We’re starting a new series, in which we highlight some of the week’s most IMPACTful news, tweets, videos and oddities–all in one convenient place!
Earlier this week, we found these awesome videos, banned advertisements for University of Lincoln in the UK, check them out! And, of course, we’re all getting excited about the forthcoming Dark Shadows movie.
Pinterest is the new craze, and what an awesome one it is! A new, fun form of social bookmarking designed to act like a virtual pinboard, and while our page is still in it’s fledgling stages, we’re excited to be rounding up our favorite items on the web, as well as finding some awesome gems we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Keep an eye on us there by clicking on the handy-dandy Pinterest button.
The big topic in Comics this week is the Before Watchmen debate–everything from the creators to the ethics of it, to just whether or not it’s going to be any good. What do you think? Is this something you’re looking forward to, or do you think they should have left it alone?
And you can always check out what one of my favorite graffiti artist’s, Phlegm, is up to at his blog. This is just one of his latest pieces. And while we’re talking graffiti, does anyone know where in Brooklyn this is located?. Collage street art, how awesome can you get?
That’s all for this week’s edition, folks, but give us a shout if you have any items you’d like us to cover next week–either in the round up, or separately. And as always, follow us on Twitter!
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer, among others, have joined Tim Burton in the remake of popular soap opera of Dark Shadows. Find out the full cast, the plot and see some photos at IMDB. One thing seems reasonably sure: this is one vampire that won’t sparkle.
Of course, here’s a look at the original black and white opening credits. What do you think? Can Tim Burton pull it off?
It’s appropriate that today, I’ve spent most of my afternoon working on a book about dragons. Hint: it’s from one of IMPACT Books’ best-selling, most-loved authors and the art, as usual, is gorgeous!
The Daily Mail has a great gallery of images of the celebrations happening in the East, and the colors and celebrations are absolutely captivating! I think it’s a sign that this is going to be a prosperous, great new year!
So why not celebrate by picking up a copy of one of these three favorite IMPACT Books?
Scape, Graffiti Artist and Author, will teach kids about urban art at 10 Portland schools for one week, Jan 30 through Feb 3, 2012. He will then appear at the Grand Opening of the new Dick Blick Art Store Feb 4th, 2012.
At the 2/4/12 grand opening, from 4 – 7 PM Scape will demonstrate urban art techniques on Crescent’s “Graffiti Paper”. Scape will be signing copies of his two books Graff: the Art & Technique of Graffiti and Graff 2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques.
At the schools, Scape will engage the youth with this often misunderstood art form by articulating the benefits of expressing oneself through art on paper (not walls). These school presentations allow Scape to empower the youth in a positive and powerful way. Mays Mayhew, Product Manager for Crescent, said “Graffiti Paper is the perfect way to get urban and street art onto paper. Graffiti paper is the first substrate designed to accept aerosol paint, paint markers, and other urban-type mediums. Debuting both Scape and Graffiti Paper at Dick Blick’s new store is the perfect triad.”
Some manga stories take place in a world populated only by teenaged characters, where adults have seemingly been banished from the scene. Still, even the most youth-obsessed story will have at least a couple representatives of the adult world, and if you’re going to draw them properly, you’ll need to learn an entirely different system of body proportions. Manga grown-ups are much closer to real human anatomy. Many of these adult characters have smaller eyes and fully rendered noses that we are more likely to associate with Western comic book characters. 1 Build Your Frame
Begin by drawing eight horizontal lines, equally spaced. You’ll want them to be at least an inch or more apart to allow for details
later on. Draw your character’s head between lines one and two.
2 Create the Torso
Draw the neck, shoulders, torso and right arm with a rough indication of his hand. His left arm is hidden behind his body. The bottom line of the torso is about two-thirds of the way between lines four and five. This guy’s pretty big: almost three heads wide across the chest. His hand extends just a touch beyond the bottom line of his torso.
3 Sketch in Legs and Feet
There’s no need to worry about the width of his ankles because his pants cover them. The right foot touches line eight. The bottom line of his left foot is about one third of the way up between lines seven and eight. There is a slight diagonal lean to the legs. This will help to convey his solid, confident stance.
4 Add Fingers and Hair
Add a hairstyle suitable to his age and personality. You could even leave him bald. Refine the hand, showing the curve of his fingers. The angle he’s holding his hand makes the index finger look longer and hides the thumb.
5 Draw Clothes
Place his tie, lapels and buttons closer to his left because he’s standing at an angle. Suit coats don’t wrinkle much, so draw just a few lines near the elbow and shoulder.
6 Fine-Tune
Add folds to his trousers and drape the cuffs following the curve of his foot. Add soles to the bottom of his shoes.
7 Finish It
Add ink and, if you like, gray tones or color. He doesn’t look like a teenager, and that’s exactly what we want.
Here at IMPACT headquarters nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a copy of Dracopedia. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our favorite dragon books, DVDs and downloads. Make all the dragon-lovers on your gift list happy with these top picks:
It’s been a great year at IMPACT Books and we’d like to share some of our highlights with you! Learn how to draw some of our most popular subjects with the help of these free tutorials and then gift someone with your artwork–and a copy of one of the books they come from, too! When learning a new skill is this fun, everyone benefits!
If graffiti is more your style, check out Scape Martinez’s demonstration on how to create your own abstract letters. Scape Martinez shares his vast graff knowledge with you in Graff and Graff2.
Extreme Face Painting went wild this Halloween, but makeup special effects can be used for all kinds of reasons and seasons. If you have your own Miss Piggy, why not show up to a screening of The Muppets in fine style?
Want some fantastic resources for the aspiring comic artist in your life? Check out these IMPACT Books titles in our shop or through your favorite retailer for some great gift ideas for the holiday season.
Pinterest is the new craze, and what an awesome one it is! A new, fun form of social bookmarking designed to act like a virtual pinboard, and while our page is still in it’s fledgling stages, we’re excited to be rounding up our favorite items on the web, as well as finding some awesome gems we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Keep an eye on us there by clicking on the handy-dandy Pinterest button.
