Rating: Summary: Cutting edge with a dull blade..... Review: Mr. Hart's style in this so called book is a real fast lesson in just drawing figures with no life, scale, design, ink process. step by step guide to the many different approaches to drawing, and lacks any real commentery on finding and improving your style. The book looks like it was written by watching E-Bay adds on drawing. Done with the lazy approach similar to comics on the web, and now passed along to us, just so he could make a quick buck. Boring,misleading, and lazy indeed.
Rating: Summary: The best art teaching book available... Review: "Drawing Cutting Edge Comics" has been the best drawing book I have seen on the market by Chris Hart in a long time. Totally blows his other books away! How ever, it's more for ppl who already know how to draw human anatomy...a.k.a they don't show you how to draw the human body in motion like "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way." This book is def. like a book for ppl who are serious about going into the Comic Book Industry. It's a must buy.
Rating: Summary: The best art teaching book available... Review: "Drawing Cutting Edge Comics" has been the best drawing book I have seen on the market by Chris Hart in a long time. Totally blows his other books away! How ever, it's more for ppl who already know how to draw human anatomy...a.k.a they don't show you how to draw the human body in motion like "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way." This book is def. like a book for ppl who are serious about going into the Comic Book Industry. It's a must buy.
Rating: Summary: Something's missing Review: Although this book shows some good examples, I find that it is lacking somewhat. There's a feel of a rush job here. It's good for quick references, such as how to draw a face from different angles, et. al.
I don't quite agree with the section on composition. He's trying a bit too hard to make everything "cutting-edge" that he forgets the idea of story-telling. This results in his pages a bit over-done. Perhaps he should read Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art.
One section that confuses me is the part on animation. That shouldn't be in this book since this is supposed to be about comics. Personally, to some extent, the animation section is a waste of space.
I could summarize the gist of this book: To attain cutting-edge, exaggerate!
If you're looking for a book that is more of a picture reference, get this book (See first paragraph). But I would suggest Will Eisner's books for better in-depth story-telling lessons.
Rating: Summary: Eh. Review: An accessible reference point, Drawing Cutting Edge comics is not a how-to book. For the most part, Hart tends to touch on topics without actually elaborating on them(as if he is writing because he has to and not simply because he wants to). From a reference vantage point, this book contains excellent material on basic anatomy and facial structure--including an extensive section regarding the face drawn from varying angles, etc. Also helpful for both beginning and advanced artists is the four page spread on drawing hands and feet in different positions. Hart attempts to present a comprehensive chapter on drawing more seductive females and will again this is good reference material, realize that Hart's females are simply cookie cutter models. You'll notice he uses the same body types and faces and only changes the hairstyle and costume. While it's a good section for those beginning to draw female comic characters, you'll need to keep in mind to create a more diverse selection of characters in your own work. Beyond that, the remainder of the book is basically Hart's take on creating unique characters. Yet again, while there are some good learning tips to be found, his characters are anything but unique and it is better to focus on your own creations while perhaps using Hart's illustration as a rough guide. Roughly one-sixth of this book is dedicated to "interviews" with artists, etc. which unfortunately fall short in that they only tell you what you already know and don't shed any new light on breaking into the comic world. At the end, there is a noteworthy selection on transforming comic book characters into tv animation characters. So in conclusion, while this book is not the pinnacle of artistic instruction, it does provide reference for several key elements of the trade.
Rating: Summary: a great inspiration to draw Review: I bought this book when first starting out. Although you need to have some basic skills to really dive into the later chapters, Hart does start out showing how to draw the face and figures. Def. not an all-in-one drawing book, but the clear writing and helpful illustrations will give those who need some added inspiration to keep practicing.
Rating: Summary: The Best Around Review: I have almost every single book on comic book art written in the last ten years, and this one tops them all. By far. I recommend this book not only to people who want to be comic book artists, but also those who are interested in more "serious" art forms. The tips and tricks are indispensible for anyone drawing the human form or face, regardless of the style. I've read this book a hundred times, and I still use it every day for reference.
Rating: Summary: Pre-Review Review: I just skimmed over the preview of a few pages of the book(as Amazon offers for no charge), picked up my sketchbook, and started sketching out the male/female templates. It was very easy for me. I also got a completely original look on both sketches. I don't like to try to conform my style to others'. Anyway, I like art. I like portraits. And I like comics. So why shouldn't this be hard to pick up? If the results from the preview were satisfied me, then I'm definitely going for the whole thing.
Rating: Summary: The tutorial for comic artists Review: I ordered several comic drawing books, and being an artist for many years, this book adds punch to your drawing arsenal. While this book does not teach you the bare basics of drawing or drawing comics (I highly recommend "Drawing Comics The Marvel Way" If you need the basics) it teaches you how to make your drawings better.While this comic style may be a "fad" and some critcs say the modern style of comics is overdone and cliched, this book goes beyond the cliches and the fads... it teaches you how to think out of the box, which is what comic fans want. Recommended!
Rating: Summary: Great Book! Review: I recently purchased this book, and I found it quite useful, and the artwork and instructions quite good. I especially found the art of Al Rio quite helpful. For me, Al's art pages (5, 8-23, 25, 52-61, 116) was worth the cost of the book alone. Constructive criticism: I wish they hadn't shrunk the facial diagrams on page 14-15 so small that they were difficult to see. This is useful and beautiful art reference. Also, although I enjoy Chris Hart's writing, his artwork, which dominates the second half, is not as good as the other artists ands is excessively cartoony. I really wish Al Rio or Grant Miehm did more of the interior drawing. I also would like to see more 'turnarounds' (such as are done on the top of 18-19) for anatomical reference. The ones that are included are small, but good. Overall, though this book is another great in a series, and has many good pictures for artists of all skill levels. Keep producing more Christopher!
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