Draw! #8 Spring 2004 (magazine review).
I decided it was cheaper to buy Draw! # 8 Spring 2004 as part of a multi-bundle from TwoMorrows than individuals issues. Even reviewers have to buy back issues and in the current isolation, hopefully find some time to draw and paint. I find these mags inspiring and fun to read.
Although this issue is 16 years old, I wasn’t quite sure who Matt Haley was until towards the end of the interview there was the picture of Vampirella with a split skirt and it clicked that I first saw it first in ‘The Art Of Vampirella’. That artist. Shame it wasn’t noted which issue of ‘Vampirella: Red Noir’ it was in. It was also interesting to learn much of his art skills were self-taught with books and another Andrew Loomis fan.
Editor Mike Mosley shows a legal contract Jean-Marc L’officier for those of you who work together to protect your rights when working together that is worth copying.
‘Bringing Characters To Life: Part 1: Designing Characters With Appeal’ by Tom Bancroft and Rob Corley shows animation techniques in cartooning and how different shapes convey different things and how to express emotion.
A colour insert stars off with ‘Transparency Blends’ by Alberto Ruiz is obviously done in PhotoShop but the mixing of skin tone should also work with other paint software if you want to match opacity and how cross tone over each other.
Following this, an extended interview with Spanish artist José Louis Agreda which gives some insight into his techniques and equipment. I do find it interesting that he had problems with dirtying the paper and continually rubbing it out. I can’t blame him for not wanting to wear a glove or even cover up with paper where he isn’t working on his choice of paper but this is always a problem.
Finally, art lessons from Bret Blevins in how to draw clothes and compares them to the unclad figure. You can never stop learning when it comes to drawing clothes. Get it wrong and the viewer will know something is wrong but not pin-point it. As this is part 1, it’ll be interesting to see where part 2 takes it.
All artists will say they stop learning. ‘Draw!’ has a combination of everything in it and you can learn from modern illustrators as much as the early people. If you draw, then these magazines are worth a look.
GF Willmetts
July 2020
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 100 page illustrated with colour insert magazine. Price: $ 5.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6882. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 3.57 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com, www.draw-magazine.blogspot.com and www.penciltopencil.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_59&products_id=432&zenid=3af56fed8468d04893125a8855a3ba5e
