Yes, I'm recycling. Recycling older posts that is, that are a bit harder to find in this blog, but no less important in your education as an artist. Looking at other artists, both good and bad, is a way for you to both broaden your horizons and learn techniques to embrace (as well as avoid).
While there are good comics out there, there are absolutely horrible ones as well (click on the example on the left to see what I mean). You know the kind: comics that are obviously intended to be funny but are in reality so incredibly lame, unfunny and just dumb that you wince when you read them. Comics such as Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, and Hagar The Horrible. For every high quality strip such as Calvin and Hobbes, there are ten painfully unfunny strips like Uncle Funny Bunny and Chumpy, or Six Chix (below left). 
Why are there so many awful strips out there? Because quality cartooning is HARD, that's why. Coming up with good ideas, funny situations, and truly humorous insight requires a lot of skill, imagination and effort. When you throw in deadlines, it becomes harder to maintain quality, and many artists just illustrate a tired gag and call it a day.For a review of awful comic strips, compared to good ones, click on the post title below:Comics Review
Okay, so you have a sketchbook. Great! But, do you know how to use it effectively? Do you know what the difference is between your sketchbook and your portfolio? Using your sketchbook effectively is key to developing as an artist.
A portfolio is a book of polished, carefully completed work that you show to clients, teachers and prospective employers. A portfolio is something to work and slave over until it is perfect.
Your sketchbook is not your portfolio.
Your sketchbook is a safe place for you to try out new ideas, discard ones that don't work and explore the ideas that have potential. Your sketchbook is your creative workspace where you jot down your thoughts and ideas before you forget them, and work out your inspiration until you're ready to create your concept for real on canvas, Bristol board or high-quality paper.
Your sketchbook is supposed to be messy and filled with half-completed inspiration (as well as completed ones). This is where you let it all hang out, so flex your creative muscles. Check out the post about sketchbooks by clicking on the blog post below:
The Stenbergs were two brothers that created some of the most striking, eye-catching posters in Russia before Josef Stalin took power in 1934. Between 1917 and 1934, most Soviet Union citizens couldn't read, and movies were a new form of entertainment. The posters they created helped to encourage citizens to experience early Soviet cinema. The Stenberg brothers' work still holds up, even today. Click on the banner above, or on the picture on the left, to take you to the blog post that has a large gallery of their amazing posters.
