endless Nights, a while back, and oh the stories! Oh the art! From my point of view he's a fantastic author accompanied by some daring and impressive artists that push the boundaries of traditional "framed" storytelling.

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/comic <-- Neil Gaiman's site.

http://www.sandman.ws/home.shtml <-- link to a site I found that presents a fair demo of the books.

Couldn't find any decent pics that would let me link.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #89 on: Jan 27, 2007, 12:42 AM »

The Figure; A Classic Approach to Drawing and Construction by Walt Reed.

This is an EXCELLENT book for a beginner... I've been drawing all my life, but I recently buckled down with this book and it helps loads. Helps you identify basic shapes present in complex forms (such as the human body), making the drawing process MUCH easier in the long run.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #90 on: Feb 04, 2007, 07:20 PM »
one book that recently helped me a ton with my art is "drawing on the right side of the brain" the book focuses on drawing portraits but it teaches so much more then that. And it's theories are very well supported on a very large amount of proven psychology research. and the book itself is great for more then just artists because it helps with problem solving skills.

but when it comes to any form of minimalist or stylized art, i believe it's a good thing to understand realism and to draw from it, in the metaphorical sense. so i suggest that to anyone who has yet to grasp realism. and even those who already have because it's a great book to read and explains allot about what goes on in your head when you draw.

The official site of the book is here http://www.drawright.com/
Fidel and his ulcer! - today on CNN "We treat you like a little baby, cause were better than you."

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #91 on: Feb 06, 2007, 11:10 PM »
This book has been helping me a lot. For years now I've been living off a single medical anatomy book given to me by my mother the RN years ago. So now I know hot to kill people effectively... but since must of the bodies are without skin and facial expression since they're in cold storage somewhere... it made it... difficult. (they were usually in pieces too...)
So I found this one day while walking through a book store. It has pleanty of photos along with maps of the bones, muscles, and circulatory system. They flip over the photos so you can see exactly where they go :D
Unfortunetly, this book wasn't that cheap, but if you're struggling in anatomy and structure of the body I reccomend it.


One of my favorite comics is Mark Millar's 'Wanted' Lots of nice art plus it's a great story.


I also suggest reading SoulFire which apparently isn't hugely popular... or maybe it's just this town I'm in... and Revelations which takes on a different kind of comic that I just don't see real often. And when I do I usually lose interest....

Really though... and I say this because many an art and animation professor has told me, go outside and draw people. Observe, watch them move. Take pictures if you have to. (grand advice of the day)
Okee dokee, there ya go.
YIDDY FEST

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #92 on: Mar 29, 2007, 12:23 AM »

Joshua Hale Fialkov, Noel Tuazon, and Scott A. Keating's brilliant (and seven-Harvey-nominated) Elk's Run hits you, and hits you hard.  It's very rare for me to want to skip to the end of a comic to find out how it ends, not out of boredom but from the sheer tension of reading it, and Elk's Run handles telling multiple points of view extremely well--kinda like the TV show Boomtown, but with more clarity.  This one definitely won't disappoint.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #93 on: Apr 13, 2007, 05:44 PM »
Neil Gaiman's: The Sandman. Hot stuff.
I bought the issue - Endless Nights, a while back, and oh the stories! Oh the art! From my point of view he's a fantastic author accompanied by some daring and impressive artists that push the boundaries of traditional "framed" storytelling.

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/comic <-- Neil Gaiman's site.

http://www.sandman.ws/home.shtml <-- link to a site I found that presents a fair demo of the books.

Couldn't find any decent pics that would let me link.

Ohhh Man.  You beat me to it :(.   I've read all the issues thanks to my local library.  It's an incredible story with a fantastic plot and alot of diverse art.  You want inspiration?  Read The Sandman.  It inspired one of my favorite characters, whom I plan to bring to Void (eventually). 

The characters are dynamic, and makes me want to believe that the Endless really exist.  Oh, and I want to Death, she's soooo my fav character.
Ideas run through my head like rabbits.  They multiply and fight over who stands in the spotlight.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #94 on: Apr 30, 2007, 02:09 AM »
Neil Gaiman's: The Sandman. Hot stuff.
I bought the issue - Endless Nights, a while back, and oh the stories! Oh the art! From my point of view he's a fantastic author accompanied by some daring and impressive artists that push the boundaries of traditional "framed" storytelling.

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/comic <-- Neil Gaiman's site.

http://www.sandman.ws/home.shtml <-- link to a site I found that presents a fair demo of the books.

Couldn't find any decent pics that would let me link.

Ohhh Man.  You beat me to it :(.   I've read all the issues thanks to my local library.  It's an incredible story with a fantastic plot and alot of diverse art.  You want inspiration?  Read The Sandman.  It inspired one of my favorite characters, whom I plan to bring to Void (eventually). 

The characters are dynamic, and makes me want to believe that the Endless really exist.  Oh, and I want to Death, she's soooo my fav character.

Fellow Sandman fans.
YES.  ;D
I personally love Delirium, especially when they let us peek at parts of her life when she used to be delight. Then again like everyone else I'll have a soft spot for Dream.

There were a couple books there of Gaimans I ahvent read or even knew about. Time for a trip to the bookstore for me.

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #95 on: May 16, 2007, 12:25 PM »
aiight first of all those sandman books look
like it would be a good book
but i dont hav 99 bucks ta spend on 1 book
but i wuld def luv ta hav em
and spiderman comics helped me on my perspective
so tht may help any other beginners or any thing
rest in peace shawn f. and jon d.
you will be remembered always

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #96 on: Sep 07, 2007, 11:31 PM »
gonna throw in my two cents here.  I know this thread has been inactive for a while, adn I'll probably go into rant mode, but here it is:


Twyla Tharp, "The Creative Habit"-it's got nothing to do with comics, but is valuable for any kind of creative practice.  Also has a very helpful chapter on Ruts and blocks (and how to deal with them)


"What People Wore"- Great refrence for Period costumes.  I love this book (also because I have a secret love for period costumes)  Only problem is that there isn't a whole lot of refrences for the dress of the common folk in each period, but that's a pretty hard thing to find in general.


"Historic Costumes in Pictures"- just like "What People Wore" except it includes fashion from around the world.  this is my current favorite.


"The Poster in History"- yeah, posters are pretty awesome at conveying a whole history in a single image.  My copy is about to fall apart, I use it so much.


Also, I'm pretty addicted to those little Taschen books.  there's one on like every subject, and they're all beautiful full color images.  A great refrence.  Also quite affordable at $9 a pop last time I checked.


Poor Sailor"-The only comic I included.  Why?  Well, because it is simply beautiful, and beautifully simple.

All of these books are pretty affordable.  I am a poor student and have all of these books (The poster one was the most expensive, adn I found a copy for $15)  Also, ART BOOKS ARE WORTH IT.  You're all artists, and as such should have your own refrence/visual vocabulary library.  and if you can't afford to buy them, the Library is usually quite free, given that you don't get late fees.  And you'll find stuff there that you'd never find anywhere else.  or be able to afford (there was this one book on Russian movie posters from the early part of the 20th century that was GORGEOUS, and also $200.  So I just renewed it over and over again, and got to hold on to it for long enough to get a lot of use out of it.  also, scanners are very very useful in this situation)

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but build a Visual Vocabulary.  The kind that's not just about how to draw better, or how to make comics, but about other things.  Give your brain a rest from comics from time to time, especially if you're in a rut, and look at something else for a while.  Let your brain think about comics passivley/subconciously, and occupy it visually in other ways.  BEing able to draw well is important, I'm not trying to knock it.  Also, looking at other comics is very important.  What I'm saying is that it is equally important to look at other types of art, history, philosphy, politics, science, etc. the only reason I'm saying all this is because my best ideas haven't always come from looking at comics.  and while I've learned a lot from comics on how to make better comics, or how to draw better, I've also learned just as much from looking at posters and Typography and random bits and boxes and bones and collections of things and, in other words, building a visual vocabulary over the course of a few years.  I guess what I'm trying to say is look beyond comics, adn bring what you find back to comics.  or don't.  store it in teh back of your mind for something else.  The more you expose yourself to different tings, the more tools you will have to work with. 

And I'll leave you with BibioOdyssey!!!
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/
seriously a lot of fun, nad very interesting.  new stuff is posted all the time.  (so sue me,k it's not a book, but it's about books and is visually interesting, so I thought maybe it would fit here...)

killing the enemy with cuteness

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #97 on: Nov 02, 2007, 12:39 PM »

Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka-if you are at all influenced by anime/manga you better know your roots. Tezuka had a very cartoony art style but he really shows that art isn't everything if you can tell a great story. Phoenix was the last thing he worked on and was considered his life's work as he worked on it for 20 years. I highly recommend this or any of his other manga if you have ever been influenced by the anime/manga style.


20th Century Boys by Urasawa Naoki-another great series that shows art isn't the end all be all if you can tell an amazing story. This series jumps back and forth through time to show how certain events effect the characters. And Urasawa is truly the master of suspense. Whether you like manga or not, it's a wonderful and well written series that takes advantage of interesting storytelling techniques.
Kittens wearins mittens

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #98 on: Nov 05, 2007, 01:24 PM »
I don't know if anyone that frequents here would be able to use this, but I'm working with it right now and learning a lot.



This book teaches you how to use the right side of your brain to help you be able to draw. There's a lot of info about how the brain works and many excersizes that helps you transition to R-mode to let you draw exactly what you see.

It might help some people.

Edit: Saw it towards the top of the page. -.- (Guess I should look closer before I post)
« Last Edit: Nov 05, 2007, 01:31 PM by Flakari Leader »

Re: VCU Library – Recommended Reading
« Reply #99 on: Nov 19, 2007, 10:29 AM »
HeyZoos would love this. It is dificult to think that this has'nt already been showcased.

 Crumb+Philip K. Dick= http://www.philipkdickfans.com/weirdo/weirdo1.htm

P.S. Allso: I think this link should be reposted here - Thankyou whomever allready posted this on the Board:
http://www.altertube.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=6a219db15cf575aff282
« Last Edit: Nov 21, 2007, 09:58 AM by webrynth »
In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus

 

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