1. Draw in batches of 4-5 pages
Move from one stage of work to the next only when the batch is complete: first five page sketches, then all five get outlines, then fills, then shadows and highlights, then speech bubbles.
Why? Switching between activities costs the brain surprisingly much. No joke: switching from drawing each page individually (from sketch to finish) to drawing in batches immediately cuts work time roughly in half. And that's without changing drawing technique or acquiring new skills!
The optimal batch size is 4-5 pages; beyond that, the acceleration effect starts to diminish or even reverse (the brain also charges heavily for excessive monotony).
2. Use digital mannequins
Poser, Daz, and other programs with digital humanoid dummies are your best friends.
I also recommend learning Blender, at least at a basic level: to create simple scene geometry so you no longer have to painfully work out poses, perspective, and object placement "from your head".
3. Use 3D references
Your best friend here is Sketchfab. Countless thousands of digitized real locations, people, museum exhibits, as well as 3D models created from scratch. You can rotate them from any angle.
Many models can be downloaded and placed in Daz, Poser, and Blender alongside your digital mannequins to create an excellent skeleton for a future scene.
A separate life hack: take clothes and hair from free Sketchfab models and put them on your dummies to make your work a bit easier here too.
Who gives advice? Your fellow comic artist, author of the comic "Gifts of Wandering Ice" (Gifts of wandering ice). So you don't have to learn from your mistakes for 16 years like I did.
#useful #comics
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