Today I want to share some of my process for drawing a comic art style pose from photo reference. This can be a great time saver and a learn as you go type approach.
I tend to default back to this method when I just can’t get a certain pose to look right in a reasonable amount of time.
If I redraw it over and over and start to get frustrated, I take a step back and think to myself, “What is it about this pose that boggles my mind?”
If it something that I have drawn well before then I assume I just need a break and I revisit it later. If it something that I have always fought to draw well, then I need a different approach.
This is where reference can be an amazing asset to our workflow. I like to draw from my mind as much as the next guy but sometimes we just need to recharge the batteries!
Where Do You Get Your References From?
I generally default to a quick Google or Yahoo search but then I quickly realize, that can lead me down a rabbit hole that I didn’t sign up for.
Often times the results of the search are a bit too distracting and even off topic with ads and clutter.
Then I remember my good old pal Pinterest! Packed full of amazing poses and with far less clutter to worry about.
Here I can create Pinterest boards that are focused on the studies that I want to improve upon. I have one just for figure drawing and it makes a great board for comic style poses as well!
You can check it out here – Cool Poses for Reference on Pinterest – https://pin.it/5Ux3jOuBT
I am so grateful for all these amazing models and photographers for sharing these dynamic poses. They are a valuable resource and we are lucky to have them. So share their links and support them when you can!
So make lots of boards tailored to your specific needs and goals. Then make time to revisit them and do lots of drawings and/or paintings. Your work and your visual library will grow rapidly because of this.
Does This Really Save Time?
I believe that it does, at least for me at my current level of drawing. There is a time and a place for drawing from memory.
I would say that I do most of my drawings with little to no reference. I honestly think that for many years I let my pride get in the way of my progress.
I sort of thought that by using reference, I was cheating at being an artist. That was the wrong way to think about it.
Our goal as artists needs to be about creating the best art that we can and being efficient at it. Time is money in every business and art is a business!
If there is something that I don’t understand about the human body I can’t just fake it. I need to step back and learn what I need to learn.
If I can do this while getting a specific task or job completed then that to me is a win-win scenario.
This is where drawing from life or photo reference is very effective and can get me past a hurdle much faster.
Here is an example of a pose that I drew in real time while studying from the photo reference on Pinterest. This drawing took me about 15 minutes.
Here is the reference photo on Pinterest – https://pin.it/2l7upTmL8
How to Draw the Pose Quickly for Comics
If I was drawing this particular pose for a figure drawing study or trying to capture a sense of realism, I could get much more involved and spend hours trying to refine it and illustrate it in all it’s glory.
That isn’t really the point of this particular study. I want to capture a pose and be able to transition to the rest of the illustration much faster.
So the key here is to look for stylized interpretations of the figure. Since I draw from my imagination so much, it sort of happens instinctually at this point.
I use basic shapes and simplify the figure as I draw through it. This gives me a great base to work with for the next stage of the drawing.
I am also learning on the job and will be better armed for that next crouching pose which we see a lot in comics.
Quick Tip!
It is easy to get caught up in drawing from life and draw a totally different style than you are used to. This becomes apparent in your work and can break the storytelling a bit.
The trick is to imagine that you are drawing this character as a cartoon. For instance, If I start to slow down and draw too realistically or become overly critical, then I may need to go more towards a cartooning process.
Think big shapes, overly simplified angles and curves, and exaggerated proportions. This usually alleviates my critical brain and allows me to draw faster and more stylized!
I hope you found this post to be helpful and more on the way soon. Good luck with your art and never stop drawing! 🙂
Robert A. Marzullo
Ram Studios Comics
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