7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your average "How To" book, January 14, 2006
This review is from: Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro (Paperback)
There are a lot of "How To" books in the comic world. There are guides on everything from Super Heroes to Monsters. From Splash Pages to Alien Worlds. On the surface Mr. Johnson's book seems to follow the standard formula, with plenty of exercises to challenge even the most experienced artist. However, this book goes much deeper than simple lesson plans with careful illustrations. Behind the exercises Mr. Johnson has created a new way for fans and artists to break down comic book's most eduring cliche, the fight scene. He sees it not as an excuse for violence but as the most revealing examination of character and relationship. Fight Scenes, according to him, are the essential conflicts of the story made physical.
This is not to say that "Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro" isn't a practical guide to improving your work. It is. There are dozens of exercises which any aspiring artist or even seasoned pro would benefit from, but there are deeper lessons here. It is well worth the time for every Comic Book creator and fan.
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Fight is the story itelf, January 18, 2006
This review is from: Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro (Paperback)
Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro is more than a book on fight scenes. It gives you basics on figure drawing, like sweep and action line, basic perspective and storytelling and a way of thinking.
His introduction spells out his ideas on what the fight is all about - the actual conflict and resolution between the characters encapsulated in the fight.
Chapters break down like this:
1) Basics - covering figure drawing.
2) Comparative Martial Arts - how characters are defined by their art.
3) Drawing figures in combat - Movement, action lines and secrets of basic figure drawing, including drapery!
4) Drawing Super Powers - how line work can define powers, energy, the iconic depiction of the powers, and how a figure's stance is a part of their depiction.
5) Creating Environments - the essential importance of backgrounds, including basic perspective.
6) Defining your Characters - physical lexicon of movements, arts, morals (or lack thereof). How and why they fight and what they fight with - defining the characters.
7) Stages of a Fight scene - the basics of camera and storytelling - the establishing shot, long, medium and close up shot and the all important reestablishing shot.
8) Putting it all togther.
9) Other Porfessionals - friends like Avengers, Thor and Flash artist Scott Kolins. Andy Smith, student of Bart Sears. Dan Panosian. Storyboard artist and animator Joaquim Dos Santos and more!
A handy Index too.
This is a book by a comics professional who has worked for Marvel and in comics for over a decade. A master.
KA POW! Go and get this informative book!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In The Middle Of It All, July 27, 2007
This review is from: Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro (Paperback)
I just finished reading this book and I still need to read it again to really grasp the many different things being taught. This book touches on a lot of different subjects from drawing anatomy to how other professional artist approach the fight scene. It is obvious that Johnson(no immediate relation) clearly knows about the fight scene since he is trained in martial arts, it shows in his in depth analysis of this essential element in comic book illustration. Each chapter has some sort of exercise that tests you over the material covered in that chapter. Some of the other topics covered are: different fighting techniques, character development, super powers, environments. In my opinion his use of arrows to show different action elements of a scene is very valuable to understand. This use of arrows trains you to think a certain way when you are laying out your scene. The only drawbacks I think were their is no answer key for the exercises! And it would have been nice to have some sort of further suggested reading list. It is still a valuable book to have both as a learning tool and a reference for future use.
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