Marvel's The Art of Storytelling
Course Intro
Story
Pencils
Inking
Cinematography
Page and Panel Layout
Characters
Environments
Color
Covers
Bonus Content
Marvel’s Editor in Chief shares 7 major mistakes you want to avoid when making a comics portfolio.
Newest
Juan Sanchez
1mo
My only gripe on the subject is that there are no entree point to get in anymore. As far as what I have experienced now a days, it is virtually impossible to get your work looked at by an ACTUAL EDITOR from a big named company like Marvel, DC or Dark Horse, for that matter, at any convention. I work in the film industry and as an freelance art director and storyboard artist, I have an easier time dealing with actual industry directors and producers on majors projects than actually meeting an editor from Marvel to look at my work or website for that matter. I have made good money doing what I do but if I had that opportunity to work for a comic industry giant, I would do it in a heartbeat. To me, comics is something that I always wanted to do since I was a child and I have been drawing all my life. Sorry but it's silly to have a commentary on tips and mistakes when there is no actual level on ingress into the business but besides to create your own book as a possible solution for an entree point. Some of us do not have that luxury. I remember the time when you could go to a convention and get your work looked at by a big named company editor. Not any more.
@wleo
1yr
Such a fluid media. Some of those Rocket Racoon pages that were used as examples in that vid broke the panel borders (but with the correct eye flow) and had a crazy layout - but they worked! Appreciate the bullet-proofing of the guidelines here. Makes it easier to focus.
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1yr
Yup, when I was in film school the instructors always stressed that it's important to understand the rules before you can break them. This was true for shot selection, editing, etc... The same can be said for a bunch of other creative fields and is just as true for comic artists.
Matija Vuk
1yr
amazing tips C.B :)
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1yr
Glad you're enjoying the tips. We've got more on the way from C.B.
Steven Wolf
1yr
Will this course go over the rules on when, and how, to best break the panel boarders? I feel like those breaks can add a lot if done right. I get that they can confuse the reader if done wrong, and loose impact if overused, but it seems a waste to not use them at all. It seems like something that could be taught, without having to be 20 years in the business first.
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1yr
The goal of this course is to focus more on the fundamentals of storytelling. Once you grasp the basics it really comes down to experimenting. If you're someone that really wants to break a lot of these rules that's great, but focus first on understanding why they're in place. Maybe if you have enough time for some of these upcoming assignments you can submit two versions. One that focuses on the rules and one that doesn't and see what the instructor says.
Neill Brengettsey
1yr
Darick Robertson (co creator of the Boys) self published his own series called Space Beaver. In the series he had a figure breaking the panel, Erik Larsen (Creator Savage Dragon) was discussing the art with him and why the figure should not have been breaking the panel -- Darick had the background figure break the panel. Erik said, "the foreground figure should be the one to break the panel, by having the background figure break the panel you destroy the illusion of depth that you're trying to create."
In European comics you'll have an isolation panel, a full figure with a strip of background as a panel.
Choose your weapons wisely!
The reason breaking the panel is frowned upon is because the editor can't tell if it's purposeful or you lack the control to keep everything properly in panel.
@holsten
1yr
Regarding #2: So he hates Sean Gordon Murphy?
Neill Brengettsey
1yr
Who doesn't? Just kidding! I've seen people abuse black borders. Heavy black art with black borders changes the image from separate panels to a strange collage...
Course by Michael Hampton
Full course
Discover the art of comic creation featuring top Marvel artists, designed to teach you the secrets of captivating visual storytelling.
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One of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies with more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media © 2023 MARVEL
Just a guy lucky enough to help Marvel make magic! Travel for work, eat for fun.
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