Entertaining online comic strips

Articles

Newton Hills — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 11:00:46 +0000

How to Become a Comic Artist

Newton Hills — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 10:38:20 +0000

Comic book illustration is a very specialised field, and though formal training may not be necessary for someone with very clear talent, a training institution can often have contacts with employers that would be difficult to find alone, although in this electronic age, even that rule of thumb is less true than it once was. A quick search on the internet can highlight both job and training opportunities.Also in this electronic age, it is necessary not only to be able to draw, but to be able to use software such as Photoshop, Quark Express, Illustrator and others, in order to keep up with trends in the workplace.Formal training can be an art degree; however, make sure that the course you choose caters specifically to illustration and comics if possible. Work experience can also prove that you’re serious about your career decision, as can drawing cartoons for a school publication or newspaper, or finding opportunities for freelance illustrator work at local papers or magazines. You may even be lucky enough to find someone who needs their book illustrated!Many publishers of childrens’ books have a need for good illustrators, as do film production companies. Joining a professional association in your country will give you information about upcoming conventions, employers and ideas for finding work.The most important advice you will find though, is to hone your skills and draw, draw, draw! Sometimes it can be so involving to look for opportunities that the skills themselves can be neglected. Ask yourself if drawing every day is as attractive as it sounds. You will need a good imagination, good interpersonal skills for discussing ideas with writers and other professionals in the industry, and patience to find solutions that work for everyone involved.Comic book artists are often lively, fun people, and this can be an extremely rewarding and individual career, offering the freedom of freelance work with the affirming sensation of seeing your work in print and enjoyed by many.

The history of comic strips

Newton Hills — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:08:34 +0000

The comic strip is a pictorial representation, laid out in a sequence of boxes across a page, typically telling an amusing story. Elements of this form can be found from many historical periods and types of artistry. The use of illustrations to depict a story dates back to prehistoric times, when cavemen used colourful images and patterns on their cave walls.Similarly, Egyptians used hieroglyphics – a series of symbols and drawings – to tell a story. The Bayeux Tapestry, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts the events leading to the Battle of Hastings in pictorial form. Many believe that these examples are the pre-cursors to the comic strip as we know it today.

Early comic strips

In the 1800s, newspapers began to publish hand drawn illustrations, which commonly depicted tales of well know people; often in a humorous or unflattering situation.The earliest newspaper comic strip was published in the late 19th Century, when Richard Felton Outcault introduced, “The Yellow Kid”. This found its home within the popular Sunday Supplement, and was quickly followed by many other comic strips.Source: WikipediaBy the early 1900s, comic strips were proving to be so popular that many newspapers began to publish them as separate editions, with small books containing past comic strips available to buy. For most of the 20th Century, there were in excess of 200 comic strips in circulation in America every day. Many of these comic strips focused on political or social commentary, often mirroring events which were happening in society at that time.American comic strips were very popular within Europe, and they somewhat hindered the development of home grown cartoons. It was not until much later on that European comic strips began to emerge. Famous examples include “Tintin”, which appeared from Belgium, “Asterix”, from France, and “Andy Capp”, from Britain.

Modern trends

Comic strips have continued to evolve. In the 1960s, the underground movement came to prevalence. These ‘underground’ comic strips were aimed primarily at an adult audience, and the humour became more controversial, touching on subjects such as politics, sex and violence.The comic strip experienced a resurgence in the 1980s. More recently, the revival of super heroes has gained a new readership for the comic strip genre. “Graphic novels” are now popular within the US and there is a considerable audience within Japan, who enjoy book length fiction in the comic strip form. Comic strips remain as popular today, with the industry now worth billions of dollars, and fast extending to other areas, such as movies, television, and toys.