Drawing Comics is Easy! (Except When it’s Hard!) is entirely —and remarkably— the work of a 7 year-old prodigy cartoonist. Though seemingly aimed at a peer audience of other children, this idiosyncratic How-To book will appeal to readers of any age, especially those interested in cartooning and the creative process. Hardcover book with rounded corners; 176 pages; Color throughout; 6" wide x 8.5 inches high.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An instructional book for kids on drawing comics? There are plenty of those—but none like this one. Kitchen reportedly assembled the whole thing in a few days, at the age of seven (she's now 9). It's a delightful step-by-step guide to her process of making comic strips, especially about her cat character, Denis (who shares his first name with her cartoonist/publisher father). All cartoonists wrestle with some of the issues she explains, including word balloon placement, color theory, light sources, suggesting body language, correcting mistakes in composition and facial expressions (she's got a particular gift for those). Others are a bit more specific to her work: she demonstrates the difference between a "cartoon cat" and a "realistic cat" (shading!) and options for drawing vase patterns, birthday parties, five varieties of bushes and "a few types of handsome men," including "the disco type" and "the robber type." Kitchen draws and writes like a seven-year-old, for sure—but a really good seven-year-old, and her exuberance is inspiring. The volume is filled out with a sampling of her Denis strips, as well as ads for yet-to-be-drawn anthologies. When she's 17, she may be mortified that this book exists; when she's 27, she'll realize how cool it is. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Alexa Kitchen at the age of 8 has already been featured in the New York Times, interviewed in Comic Book Artist and on Rocketboom, praised in Publishers Weekly, caricatured in Print magazine and featured in the Dark Horse anthology Sexy Chix with Joyce Carol Oates among others. While this is AlexaÂ’s first hardcover book, the veteran cartoonist has had three earlier titles published and has plans for "dozens" of new books when she isnÂ’t playing with stuffed animals and doing her 3rd grade homework. Genes may play some role in AlexaÂ’s talent and early professional development. Her mother Stacey was a child prodigy in the country music field, having both recorded original tunes and performed on stage at the age of five. But Alexa, who draws with lightning speed, is less likely to have inherited traits from her father Denis, one of the worldÂ’s very slowest cartoonists.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drawing Comics Is Easy,
By
This review is from: Drawing Comics is Easy! (Except When It's Hard) (Hardcover)
A 7 year old wrote this book to teach other children how to draw, but her lessons will be of help to artists of any age. Alexia reminds us, on every page, the importance of honesty, simplicity, and perseverance. She does not lecture the reader on the importance of doing anything her way, she simply invites us to learn from her art work. She makes no assumptions that anyone should follow in her steps. Yet her techniques are fabulous! Her work is successful because of her obvious love of drawing and her talent. She passes on to us her advice and experience thus inviting us into her world and welcoming that we try it too (shading: scribble, cross hatch, and pure dark shading, and light sources: sunset colors). Her book is honest, ego-less and impressively mature for a girl of her age. Her priceless spelling resembles Winney the Pooh ( try different feelings: expressions: frightened, embarrassed, devil invaded) and made this book even more fun to read. It's nice to know that an adult publisher did not censor or correct her voice. Beginner artist, young and old, will get true pleasure and lots of laughter from reading this humorous and wonderful book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kudos to a Talented Kid!,
This review is from: Drawing Comics is Easy! (Except When It's Hard) (Hardcover)
Drawing Comics is Easy (except when it's hard) by Alexa Kitchen I bought this book as a gift because I presumed that if a 7 year old girl had written it, it would be perfect for my daughter, also age 7, who loves to draw. Little did I know that I would be so enthralled that I'd keep it for myself. To say that Alexa is talented and imaginative is an understatement. It's uncanny how sharp and artistic she is. Her simplistic yet remarkable drawings convey great messages and humor. The reader experiences an invitation to enter Alexa's world of fantasy and free expression. Her book is full of sketches of her cat, Denis. This is how she teaches us to freely experiment with drawing. She shares much wisdom ("Never be scared to make a mistake, that's why they invented erasers!) Mark Schultz wrote the introduction and Robert Crumb is one of the raving reviewers. I hope that Alexa will be able to publish another book when she has free time after completing her third grade homework. This book will not disappoint. five stars
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Inspiring Comic Strip Wonder,
By Arlette Stuip (The Hague, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Drawing Comics is Easy! (Except When It's Hard) (Hardcover)
This is a truly remarkable book for a 7 year-old! Not only can Alexa Kitchen draw in a remarkably sophisticated style for her age, she has genuine insights into the creative process and can articulate it quite well, in spite of charming misspellings and a somewhat disjointed narrative. I was especially struck by her characters' facial expressions and her slightly naïve but earnest "philosophy" of art. I think any creative grade school child will benefit from this book, as will any adult, like me, who appreciates the process of creation. I can't wait to see what Alexa is doing in a few short years, if she continues to develop her skills.
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