WHERE: Worcester Art Museum
WHEN: Thursday Nights 6-9pm Jul 7, 14, 21 and 28
I've been pushing for a shorter more intense version of the 8 and 10 week class we've been doing at WAM since 1999 and here it is. Going through it to prepare my notes and lesson plans I've trimmed off a lot of the excess and fine tuned a program that will be beneficial for newbies and seasoned pro's alike.
We'll cover things like;
Studio Setup for productivity.
Setting (and meeting) deadlines.
Staying Organized.
How to get the most out of the time you work.
Storytelling choices.
Working faster, better and more effectively.
Understanding your characters.
One trick that I've been using for a number of years is to put a movie on in my studio that I've seen a thousand times. The movie runs the right length for whatever project I'm on, for example;
PSYCHO- Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic fits perfectly for me. It has some pivotal scenes which you can't miss even if you're only vaguely paying attention-- the shower scene for one-- and this allows me to have it on for background noise and to be able to establish whether my current pace is on track. I know where I should be on a page at any given time during the film, and if I'm off my target I can speed up, slow down, or just start the film again.
I can usually complete a page in the span of the film, and knowing I need to be 1/3 of the way done at the point where Miriam buys a car, etc., allows me to hit those mini deadlines.
Yes, the downside is I've seen the movie a million times, but that's not the point. I realize I've seen it, I'm not watching it.
When I'm painting I like to work with music, usually with headphones, but with comics I like to work with movies on. I need the background noise and I find I'm fussing with my iPod for some reason if I'm sitting down drawing comics. With a painting I'm standing and seem to not notice as much if a particular song is not to my liking.
This class will explore other techniques, tricks and lessons both from my book, HOW TO DRAW GRAPHIC NOVEL STYLE and Stan Lee's recent how to book.
