Working Methods: Comic Creators Detail Their Storytelling And Artistic Processes (Paperback)

~ John Lowe (Author), Mark Schultz (Author), Scott Hampton (Author), Sean Murphy (Author) "Known for his artistic diversity, Scott Hampton has illustrated such iconic properties as Batman, Sandman, Black Widow, Hellraiser, and Star Trek..." (more)
Key Phrases: inking stage, last panel, escape pod, Fight Night, Mark Schultz, Scott Hampton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Professional comic artists interpret scripts every day as they successfully transform the written word into the visual form. However, rarely do we get to examine the process that is unique to each artist. Unlike any other "how-to" book, Working Methods puts the minds of comic artists under the microscope, highlighting the intricacies of the creative process step by step. For this book, three short scripts are each interpreted in different ways by professional comic artists to illustrate the varied ways in which they "see" and "solve" the problem of making a script succeed in comic form. Working Methods documents the creative and technical choices Mark Schultz, Tim Levins, Jim Mahfood, Scott Hampton, Kelsey Shannon, Chris Brunner, Sean Murphy and Pat Quinn make as they tell a story, thus allowing comic fans, artists, instructors, and students into a world rarely explored. Hundreds of illustrated examples document the artists' processes, and interviews clarify their individual approaches regarding storytelling and layout choices. In Working Methods, the exercise may be simple, but the results are profoundly complex.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: TwoMorrows Publishing (June 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189390573X
• ISBN-13: 978-1893905733
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #128,257 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into how professional comic artists think, April 25, 2009

By	Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Length:: 0:15 Mins

The same script, when in the hands of different comic artists, are interpreted differently. With Working methods, author John Lowe has invited artists to interpret 3 scripts in this book, with an Q&A interview to look at their creative process.

The artists are Mark Schultz, Tim Levins, Jim Mahfood, Scott Hampton, Kelsey Shannon, Chris Brunner, Sean Murphy and Pat Quinn.

The artists talk about how they do compositions with respect to the script, finding and building reference materials, penciling, inking, lettering, and sometimes a little bit about their career in drawing. There's always something interesting to read about each artist. Such as Scott Hampton preference for printed reference over Internet reference because of resolution differences (but hey, there are lots of high res stuff out there today).

This book is recommended for comic artists looking to refine their storytelling techniques or searching for inspiration.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to know how comics are made?, October 25, 2008

By	Ryan H. Soliwoda "Ryan H. Soliwoda" (Bensalem, PA U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent way to see the creative process on how comic book writers and artists come up with ideas!

I have enjoyed the book quite a bit and reccomend it to anybody wanting to know more about the process in which comics are written and drawn!

Awesome book!

A must-read for wannabe comic book creators like me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, October 20, 2009

By	PH (Athens,Greece) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is exactly what the title says.

There are 3 scripts, each penciled by 2 or 3 different artists. There is also an interview with each artist about his Working Methods on that particular script and in general.

A great read, they should make more like this.