15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you needed to know in 1 book, June 21, 2011
This review is from: Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Work and Get It Published (Paperback)
As an artist I have a boundless collection of books that teach everything from basic anatomy to writing. Out of this collection there is really only about five or so that I continually reference on an everyday basis, and "Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel" by Dan Cooney is one of them.
From the front to back cover, the book is beautifully illustrated, with drawings that surpass almost every other "how-to" book I've ever seen, lending a good amount of credibility to the author, who's been an active creator for years. The book also has many sections titled "what the experts say" where other leading industry professionals lend their guidance to the reader, along with samples of their work that pertain to the lesson, including Chad Hardin, Mark Simmons, Nate Piekos, Walden Wong, John Heebink, and many others. I found this to be refreshing, because all other books I own are made by one person, with only one brain-full of lessons to give. With a litany of artists and writers included in this book, it makes it a collection of life lessons, which would normally cost you the price of ten books, at the very least.
Another aspect of the book that I found to be impressive is it's sheer range of knowledge. There are things in this book taught in a ten page section focusing on inking that aren't included in an entire 200 page inking book. It covers history, techniques, tools, diagrams, procedures, and practices. Everything you've ever wanted to learn about comics and graphic novels is covered in this book, from the tool to use, to character development (personality and appearance). There are sections teaching you perspective and anatomy, along with expressions and body language. I personally found the chapters involving panel layout and digital coloring especially helpful. There's even a whole section dedicated to just finding good referencing, and how to create your own. And, once you're done with your graphic novel, there's a chapter that instructs you how to break in to the industry.
This is an attractive, and engrossing book, that covers all aspects of what it takes to create your own comic, taught with the writings of an accomplished teacher, and many special guest instructors. For anyone interested in creating their own graphic novel, whether they be amateurs or veterans, I strongly recommend "Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel" by Dan Cooney.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful book on the creation of graphic novels, July 31, 2011
This review is from: Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Work and Get It Published (Paperback)
I recently purchased this book from my local store. So far it's been useful as an all-in-one guide to producing a graphic novel, including sections on the pre-production work (developing the story and characters). There's advice from comic professionals contained in the chapters their advice relates to (for example in the inking chapter there's a part where a professional talks about spot blacks).
The subjects of figure drawing and perspective are very lightly touched upon. Although those sections are informative, I wouldn't rely on this as a how-to-draw book.
The only problem I found with this book is it's entirely focused on traditional methods. There are sections that tell you how to scan your work in and color it digitally, as well as letter digitally, however those are the only times when digital methods are even mentioned. This book will not give you advice on drawing a comic using a digital tablet or even inking a comic using digital methods. If you're looking for a book that covers those topics, then you should pick up the DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics by Freddie Williams.
Overall, I believe this is still a very useful book to have and I have learnt some new things from it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great guide for the serious comics artist, June 15, 2011
This review is from: Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Work and Get It Published (Paperback)
I've read my share of books on how to create a graphic novel, and Dan Cooney has written one of the best. I highly recommend adding this book to your library. It's one of the most helpful and useful guides available on the creation of comic art, from writing and pencilling to inking and coloring and page design. It has a nicely designed format with plenty of great art included to be inspired by.
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