Why is Classic Story Structure So Universal?

During a recent SVA senior portfolio class that I teach with Klaus Janson, I reviewed the basics of classic story structure.

The students were interested in why classic story structure seems to be so universally appealing.

Here's what I mean by classic story structure -

- A protagonist (or a group of protagonists) encounters a catalytic problem that disturbs their status quo.

- That catalyst propels him/her actively into an escalating series of events/conflicts.

- The events reach a climax and then a resolution

- The protagonist is changed by his/her experience and a new status quo is established.

In most cases, the protagonist is a character the reader can identify with on some level, helping the reader vicariously share the aspirations, dangers and adventures that the character experiences.

There are many works of fiction that don't follow this basic arc - there are character sketches, mood pieces, minimalist and anti-structure tales. However, the vast majority of classic tales that have stood the test of time, as well as the most popular counterparty works of fiction, generally follow this basic arc.

So, why is this classic story arc so consistent throughout history, across cultures, genres and media?

What is it about this arc that is so attractive to us?

Here's a possible answer from John G. Cawelti's book, "Adventure, Mystery, and Romance":

"...formulas are ways in which specific cultural themes and stereotypes become embodied in more universal archetypes.

Certain story archetypes particularly fulfill a man's needs for enjoyment and escape.

But in order for these patterns to work, they must be embodied in figures, settings, and situations that have appropriate meanings for the culture which produces them."

Cawelti quoting Harry Berger:

"Man has two primal needs. First is the need for order, peace, and security, for protection against terror or confusion in life, for a familiar and predictable world, and for a life which is happily more of the same...But the second primal impulse is the contrary to the first: man positively needs anxiety and uncertainty, thrives on...risk, wants trouble, tension, jeopardy, novelty, mystery, would be lost without enemies, is sometimes happiest when the most miserable. Human spontaneity is eaten away by sameness: man is the animal most expert at being bored.

The audience's need for both familiarity and novelty are met by giving them classic genre model stories that include unique twists on characters, plot elements, themes and so on."

In other words, as a writer, "Give them what they expect, but not in the way they expect it."

(I've been using this phrase for many years but I'm not sure of the original source of the quote (or paraphrased wisdom). If you have that info, please let me know.

The aesthetics of the times also play a big hand in how a work of fiction is structured. Much of beginning of Victor Hugo's extremely long novel Les Misérables is spent describing the life and character of the kindly Bishop Myriel. The Bishop's part in the story is to be nice to the protagonist Jean Valjean - when Valjean is finally introduced - and inspire Valjean to lead a righteous life.

The aesthetics of contemporary writers, editors and audiences would probably dictate that the huge number of pages establishing Bishop Myriel's history and character are not needed and should be cut. I'm trying to remember if the Bishop even seen in any of the more contemporary screen or stage versions of the novel. I don't think he is.

Even with such differences in aesthetic tastes and judgments over the years, if you boil down most classic tales to their most basic arc, they will look much like the arc outlined in the 3rd paragraph of this blog entry.

Within the familiar classic story arc are an almost infinite number of ways to generate tension, jeopardy, novelty, mystery, etc. thus pleasing our contradictory needs for structure and novelty. Classic structure is the most gratifying to the largest audience - and therefore the most popular type of fiction structure.

Your thoughts?

Drawing for Comics & Storyboards classes at SUNY Purchase

If you live in the NYC, Westchester County, NY or Lower Fairfield County, CT area and are interested in learning how to draw comics, I'll be teaching courses on that subject at State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase College campus this spring.

"Drawing for Comics & Storyboards" is a Personal Enrichment class where students will sharpen their drawing and visual storytelling skills. The classes will be aimed primarily at comics and storyboard artists but will be of interest to artists and writers who work in any visual storytelling media - comics, film, TV, web and video games.

There are Tues. evening classes for adults and Sat. morning classes for high school students. Eight sessions for each group.

Registration begins Dec. 1, 2010. Go to WWW.PURCHASE.EDU/CE for more information.Hope to see you there!

Marvelous Tales: Remembering Mark Gruenwald and Our Trip to Skywalker Ranch

During the 1980s through mid 1990s, Mark Gruenwald was, in many ways, the heart and soul of Marvel Comics' editorial/creative department. He possessed and infections enthusiasm for comics and all things Marvel.

Mark moved from Wisconsin to New York City in the mid '70s and landed a low-level job on Marvel's editorial staff in 1978. His creativity and hard work were recognized and Mark was promoted to full editor in 1982. He spearheaded the work on the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe, wrote Captain America for a decade and helped train new editors by holding weekly "Assistant Editor Classes."

Full of energy, ideas, and practical jokes, Mark was the instigator and ringleader for Marvel's office parties and pranks. He also promoted a wide range of contests that challenged the physical skills and pop culture knowledge of Marvel staffers. In theory the participants in Mark's events were trying to win prizes. In reality, many just got caught up in Mark's enthusiasm and wanted to be a part of whatever fun he was whipping up.

Mark wanted Marvel's fans to have as much fun as he did so he devised the 'Marvel Olympics" and other convention events where fans participated in outrageous contests with Marvel personnel.

No one on Marvel's editorial staff was immune from becoming the target of Mark's pranks or the focus of good-natured ribbing during Marvel's convention shenanigans with the fans.

Mark became an Executive Editor in 1987 and one of five Editors-in-Chief when, in 1994, Marvel temporarily split its publishing into multiple divisions.

Recently, I rediscovered a video of a presentation Mark participated in when a group of Marvel staffers visited George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.

I'm posting Mark's part of the presentation here so his friends and coworkers can relive the joy and enthusiasm he brought to Marvel - and to allow those who didn't have the pleasure of working with Mark get a glimpse of what they missed.

Marvel's trip to the Skywalker Ranch took place on Mon. April 27, 1992. After attending the WonderCon comic book convention in Oakland, CA, our crew of editorial staffers drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the remote hills of Marin County.

The troupe included Publisher Stan Lee. Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco, Executive Editors Mark Gruenwald and Carl Potts along with Editors Fabian Nicieza, Mariano Nicieza, Bobbie Chase and Hildy Mesnik

Our tour of Skywalker Ranch and Industrial Light & Magic had been arranged with the help of Gary Winnick. At the time, Gary worked at LucasArts, helping produce a number of hit CD-ROM games. Gary, Steve Purcell and others from LucasArts showed the Marvel crew around the film and game production facilities contained in beautiful buildings on the secluded Skywalker Ranch property and nearby Industrial Light & Magic lot.

L to R: Mark Gruenwald, Bobbie Chase, Fabian Nicieza, Marianlo Nicieza, Hildy Mesnik, Carl Potts, Tom DeFalco, Stan Lee, Steve Purcell, (unidentified woman) Kneeling: (unidentified man), Gary Winnick.

Among the highlights were the model building shop at Industrial Light & Magic, the Foley sound effects studio housed in what appeared to be a vineyard building and the giant Victorian-style library lined in redwood shelves with lighting filtered through a huge domed stained glass ceiling. It was a blast seeing many props and mementos from the famous films George Lucas had been involved with - including the idol that Indiana Jones lifted from the tomb at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

After an amazing lunch at the Ranch's high-end cafeteria and a bit more touring, the Marvel crew prepared to give a presentation as part of LucasArts/ILM's lecture series for its employees. Five of us gave short (approx. 10 minute) presentations on various aspects of comics--
- Fabian first gave a quick overview of Marvel's publishing and licensing output.

- Stan then enthralled the audience with a few tales of Marvel's early days and the development of working "Marvel style" (where the artist draws from a loose plot and the final script is prepared after the pages are drawn.)

- Fabian bounded back to the stage to give an overview of Marvel's creative and production chain.

- Tom discussed how readers process the words and pictures as they read comics.

- I (with butterflies in my stomach) commented on visual storytelling techniques in comics and compared them to the techniques used in film.

-Mark then wrapped up the presentations with a discussion of what makes the Marvel Universe special and a description of his activities as Marvel's "continuity cop." Mark's humor and his enthusiasm for the Marvel Universe made his segment a highlight of Marvel's presentation. His attempt to explain how "unstable molecules" work was hilarious.

Mark's presentation about being Marvel's "Continuity Cop"

The formal presentation was followed by a long Q&A session that covered everything from how to become a comics editor to Stan's relationship with Jack Kirby to how Marvel kept long-running characters from becoming dated.

Early in the morning on Mon. Aug. 12, 1996, only four years and four months after the trip to Skywalker Ranch, Mark suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. He left a wife he loved and a young daughter he adored.

Mark is still missed by those who knew him personally as well as by those who only knew him through his work.

For those of us who knew Mark, watching the video is bittersweet - simultaneously prompting laughter and tears. Mark would have appreciated the former but probably not the latter.

Alien Legion Update: Movie, Comic Collections and New Comics

Alien Legion is a long-running comic book series I launched at Marvel Comics' Epic imprint during the 1980's. For those unfamiliar with it, the basic concept is "the Foreign Legion in space" or "Platoon meets Aliens."

“Footsloggers and soldiers of fortune, priests, poets, killers and cads—they fight for a future Galactic Union, for cash, for a cause, for the thrill of adventure. Culled from the forgotten and unwanted of three galaxies, they are the most elite, and expendable, of fighting forces. The Legion is sent into the Union’s most desperate internal and external conflicts. Legionnaires live rough and they die hard, tough as tungsten and loyal to the dirty end.”

Although there have been collections of some the original Epic Comics publications over the years, new Alien Legion comics have not been produced for well over a decade. Last year, I teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to produce a comprehensive series of Alien Legion collections and a new series about the adventures of Sarigar, Montroc, Grimrod, Tamara and the other characters who have - so far - survived numerous cosmic scrapes. (Readers of the series know that any character can be killed or maimed - this is a very active military outfit after all!)

So far, Dark Horse has published two Alien Legion Omnibus collections. The editor of the collections, and the new series, is Chris Warner. Chris got his start as a comic book artist in the pages of Alien Legion and it's great to be working with him again.

The Omnibus editions are, for the first time, collecting all of the Epic Comics Alien Legion tales in chronological order. So, the "A Gray Day to Die" graphic novel, two series volumes, various limited series, one shots and short stories are being presented in the order they occurred within the Alien legion universe - all in the fine Dark Horse Omnibus packaging.

During the big San Diego Comic Con last week, Chris Warner, Randy Emberlin and I had a signing for the Omnibus collections at the Dark Horse booth. Also on display was a preview of the new Alien Legion series. Curious fans discovered that Chuck Dixon and I cooked up the plot, Chuck wrote the script and long-time Alien Legion artist Larry Stroman is doing the penciling for the new series. I'm supplying the inks. The coloring is by Thomas Mason.

Here are two pages of the new series to whet your appetite:

A Harkilon civil war

Sarigar & Montroc

A number of people at the convention asked me about the Alien Legion movie project so here's a re-cap and update. About four years ago, after award-winning writer/director Boaz Yakin brought Alien Legion to the attention of Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, Disney optioned my Alien Legion screenplay. Earlier this year, Bruckheimer/Disney exercised that option (meaning they bought the script outright). It is currently undergoing a re-write process. It's too soon to tell if/when it'll end up in front of the cameras. The fine job Bruckheimer Productions did combining live action and CGI characters in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films gives me a lot of confidence that they can do the property justice on the big screen. I'll try to keep you posted as things progress.

Meanwhile, sometime in the not-too-distant future, I hope you'll sign up for a stint in the Legion when the new comic book series from Dark Horse debuts. With your support, maybe we can enjoy another long run of original tales about the toughest military unit in three galaxies. Don't worry, the Legion is an all volunteer force and, unlike most legionnaires, you'll have a non-combat role and can enjoy the action from a safe vantage point. (I'd still pack my armor if I were you.)

That's it on the Alien Legion front for now!

Marvelous Tales: Fishing from Marvel Comics' 10th floor

For most of the 1980s, Marvel’s editorial/creative department had a great corporate culture. With some exceptions, the diverse staff consisted of talented, well-trained and enthusiastic people who enjoyed what they did for a living and had fun together. Many Marvel staffers and freelancers socialized together outside of the office. One result of this culture was a line of highly-successful comicbooks and a portfolio of valuable intellectual properties.

At many companies, the tone of the corporate culture is set by the top officers. So, some of the credit for the tone at Marvel during the early/mid ‘80s has to go to then Editor-in Chief Jim Shooter and several of the policies he put into place early in his stint as Marvel’s editorial leader.

For reasons I’m not sure anyone really understands, Shooter’s attitude changed dramatically during the mid/late ‘80s and he felt the need to become more dictatorial. As a result, many Marvel staffers and freelance creators left the company, either voluntarily or as a result of direct action by Shooter.

As tensions mounted between Shooter and the editorial/creative staff, a dark thundercloud settled in over the Marvel offices.

This was not a great corporate culture to operate within and certainly no place to have much fun or produce quality work.

The cloud of tension in the Marvel offices dissipated when Shooter was dismissed by the company brass and Tom DeFalco became the Editor-in-Chief.

To help re-establish an atmosphere of fun at Marvel, I came up with what I thought was the ideal practical joke — something that was unusual, funny (I hoped) and harmless. It involved one of my favorite non-comics related activities – fishing.

Covered for miles around in pavement, masonry, steel and glass, the area around Marvel’s midtown Manhattan location was not known for its angling opportunities. The only fish around were the tiny residents of a pair of small aquariums in my office.

As usual, I arrived at the Marvel offices carrying my art portfolio. Inside was secreted a spinning reel spooled with thin, nearly-invisible monofilament line and a fishing rod that broke down into four small easy to pack sections.

I mentioned the practical joke idea to fellow editor Ralph Macchio and he was all for it. His office window looked out on E 27th St. There was a furniture store on the first floor of our building that had large awnings over its display windows. The size and angle of those awnings made it hard for street-level pedestrians to see the building’s 10th floor windows. Ralph and I, however, could clearly see most of the sidewalk.

My office at Marvel around the time of these events. The windows opened - a rare thing for NYC office buildings. Ralph’s office, where the high-rise angling took place, was two doors down the hall and was very similar. Note the two small aquariums side-by-side on the bookshelf. A wall-mounded drawing table is in the up position to the left. The keyboard to the right used the “IBM Selectric OS.”

After I put the rod and reel together, Ralph and I looked around his office for possible “lures” with which to entice the pedestrians below to “bite.” We decided the first item to tie onto the monofilament line was a 6” tall action figure of the DC Comics power-hungry and despotic character, Darkseid. The figure had glowing red eyes.

Perhaps Ralph felt Darkseid was a good stand-in for Marvel’s previous EIC.

Pedestrians strolling along E. 27th St. were surprised to see little Darkseid magically hoping along next to them. Some made a move to grab the figure only to have the DC bad guy elude their grasp, fly up into the air and seemingly disappear.

In reality, the editor holding the fishing rod (Ralph and I took turns) would yank Darkseid up and set him on top of the awning, out of sight of the perplexed and generally entertained pedestrians. Everyone on both ends of the fishing line had fun.

Darkseid was eventually replaced by a mummified Snickers bar that had been sitting on Ralph’s window sill for years. However, an animated candy bar did not attract as much attention as an elusive diminutive super villain.

Finally, Ralph tied on an oversized fake $100 bill. It was a leaf from a giant message pad. Even though the bill was obviously fake, some passers-by tried to grab it as it floated up and down over the sidewalk under Ralph’s window. One lucky person actually grabbed the thing and kept the fake bill. No problem. That message pad mint was thick.

Some of those we tempted with action figures, candy bars or oversized currency were Marvel staffers on their way in or out of the building. Word of what we were up to started getting around the office.

Marvel’s office manager at the time was a certain Ms. Ehrenreich. To those who didn’t appreciate her sometimes authoritative manner, she was known as “Ehren-3rd-reich.” Ehrenreich thought what Ralph and I were up to was deplorable. She ran to publisher Mike Hobson to complain. I didn’t know Hobson very well then. I just knew was he was my boss’ boss.

Hobson came to Ralph’s office to see what was up. At that point, I happened to be the one holding the pole out the window while Ralph was taking a phone call at his desk. Hobson tried hard to sound gruff. “Boys, what the hell are you up to?” he growled while slowly stroking his moustache.

Chastised, I quickly reeled in the line and disassembled the pole while Hobson marched off to DeFalco’s office to discuss the matter with my direct superior. I wasn’t sure if Ralph and I were in trouble. Ralph took great pleasure it the fact that he was not the one who had been caught red handed.

Much to my relief, I found out later from DeFalco that Hobson started howling with laughter when he told DeFalco about the fishing shenanigans.

The team of DeFalco and Hobson helped restore the positive corporate culture Marvel needed to thrive on – and thrive it did for many years to follow.

As stated earlier, corporate culture is often set by top management. Marvel’s president at the time was Jim Galton. At one point during DeFalco’s time as EIC, Galton walked down unannounced from his top floor office to ask DeFalco a question. When he peeked into the office and saw DeFalco leaning back, lost in thought, Galton left without disturbing his EIC.

Later, when Galton returned, DeFalco was busy dealing with piles of bureaucratic paperwork. Galton had no hesitation about breaking into DeFalco’s work to make his inquiry.

Galton explained that DeFalco’s main responsibility was to think and plan. Marvel’s president would much rather interrupt DeFalco’s tedious paperwork than disturb the EIC as he contemplated the editorial department’s strategy and issues.

That sort of enlightened attitude from the company’s president helped establish a healthy, and highly-profitable, corporate culture.

For many years now, the powers-that-be at Marvel have kept Ralph in a windowless office. I wonder why.

A Win/Win Approach to Deliver Free Digital Content?

Last night I attended the launch party for Guvera, a new music download service that is operating with a "revolutionary" new model. (Guvera is currently operating in Australia. The wider launch of their service will be on March 1st.)

The piracy of music and other electronic content has been a huge problem for a long time. Artists, labels and publishers have lost a lot of money due to digital piracy.

Speaking at the Guvea launch party, Alice Cooper stated that new artists often wonder if they should even bother recording since they know their music will get stolen. Due to piracy, new and low-profile acts may not even make up their recording production costs - so they end up losing money by recording and releasing their music.

The artists, labels and publishers have spent a lot of time and money trying to battle piracy but a huge consumer pool has gotten used to the idea that any content delivered electronically should be free.

When music was delivered in a tangible form of a CD, LP or tape, it was much easier for the general public to appreciate the need to pay for content. With the rise in electronic content delivery, the lack of a tangible component to the content seems to have affected the attitudes of many consumers.

Instead of fighting the consumers' desire for free content, Guvera's model allows consumers to download music for free in a way that pays the artists and the labels.

They do this by teaming with a wide range of advertising partners. Instead of "Disruptive Advertising," Guvera is using what it calls "Engagement Advertising" that is targeted to each user.

When you do a music search on Guvera, you get to select which of the many sponsoring advertisers you want to pay for each piece of music. For example, you might get to choose between an athletic shoe brand, a snack brand or a car company. You visit that advertiser's channel to download the free content and, while doing so, are exposed to their brand's messaging and additional content that may appeal to you. This way you see only the branding and marketing content that you choose.

Guvera has lined up deals with an impressive array of major labels and advertisers.

If the Guvera model works, it will expand to deliver other forms of electronic entertainment content including film, TV and games. Perhaps books and comics will follow as well.

For Guvera's model to work over the long haul, the advertisers will need to feel that their payments to the artists and labels generate enough of a return. That may be easy to do on relatively low-cost music tracks.

However, if Guvera begins downloading feature films for free, the supporting advertisers will have to pay significantly higher fees to the studios than they do for a music track download. Therefore, the return they are expecting for their advertising will be much larger as well. It remains to be seen if consumers will spend enough money on the supporting advertisers' products and/or services to make free movie downloads economically viable.

Assuming the Guvera model takes off, Apple, Amazon and others who use a pay-for-content model will need to respond. I wonder if Guvera's business plan anticipates the various counter moves the competition will make and has mapped out how Guvera will respond to those moves.

It'll be interesting to watch what happens. If the Guvera model works, it'll be a win/win situation for all involved.

Thanks to Mason Gordon and Jennifer Constantine for inviting me to this event.

General Principles of Sequential Visual Storytelling

A few weeks ago, I posted the first part of a memo I’d written when I was an editor at Marvel Comics. The second part of the “Guidelines for the Appraisal of Story Structure and Visual Storytelling” memo focused on the basic principles of sequential visual storytelling.

Here is the second section:
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Visual Storytelling in Comics

Here are some general principles that should be taught to new artists, writers and editors.

Always remember—
-It’s your job is to tell the story in the clearest and most compelling fashion.

-Design should be in the service of storytelling, not at the expense of the storytelling.

As cinematographer Joseph V. Mascelli said, “Be truly objective in judging a new (visual storytelling) method or idea. Try it. If it plays – if it is acceptable – and the audience comprehends and enjoys it – use it. If it simply confuses, teases or even distracts the audience from the narrative – discard it!”

-Visual storytelling is the art at the core of sequential visual media including comic books, film and video.

-The principles of sequential visual storytelling allow creators to tell stories in a compelling manner. They also allow creators to experiment from a base of knowledge instead of from naiveté (a nice word for ignorance!).

-Show, don’t tell. Clearly show all visual information so the script doesn’t have to include descriptive information—the script can then concentrate on non-visual information and subtext.

-Strive for clarity and keep viewers immersed in the story. Viewers should not have to pause to figure out where their eyes are supposed to go to next or to wonder what is happening in the story. Otherwise, they will be pulled out of the flow of the story, breaking the suspension of disbelief.
If the comic creator is doing his/her job well, it will not be readily apparent to the reader. The reader will be too involved it the story to actively appreciate the tale’s visual storytelling techniques (at least on the first read).
There may be times when the artist wishes to be unclear in the service of storytelling. For example, if the story is from the POV of a confused or delusional character, the visual will reflect that state of mind.

-Do not attempt to show every minute in a scene. Pick the “highlights”/key frames to show.

-What is “in between” panels is important. The viewer will often fill in the “gaps” between panels with visuals they generate internally.

-Clearly establish cast, environment & scenario. Keep the environments you establish consistent. Do not arbitrarily change a room or a scene you’ve established as you draw successive panels. If you show that there is only one door in the room your establishing, keep is consistent throughout the scene. If the status quo of a scene is purposely changed, show the transition action and clearly establish the new status quo.

-Maintain action flow continuity. Establish and maintain the movement direction of characters, vehicles and other objects within the story environment. This is a concept that has not been getting as much attention in comics or film as it used to. This is due in part to the influence of chaotic, quick-cut, documentary-like music videos and 3D game environments. In linear visual stoytetleloling environments however, it is very important.*

-Three Types of Shots:
Long shots are generally used to establish a scene. Clearly show where everything and everyone is in relation to each other. Pretend you’re setting up a stage or film set. Know the environment from every angle.

Medium shots are often used to show action. These shots usually show full-figures in action. The extremes of an action — the action’s beginning or ending — are usually the most dynamic parts to show. Think of John Buscema’s diagram in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way where he clearly shows that the wind-up and the follow-through are the most dynamic parts of a punch.

Close-ups are often used to show reaction.

-Now, you can — and often should — show action and reaction in the same panel. Instead artists will often show an isolated shot of character “A” shooting a gun in one panel and character “B” getting hit by the shot, isolated in a following panel. It is often better to show both characters involved with an action/reaction relating to each other in the same panel (“A” firing the gun and “B” getting hit by the bullet in the same panel.)

The action/reaction issue is related to “condensed storytelling.” When faced with a lot of visual information to convey in a low number of pages, newer artists sometimes panic. Their solution is to break down all of the separate actions and reactions into a series of small panels. This approach has its place when used as a pacing device but should not be used in place of good visual storytelling design. Kirby and Ditko got across a ton of information in each panel while also being dynamic. They did not break down each bit if visual information or action into its own panel. They confronted storytelling problems head on and solved them. Study and learn from the maters!

-Mix a variety of layout design styles including symmetrical, asymmetrical and balanced asymmetrically designed panels.**

-Panel frame shape and size affects the viewer’s impression of panel content. ***

-Keep the reader’s eyebath clear. Page and panel design should be in tune with the readers’ natural eye path inclinations.
*See the “Map Orientation in Visual Storytelling” on this blog posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 for more details.

** See the “Composition, Layout & Design: Types of Balance” on this blog posted on Wed., October 8, 2008 for more details.

***See the “Frame Formats and Visual Storytelling” on this blog posted on Fri., Sept. 12, 2008 for more details.
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That’s it - as always, I’m very interested in hearing your comments!

How You – Yes YOU - Can Raise Tropical Fish in Your Backyard

In North America, this is a great time of year to breed some types of tropical fish in your backyard (or on a balcony for you apartment dwellers.).

It’s fun and educational and – if you do things properly – you might even be able to make a couple of bucks in the process.

You’ll need a large bucket, tub or similar water-tight container, a proper spot to place it, water, gravel and the right kind of livestock.

Containers
Anything that will hold at least 10 gallons of water and is non-toxic will do. Rubbermaid makes 10 gal. plastic utility buckets and larger utility tubs that work well.

I use Rubbermaid’s model 4226 utility tub. It holds over 20 gallons.

Placement
You want the tub to get some filtered sunlight every day so that the plants will grow but not so much sun so that the water overheats. Placing the container under/next to a bush will filter the sun for part of the day. However, you may then have to deal with leaves falling into the tub.

You can try placing the container near a fence that allows light to reach the tub early or late in the day, but shields it from direct light during the most intense periods.

Standing water will attract insects, including mosquitoes. The fish I’ll recommend eat mosquito larvae. So, you’ll need to balance any concerns you have about mosquitoes and the live food source they provide the fish.

At night, when mosquitoes are most active, I place a wooden frame with window screening stapled over the frame on top of the tub. This keeps out the mosquitoes and the leaves. It also prevents fish from leaping out of the container.* Depending on where you live, you may have animals that come around at night and try to go fishing in your container. Placing a brick or two on the edges of the screen frame at night should keep them out.

Water
Most of the fish recommend below are fairly hardy and will tolerate a wide range of water conditions.

From your local aquarium or pet store, you’ll want to get a floating thermometer, tap water conditioner (neutralizes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals) and a freshwater pH test kit. While you’re there, get some food for your pisceans - high-quality flake food and some frozen brine shrimp. Keep the latter in your freezer and only defrost the amount needed when feeding the fish.

Tap water should be fine to use as long as it is not particularly hard. The pH should be neutral (7.0) or slightly acidic (6.6 to 6.9) If the tap water pH is low or high, the store should have liquid or powder products that will adjust the pH.

Don’t fill the container to the top – leave about four inches between the top of the container and the water’s surface. This will reduce the number of “jumpers” leaving the container and will help reduce losses due to nocturnal predators (cats, raccoons, opossum, etc.). Remember to take this reduction in water volume in mind when measuring additives like water conditioners and pH adjusters.

Though not necessary, you can also add Tetra’s Blackwater Extract. Many tropical fish come from soft water areas that have a brownish tint to them - almost like a very weak tea. This color is primarily due to plant tannins dissolved in the water. The Blackwater Extract helps mimic that environment.* *

Even though we are setting up a freshwater environment, we’ll want to add a bit of un-iodized salt to the water. This will replicate the low levels of salt that naturally occur in many natural freshwater ecosystems and will also help keep disease pathogens in check. Add one tablespoon of un-iodized salt for every five gallons of water in the container.

Make sure you set up the container with the water and plants a week before you plan to add fish. This will allow for the water chemistry to stabilize. You should check the temperature of the water several times throughout each day to make sure the sun isn’t overheating the container. It’s best to keep the water below 83˚ F. If needed, move the container to a shadier area to keep the temperature in check.

Gravel
It’s possible to have no gravel in the container. This makes cleaning the container easier. However, I prefer to make the container’s environment as natural as possible. Most “natural” aquarium gravels will work. For the best plant growth, it’s best to use one that contains iron-rich laterite.

Unless you decide to use plants that require a deep substrate for their roots, you’ll only need a layer about 1” think on the bottom of the container.

Plants
You’ll want to get some floating plants with long roots that hang down. These plants will shade the water, helping keep the water from overheating during peak sun periods.

One good choice is water hyacinth, a popular floating pond plant from South America. One plant will soon multiply into many and cover the surface of the container. You may be able to harvest some of them and sell them back to the aquarium/pond store.

The long roots provide a place for egg-laying fish to spawn and provide cover for the fry (baby fish). The roots also help support microscopic life that the fry feed on.

Another good plant is water sprite. It can be planted in the substrate or left to float on the surface. When lest on the surface, the leaves become much broader and looks like a different species than the bottom-planted version.

A small clump of Java moss on the bottom of the container will provide cover and a feeling of security for the fish when they are deeper in the container.

The tub set up and ready for fish!

Fish
Not all species of tropical fish are hardy enough to take the weather and temperature swings of outdoor life during the warm weather months. Probably the easiest fish to keep and breed are the livebearers including guppies, mollies and swordtails.

Guppies come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Males exhibit flamboyant coloring while females’ colors are muted.

However, some egg laying tropicals can also be bred and raised. Killifish (killies) get their name from the Dutch work “kil” which means “stream.” They are egg-laying tooth carps that are distributed around the globe. There are hundreds of species of killies - and many species have a number of subspecies or populations exhibiting great color variety.

Some killies lay their eggs in aquatic plants where the eggs hatch after a few weeks. Others are called annual species. This is because they live in bodies of water that are often temporary, drying up for part of the year. When the rainy season begins, eggs from the previous generation that have been sealed in the moist mud are stimulated to hatch. The fry grow and mature quickly and the adults then begin laying eggs in the mud to prepare for the next dry spell. Sometimes the waters do not completely dry up so the adults live on. However, they are genetically predisposed to mature fast and to not live more than a few years.

Killies are not often found for sale in aquarium stores. They are mostly bred and distributed by hobbyists through clubs. Fish and eggs are exchanged via mail.

With guppies and killies, be sure you have at least as many females and males. The males will drive the females hard during mating and if the ratio of male to female is imbalanced, the females will become exhausted and may die. This is another reason to have a lot of plants in the container. The plants provide hiding places for the females so they can rest between bouts of spawning. Ideally, you should try to obtain trios consisting of one male to two females.

One of my favorite killes is Fundulopanchax garderni - the “masaj” population in particular. Its coloring is fantastic.

Fundulopanchax garderni from Africa.

F. gardneri is not a true annual but their eggs can withstand a “dry” (moist) period. In fact, egg hatch rates for eggs that are stored in a sealed bag on some damp peat moss are higher than for those that are left in water.

Check out this article for details on breeding and raising this fish.

You can learn about killies in general online. One great resource is the American Killifish Association (AKA). You can order killies to be sent to you my mail form the AKA’s Fish & Egg listing.

Limit your stocking to about 1 fish per gallon. So, if you’re using a 10 gal. bucket wit 8 gallons of water in it, do not add more than 8 fish. 6 would be even better and will allow a bit of room for the fry to grow.

Do not add any scavenger fish such as catfish or loaches to the container. They will probably eat the eggs.

Feed the fish twice a day. Most feedings should be frozen brine shrimp or blood worms. Don’t overfeed and pollute the water. At each feeding, the fish should be able to consume all of the food you give them within a few minutes.

Soon the fish will associate your presence with food and will come swarming to the top when you arrive to feed, or just admire, them.

If the plants are growing well, they will harbor small life forms that the fish will pick at between your feedings.

It’s a lot easier seeing and appreciating the colors and antics of the fish in a clear-sided aquarium. Since the buckets and tubs don’t allow for that, you’ll still have a beautiful top down view of them. If the diameter of the container is big enough, you can always put on a snorkeling mask or goggles and dunk your face in to get a better view – make sure you don’t have any sunscreen, makeup, hair product, etc. on you when you do so that you don’t pollute the water.

When fall approaches and the evenings bring the water temperature down to 70˚ F, it’s time to break down the container for the season. Odds are, you will have more fish than you began with and may be able to sell them to an aquarium store. The rarer and more desirable the species, the more valuable it will be to the store.

You can also set up a traditional aquarium in your home and place some of the fish there to continue enjoying them all year long.

If you try setting up one of these outdoor fish breeding containers, let me know how it works out for you.

*I’m not sure why but some species of fish love to jump out of their container. Most killifish can find even the smallest opening in a cover and leap through it.

** You can also make your own blackwater by soaking peat moss in clean water for about a week. However, you need to make sure that the peat is not from a gardening source (since chemicals may have been added to it) and that it’s clean. Some aquarium stores sell aquarium safe peat.

Together Alone: The Maori Creation Myth

In keeping with the spirit of the title of this blog, this time out we’ll go with something completely different …

In the early ‘90s I read an article about the New Zealand Maori and their conflicts with land-seeking British colonists during the 1800s.*

That article sparked my intense interest in the Maori and over the years I’ve acquired a significant library on New Zealand** history.

The Maori are of Polynesian origin and their migration to New Zealand took them across much of the Pacific.***

Most cultures have a creation myth – a story about how the world came to be. I found the Maori creation myth to be very touching. Here is an abbreviated/paraphrased version:

In the beginning, mother earth and father sky were so close that there was no room for even light to exist. Between the dark embrace of their parents, numerous young gods had no room to grow.

After eons of struggling, the god of the forest and his siblings used trees to wrench their parents apart, pushing father sky into an arch high above the earth.

Light from the sun revealed the world and the young gods rejoiced, even as their parents longed to resume their embrace.

The young gods covered the world with foliage, clouds and other barriers to keep their parents apart.

The parting of earth and sky also released a host of evil spirits and soon conflict raged between the younger gods.

The war spirit, Tu, fathered man and gave us weapons to slay animals for food.

It didn't take long for men to learn to use the god's tools to slay each other.

Mother earth and father sky parted forever so that their offspring would have room to grow – but they never stopped longing to embrace each other again.

And, without their parents' guidance, many of mother earth and father sky’s children used their freedom to hurt each other.

A model of a Maori warrior from the late 1800s.

As chance would have it, my favorite band at the time I first read about the Maori was New Zealand’s Crowded House. The title track on their fourth album was “Together Alone,” a song about father sky longing to be reunited with mother earth.

It is an ambitious production that features a Maori choir, Cook Island log drummers and a Salvation Army-type band. The song starts out very slow and simply and then builds to an amazing complex tapestry of unusual (to the western ear) melodies and rhythms.

I really like the female Maori solo voice - the phrasing is so different from any western music.

Here are the lyrics, including the translation of the Maori chorus:

Together alone
Above and beneath
We were as close
as anyone can be

Now you are gone
far away from me
As is once
will always be
together alone

(Maori chorus)
anei ra maua (here we are together)
e piri tahi nei (in a very close embrace)
e noha tahi nei (being together)
ko maua anake (just us alone)

kei runga a Rangi (Rangi the sky-father is above)
ko papa Kai raro (the earth mother is below)
e mau tonu nei (our love for one another)
kia mau tonu ra (is everlasting)

Together alone
Shallow and deep
Holding our breath
Paying death no heed

I'm still your friend
when you are in need
As is once
will always be
earth and sky
moon and sea

The song’s performers include the Maori (choir), the Cook Island representatives of the Maori Pacific migration (log drummers), early white settler influences (the Salvation Army band) and contemporary New Zealand elements (Crowded House) - all combined in a way that represents the cultural mix that comprises New Zealand today. Brilliant.

You won’t see this type of musical creativity on American Idol.

Watch the first third of this link to see part of the making of this song on You Tube.

As a result of my interest in 1800s era Maori/New Zealand, I wrote a screenplay, “Yankee Maori”, and have adapted it for a large graphic novel project. The story is based on real people and events. The title character was an American who joined the British Army, was shipped out to New Zealand where he deserted and joined the Maori in their fight against the British and colonials. A fascinating historical figure who most Americans know nothing about. Here are a few panels from the graphic novel by the fabulous Enrique Alcatena.

*During that same time period, similar conflicts were occurring in North America as the US military and settlers expanded westward and confiscated the lands of the native Americans tribes.

**The Maori name for the islands we call New Zealand is Aotearoa

***Lego’s Bionicle line of toys and games used a lot of Maori and Polynesian names and language. Maori activists were incensed that a toy company was using their language for commercial purposes and feared Lego was trying to legally secure the rights to those words. After initially contesting the maori claims, Lego eventually acknowledged its insensitive use of the words and made changes in the Bionicle line’s names.

Guidelines for the Appraisal of Story Structure and Visual Storytelling

While digging through some old boxes, I ran across a document I helped draft as part of the Marvel Comics editorial training program.

The title is a mouthful: “Basic Guidelines for Editorial Appraisal of Story Structure and Visual Storytelling”

The document was probably drafted in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s. You can see the influence of Robert McKee’s story structure seminars in this document.

The transcribed document is posted below. I’d enjoy getting your reactions to it. Do you think it was/is a good set of guidelines? Is it too concrete or creatively inhibiting? Is it missing critical information? Has time made parts of it more or less important/relevant than when it was drafted?
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“Basic Guidelines for Editorial Appraisal of Story Structure and Visual Storytelling”

Many writers and artists understand classic story structure and visual storytelling on an intuitive level. As an editor, you need to be able to intellectualize and put into words the various concepts of story structure and visual storytelling so that you can effectively communicate with your writers and artists. This outline is an attempt to boil down some of the basic concepts to help you do so.

FICTION STORY STRUCTURE
The vast majority of stories we publish incorporate (or should incorporate!) classic story structure. There are several other approaches to structuring fiction. Both the minimalist and anti-structure approaches can and should be used on occasion. It should be a conscious decision by the writer and the editor when any approach other than classic structure is used.

A writer should be able to understand and successfully create compelling classically structured stories before he/she attempts to use the minimalistic or anti-structure approaches. Picasso successfully painted and sculpted in abstract forms because he had such a firm grounding in realistic (representational) art. He knew what he was abstracting from. So, a writer should have a solid grounding in classic story structure before he/she tackles the minimalist or anti-structure approaches.

The majority of prose fiction, TV and film scripts follow classic structure. Some tales will incorporate elements from two or all three types of story structure.

There are no real RULES…only PRINCIPLES. The conventions of any structure system can be successfully broken if the underlying principles of the system are understood and accommodated.

Some people, however, get so caught up in what they see as “rules” that their work lacks life or innovation.

To combat this, encourage your writers to do the first draft of their story using an intuitive or gut-level approach. They should then go back and see where the story matches and diverges from the principles of classic story structure. Where there are variances, the writer needs to honestly ask themselves if altering the story so it’s in line with the principles will improve the story or make it worse. In the majority of cases, the story will benefit from observing classic structure principles. Occasionally, diverging from the principles, or modifying them, will result in a successful story told in a unique way.

CLASSIC STORY STRUCTURE
-All story elements are introduced early
-Story elements remain consistent
-There is a “closed” (or resolved) ending
-The protagonist is active and directly affects the resolution
-External conflict is emphasized
-There is a strong causality chain of events
-Time is continuous
-External and emotional conflicts are resolved.

An example of classic story structure is film is Casablanca.

MINIMALISTIC STORY STRUCTURE
-Has an open ending
-Some elements are not resolved
-Emphasis on internal conflict
-Protagonists are sometimes passive (“a leaf in the wind”)

Examples of minimalism story structure in films include The Big Chill, Breakfast Club and Fame

ANTI-STRUCTURE
-Pseudo documentary style often used
-Time can be fragmented
-There is more coincidence than causality
-Reality is inconsistent

Examples of anti-structure films include After Hours, Monty Python’s Holy Grail, This Is Spinal Tap.

CLASSIC STORY STRUCTURE IN COMICS
For comics that are part of a series, clearly re-establishing the long term and short term status quos is essential for a successful comic. A major reason Marvel’s comics outsell our competitors’ titles is that we usually don’t assume the reader knows what the Marvel Universe (MU) is and what has been occurring in our cosmic playground. The same concept holds for titles that take place in “universes” outside of the MU – don’t assume your readers have read every issue of the title or have retained encyclopedic knowledge of the title’s world/universe.

By giving readers just enough of the relevant back story and status quo info each issue, new readers are not left baffled (and alienated). By giving a new readers a good “hand hold”, we stand a much better chance of hooking them and turning them into regular readers. It is vital to grow, or at least maintain, a title’s readership. Most comic titles fight a battle of attrition as readers drift away for various reasons. Unless new readers are made to feel “welcome” that battle of attrition will end with the title’s cancelation.

This does not mean you want your characters or narrator to be spewing lots of exposition. Getting the basic long/short-term status quo info into each issue should be looked at as an opportunity to make that issue’s story more relevant.

Instead of revealing each bit of establishing info in drips and drabs, it’s possible for the same scene to—
-Give long and short-term status info
-Establish characters’ personalities and powers (and limits of those powers)
-Set up that issues primary or secondary conflict.

Look for ways to work the establishing info into the story in relevant ways so that the info is not expressed as exposition. This is easier said than done, especially if you have to keep coming up with new twists on how to accomplish this feat month after month.

For examples on how to do this, look at almost any early issue of Louise Simon’s work on Power Pack. An unusual way to recap an established character’s origin can be seen in Punisher War Journal #1.

Learn from the masters. There are issues of Lee/Kirby comics from the ‘60s where you learn the names, personalities, powers (and some of the limits to the powers), conflicts –all on the splash page! That splash can also set up that issue’s main action. The dialogue and art styles may appear dated now but the craft concepts on display are timeless.

Characters should be introduced early and in clear ways that show their personalities and powers in active ways. Comics are a visual storytelling medium –never tell what can be shown.

By establishing the characters’ abilities and limitations early in an issue, writers prevent un-established powers or abilities from seemingly appearing from out of the blue during a climatic battle. At the climax, it should be the winning character’s knowledge, resolve, skill, new technique using an established power, etc. that win the day – not some power/ability that was not previously established in that issue. So, Dr. Doom can’t suddenly use telekinesis in a fight unless it was established earlier n that issue that he’d gained that ability.

All stories/issues should have a strong central conflict and theme that all of the other story elements tie into and reinforce. If possible, even sub-plots should tie into an issue’s conflict and theme. There should be no gratuitous plot elements.

The conflict will often (though not always) involve at least one major character making a conscious and active choice between two or more difficult choices. We reveal a lot about someone’s basic character when we put that person into a crucible, testing their motivations and beliefs in severe situations. Shooter used to refer to this as a “can’t/must” situation: due to ethical, financial, time and/or physical restraints, the character can’t do something that the situation compels him/her to do.

We should see what tips the character’s conflict decision in a particular direction. Whatever it is that does tip the decision scales needs to have been set-up previously in the story.

The classic story structure elements below do not always have to be established in the order presented. If, for the sake of story impact, it’s better to switch 1 & 2, go ahead. Clarity of the storytelling should be the key point for all story decisions.

1. Establish long-term status quo: Character origin recap is often taken care of in the blurb at the top of the splash page. Characters names, powers, limitations, ongoing motivations, etc. should be re-established. Only long-term status quo info that is relevant to a particular issue’s story should be established.

2. Establish short-term status quo: This is anything that varies form the normal long-term status quo.

3. Set up the conflict(s) — internal and external

4. Show conflict decision (what tips the scales of the conflict decision between difficult choices?)

5. Show ramification of the conflict decision and the new short-term status quo.

The protagonist(s) should have to deal with an escalating series of “roadblocks” or reversals as the story progresses.

Primary character(s) should have conscious and unconscious motivations. These different levels of motivations are often at odds with each other and cause the character grief. A character may consciously desire to find love but, due to their unconscious desire for self-punishment, instead finds only hate. Taking that a step further, the character can lapse into self-hate, the extreme opposite of what their conscious desire to fin dlove. This is what McKee refers to as the “negation of the negation.”

The character’s internal (both conscious and unconscious) motivation conflicts should spark or feed into the external/physical conflicts.

The conflict decision that the character makes and the ramifications of that decision (along with the new short-term status quo) compose the remainder of the story.
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The next section of the document, VISUAL STORYTELLING IN COMICS, will appear in a future posting.

I look forward to your comments on the above guidelines!

Marvelous Tales – Joanne, Get Back to Work!

The copy below is taken (and revised a bit) from the Friends of Ol’ Marvel Facebook ”What Made “the Old” Marvel Fun” discussion board to explain this set of photos.

From ’87-’88, Joanne Spaldo was my Assistant Editor at Marvel. She had at LEAST three male assistant editors who were smitten with her and who were constantly vying for her attention.

They would rotate through my office throughout day, distracting Joanne from her editorial duties for extended periods. On more than one occasion I’d say “Joanne, let’s get back to work now.” That was usually enough of a hint for the amorous male assistant of the moment to exit for a while.

If that didn’t work, I’d ask the assistant if, since they had so much time on their hands, perhaps they could help with some of my office’s work. However, not long after one of the male assistants would leave, another of the ranks of the smitten would pop in.

When I returned from a business trip, I found that every surface in my office had been covered with Xeroxes of my face with “Joanne, get back to work.” written on them. They were even in the light fixtures! It was impossible to get any work done with the office totally covered, so a lot of them came down later that day.Various staffers had further customized some of the Xeroxes. I picked the best of those and taped them up on the glass wall. I found most of the photos I had of the office and have posted them here. There is another one I remember that I have not yet located.

I’m not sure who took these shots so I can’t credit them. If you were the photographer, please let me know.

This was the creative and fun atmosphere that the Marvel's creative/editorial/production crew lived in and perpetuated for many years.

Marvel had a culture that fostered creativity, camaraderie, harmless (mostly!) pranks and a love of the workplace that many companies could benefit from.

I count myself lucky to have been a part of it and hope those of you who were not so lucky will get an idea of what it was like from posts on this blog.

Coincidentally (?), this was also an extremely productive and profitable period for the company.

You can read about more Marvel shenanigans on Facebook's Friends of Ol’ Marvel ”What Made “the Old” Marvel Fun” discussion board.

The sight that greeted me as I arrived early that day, before anyone else had arrived.

The portrait that was Xeroxed a gazillion times. Art by Brent Anderson (from Strikeforce: Morituri?). Someone else added the moustache. Anyone recognize the handwriting, hmm?

Windows, bookcases – almost everything was covered. Even my model pterodactyl has one hanging from it. Only the fish tanks were spared.

I believe that even the front of the flat files had been covered but, by the time this shot was taken, we had to get some work done so the Xeroxes taped to the drawers had come down.

Even the ceiling light fixtures were covered – from the inside! That took some doing.

Drawing What You Hate

The last post outlined a drawing exercise designed to help would-be comic book artists expand their drawing knowledge.

This entry will outline another exercise that can help artists expand their knowledge and grow creatively.

A good comic book artist has to be able to convincingly draw a wider variety of subjects that most other representational artists. Other types of representational visual artists often specialize in certain subjects. For example, a commercial artist might specialize in motor vehicles or architectural renderings or celebrity caricatures… the list is nearly endless. Many fine artists also stick to a tight subject grouping.

When a comic artist is handed a plot or a script, it’s his/her job to render all of the subjects the writer calls for with equal credibility. If the writer calls for a shot of a baby in a crib and the artist can’t draw small children convincingly, the awkward results will look out of place compared to the art in the rest of the story. The unconvincing child will stick out like a sore thumb. (Or, the artist may try and “cheat” and use a silhouette, or only show the baby in a long shot.)

This not only puts the artist in a bad light, it pulls the reader out of the story, disrupting the reader’s suspension of disbelief. That’s the equivalent of a Cardinal sin for a sequential visual storyteller.

Some artists love a challenge and will, on heir own, aggressively tackle learning how to draw new subjects. Many artists, however, if left to their own devices, will usually stick to those subjects they already know fairly well and will avoid the discomfort of learning how to draw subjects they don’t have to.

Many artists who try to break into the comic book business draw the same types of subjects repeatedly while avoiding other subjects like the plague. The subjects in these two categories vary from artist to artist.

Those longing to work in super hero comics often generate art samples containing dynamic shots of figures flying and slugging it out. Even though many super hero stories feature city scenes and characters in civilian identities, samples by would-be comics artists often lack shots of civilians wearing street clothes with convincing drapery, or realistic-looking cars. Animals comprise another category often absent in comic book artist samples. Many samples also show a lack of basic perspective knowledge.

Artists steer clear of some subjects consciously – avoiding what they don’t enjoy drawing, or what they don’t yet know how to draw convincingly. Artists also unconsciously avoid some subjects.

Versatility and depth of drawing knowledge is one of the major considerations an editor has when deciding which artist to hire for a job. If all other considerations* are equal, the artist who can draw more subjects at a high level will have a distinct advantage over the competition.

For an artist to expand the number of subjects that he/she can draw well, they need to concentrate on the subjects they avoid both consciously and unconsciously.

If you are an artist and want to expand your drawing knowledge and increase your “subject quiver”, make a list of all of the subjects you KNOW you’ve been avoiding. Be brutally honest. If you hate drawing dog, add it to the list. If you avoid complex perspective shots, put it on the list. Can’t stand the thought of drawing toddlers, put them on the list.

Next, to try and identify the subjects you don’t realize that you need to learn how to draw, list the various subjects that appear in a number of comics over the course of many months. Be attentive so you don’t again miss the items that have escaped your notice before.

For example, the tires on a car have a number of multi-level planes and curves that need to be understood in order to be drawn properly, especially when seen at an angle. Up to now you may have unconsciously avoided this by silhouetting all of the tires you drew, or by awkwardly cropping your vehicles.

Do your buildings really look like businesses or residences? Do they exist in convincing perspective? Does the way they are rendered reflect the materials they are made from? A old building made from masonry should not have the same feel or texture as a steel and glass structure.

Or, when a script calls for an office scene, you may fall back on the same simple ciphers for a desk and chair that you’ve been using for years. It may be time to actually look at how different desks and chairs are designed. If you are drawing a story taking place in the 2009, you should not be drawing the same desk and chair that you’d draw in a story set in the 1959.

After compiling the list, you should relentlessly tackle each item on the list. Try to make significant progress on at least a few subjects per week.

If you have difficulty conquering a tough subject, refer to the drawing exercises in Betty Edwards’ “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.”

You can also first break the subject down into its most simple shapes and build it up from there. Under some lighting conditions, if you squint at the subject you’re drawing, the subject will appear to be more high contrast. (Running photo reference though a copy machine or scanner with high contrast settings will save you the eye strain!) You can then use a large pen or brush to block out the high contrast dark areas to get a feel for the subject. Then you can attack the subject again with a more detailed rendering approach.

Some people like to trace photo reference to learn how to draw new subjects. Tracing can be an effective learning exercise IF the artist concentrates on learning the structure of the subject as you trace. Be careful not use tracing photo reference as a crutch. There are artists who become slaves to photo reference. If they can’t find the right shot to trace, they either turn out an unconvincing drawing, or they avoid the subject and hurt the storytelling.

If you truly learn how a subject is structured by tracing it, you’ll be able to draw the subject convincingly from a variety of angles without having to continue to trace it.

Use whatever method that works for you.

Often, after “mastering” a subject that he/she used to avoid, an artist will experience a great feeling of accomplishment.

*These can include visual storytelling technique, dynamic figure drawing, use of light and shadow, rendering style…

Why Copying Someone Else’s Drawing Style is a 2-Edged Sword

Many of the art samples I received when I was a comic book editor had the same problem. The would-be comics artists had learned to draw by looking at other comic book artists. There are certainly a lot of things you can learn by looking at the work of others, and even emulating another artist’s approach to drawing.

However, very often, when you copy the work of another artist, you are aping their surface rendering “style”. That surface rendering style is, to some degree, composed of the drawing tricks, shortcuts or techniques an artist uses to cover up weaknesses in their drawing knowledge. (Is all that decorative line work really defining how the drapery works or is it a surface stylistic flair that helps disguise the fact that the artist doesn’t really know where the tension points are on the drapery or how the anatomy under the drapery affects the folds?)

As a general rule, the best you can be when copying another artist is a second-rate version of the artist being copied. How many Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Mike Mignola or Jim Lee clones have matched the quality of work produced by their idols? An artist who abandons copying the surface style of another artist in order to forge their own creative path has a chance of equaling or surpassing their idols.

For example, when Bill Sienkiewicz started his comics career, to a large extent he was a Neal Adams emulator. When Bill began stretching himself creatively, he forged a great new and exciting style that was unique. Bill’s new stylistic approach was based on his expanding drawing knowledge.

To get would-be comics artists to expand their drawing knowledge and stop copying the surface styles of other artists, I recommended some drawing exercises, starting with those in Betty Edwards’ “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. Edwards’ exercises are designed to expand the way artists observe and draw, opening up their creativity. (See the link on the right for more info on this book.)

There were a number of additional drawing exercises I used to recommend for artists trying to get into comics. Here’s one of the best:
At least a few times a week (daily is better), pick a different subject (person, landscape, household object – whatever) and draw that subject in at least five totally different styles and/or media. The styles might include—
-Dry brush
-Blind contour drawing (aka leading edge contour drawing)
-Charcoal or conté
-Paint (water color, acrylic, oil)
-Stipple
-Pen and ink.
-High contrast
-Sculpture (clay or similar malleable medium)

Sculpting is a key part of this exercise. Artists sometimes get comfortable drawing a subject from a certain angle and under specific lighting conditions. By sculpting a human figure, artists can learn—
-Where their drawing knowledge is weak and needs beefing up. (Artists can’t cover up their drawing knowledge as easily on a 3D sculpture as they can with rendering styles on a drawing.

-How the figure looks from all angles, including those angles the artist consciously or unconsciously avoids when drawing. This expands the number of angles the artist will feel comfortable drawing the figure from in the future.

-Upgrade the ciphers for “objective reality” that artists program their brains with so they can draw “out of their heads” (without reference) more convincingly.

-How the subject looks under a variety of lighting conditions.

As always, comments are welcome!