Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 96
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Labels: Color / Inked / Sequential / Wacky Reference Wednesdays
Young Allies Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1, Page 16 (panel 4 detail).
2009. Ink on Marvel Art Board, 11 x 17.25". Original Art.
It's just me and the gang (of me) posing for this group shot of the Young Allies. I tend to take reference photos for hands more than anything else, so when there's a large group scene of characters interacting, I almost always end up with a ton of pics. It's also very useful for getting the wrinkles in suits just right, though I can fake that pretty well at this point.
I also wanted to mention that next week's Wacky Reference Wednesday will feature the same embarrassing pics of me you've come to expect, but with someone else's art (you can probably guess whose). Furthermore, we're counting down to Wacky Reference Wednesday #100, which takes place on April Fool's Eve! To celebrate, I'm extending it to an entire Wacky Week, for which I'll be posting every day with reference-themed anecdotes from my years as a comic book artist. I can't think of anything more exciting (which is precisely why it's on my blog).
cool post Paolo and great drawing as always! When I have multi-figure/crowd shots my reference pile grows to a mountain. I sometimes feel I'm overdoing it, but its encouraging to see your thoroughness!
ReplyDeletecheers!
-fv
Thanks, Francis. I figure as long as it's helping me do the job, then there's no limit to how much I should take. The nice part is I learn as I copy, so I may not have to use it for a similar pose in the future.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is always educational and entertaining.
ReplyDelete¿¿¿Have you ever been totally stumped with the inability to find or create reference???
I had an assignment where I needed a model who had the physique of a wrestler. Since I could not find an appropriate model the painting's authenticity suffered.
Thanks.
Thanks, Christopher. Glad to have you as a reader.
ReplyDeleteAs for reference, it's very rare that I can't find what I'm looking for. Some searches take longer than others, but, overall, it would be much more difficult without the internet. I need to do a post on some of the searching techniques I've developed over the years.
With a wrestler, as with most subjects, I would start with a Google image search and see where it leads me.
Hey Paolo! I havent been on your blog for a while since spring semester started at RISD! i love the wacky renferences and like i said before, I have been using alot of reference photos for everything! and now my computer is loaded with a bunch of wacky pictures haha.
ReplyDeleteOH and by the way! Im in Lenny Long's class for drawing and I must say he's pretty intense! He told us a story about a student years ago who would sleep while standing during crits and said now he is a marvel comic artist!! I simply laughed.
Francis B, that's hilarious! I knew that was a something I was known for, but I think it's achieved "legendary" status. I remember it well because we were in the middle of a critique and everyone moved on to the next piece... except for me. Please give Lenny my best—and tell him that I still don't get enough sleep!
ReplyDeleteHaha I will let him know! He did say that you knew your stuff and pretty much bragged about you haha but didnt say your name. I was the one who asked "Are you talking about Paolo Rivera?" after he mentioned that you started working for Marvel your sophomore year and he said "Im not telling you."
ReplyDeleteIts funny because I actually wanted to switch into his class for his status as the "crazy perspective guy who assigns you intense homework." I really want to get better at perspective and Im curious to know what have helped you? I would love some tips if any.
Haha I will let him know! He did say that you knew your stuff and pretty much bragged about you haha but didnt say your name. I was the one who asked "Are you talking about Paolo Rivera?" after he mentioned that you started working for Marvel your sophomore year and he said "Im not telling you."
ReplyDeleteIts funny because I actually wanted to switch into his class for his status as the "crazy perspective guy who assigns you intense homework." I really want to get better at perspective and Im curious to know what have helped you? I would love some tips if any.
Francis, that's too funny. I actually didn't do very well in that class—got a C, as I recall. I definitely knew all the rules of perspective going in (I even remember correcting him in class one day, a day I'll never forget because I didn't have many shining moments in that class). However, I didn't know how to implement them effectively. It's tough to explain here, but here are some great books:
ReplyDeleteSuccessful Drawing by Andrew Loomis
Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea
Also, for the record, I didn't start working for Marvel until after junior year. Before that, I was working for Jim Krueger.
Thanks Paolo, I would really appreciate you sharing some of your reference search secrets.
ReplyDeleteWill do, Christopher. Perhaps in the coming weeks. Been meaning to do it for a while, anyway.
ReplyDelete