Bryan HITCH's Ultimate

v BRYan HITCH’S ULTIMATE FOREWORD BY JOSS WHEDON Press escape to return to normal view Bryan Hitch trademarks New York establishing shot It is inevitable that your own style and personality comes through in your work, Establishing shots make the location of the and that readers become familiar with that. I like my action to be ‘big’, and the action a key part of the story, be it a city, a building or a spaceship. The detailed devices I use for this have become known as my ‘trademarks’. To me, it’s all just panorama here provides a level of reality, and is also a useful tool to give the reader a part of conveying a story with as much impact as possible. moment of space to breathe and re-adjust. 24 Press escape to return to normal view 1. Establishing shots These widescreen shots really put the reader The superhero close-up Not all comics are keen to show the reality in the thick of the action. of the environment in which the story is 3. Close-up portraits This is a close-up of Doctor Impossible from the novel Soon I will be Invincible, rendered in a set, but to me it is an important part of the This is all about choosing a viewpoint to give classic foreshortened pose for the front cover. I storytelling process. It makes the reader feel you an angle of a face that you’ve never seen think this works really well as a good example of involved and helps to achieve verisimilitude. before, to get an expression that has impact a close-up portrait. If a story is set in New York then I want the and purpose for the story. It can be quite ‘The’ eight-page widescreen shot reader to experience the awe of walking daunting to approach a big, empty piece of around Manhattan. I want big shots of the city, paper and start drawing in an awful lot of It was coming towards the end of The Ultimates, which I research using a variety of books and detail, but you have to be fearless. a six-page spread had just been done in Batman, bespoke photographic reference. 4. Detail and I wanted to beat it. The action moves from 2. Widescreen action I am sometimes told I could get away with left to right and the eight characters each have their moment in space to clarify the layout of I like my action to be big. My artist’s viewpoint putting less detail in my work, but I just this mega conflict scene. It’s one of the most is from within the action, not from a peripheral wouldn’t be satisfied doing less. I put the fun pieces I’ve ever done. The satisfaction of point, and I want the reader to feel that they detail in because it should be there; I see it as unfolding each of the printed pages to reveal the are being dragged through the action as well. intrinsic to my role as a storyteller. whole scene is hard to beat. 25 Press escape to return to normal view The drawing process You’ve received and read your script, doodled all over it and have already started to visualise the story. You should have a clear idea in your mind of what you want each panel to look like, and now is the time to put it on to paper and check that it works. The sketching process It is a good idea to use a few different colours in your roughs to help you spot shapes and lines as you work. I use an HB pencil initially, followed by an erasable blue pencil and then red, black and blue brush pens. The drawing stage is the first opportunity for you to really check that what you see in your mind as you read the script actually works on paper. It is a process for addressing compositional problems, not storytelling ones, so it’s vital that you already have a clear idea of what you want characters and environments to look like. This might occasionally change as you find that a scene just isn’t working, but the more you practise and grow in confidence the less this will happen. Press escape to return to normal view Ruling up On the lightbox Your drawings will already have been ordered Try not to let the lightbox stage become a and sized with the panels in mind, so mechanical process of tracing. Do basic inserting the frame lines should just be a outlines on the box and then finish up away formality. You will need to use rulers to from it, adding more detail and tone. Have a measure up your panels and ensure that the clear idea of the point at which you’re going space between each frame is correct. to come off the box, and stick to it. A lightbox is a useful tool for the comic artist, as it enables you to create a more finished outline drawing while still keeping the rough. While this means that you can return for a second pass should you not be happy with the final drawing, it is a good discipline to know Your rough sketches should be a full when something works and to have confidence size version of the finished page, with your and stick with it. Even if you think of another way composition already having taken account of of composing a scene or working an effect, it is the rhythm of the story, the pacing and the a good idea to leave it for the next piece, rather sequential action that you planned earlier. than going back and re-working an existing one. To mark vanishing points and panel frames Don’t put too much time or polish I use erasable blue pencil. You can draw into your drawings. Work quickly, lightly and over it quite easily, and it just fades into the instinctively, and try to avoid spending too long background once you add black or grey pencil, on the lightbox. enabling you to see the composition, lines and Switch the light off every now and shapes much more clearly. then to check that the lines are making sense, You don’t need any fancy equipment to rule and also to prevent your hands from getting Picking the outlines up your frames – an art board is useful, but too hot. And remember to stick both sheets of not essential.The most important thing is that paper to the box with masking tape – there’s An ordinary 2H mechanical pencil is ideal for you don’t work flat, and are in a position where nothing more frustrating than having to keep the initial outline work, providing the accuracy you can eye up the panels easily. realigning the pages when they slip! and detail that you need at this stage. DRAWING 55 Press escape to return to normal view 28 Press escape to return to normal view Composition The more accomplished you become as a comic artist, the more instinctive the principles of composition will become. Thinking about the composition of each panel should come into your mind from the moment you first read the script, so that when you actually come to put pencil to paper you have a clear idea of what you want each panel to look like, the camera angle that you want to use, the vanishing points that will draw the reader into the action and the pacing of the story from panel to panel. The initial roughing out process is when you find out if the composition that’s in your mind works in reality and, if not, when you start to tweak it. 29 Press escape to return to normal view BRYan HITCH’S ULTIMATE Description Contents • Introduction The world’s top comic artist Bryan Hitch explores • Foreword his inspirations, approaches and techniques through a stunning collection of his finest pieces from Marvel, as 1 Story telling well as brand new pieces commissioned especially for 2 Composition this book. 3 Drawing 4 Inking and colour Special highlights include step-by-step development 5 The business of comics sequences on some of the Fantastic Four scenes, and 6 Gallery extended commentaries on some of his classic pieces from the Ultimates. • Index Packed with information, practical tips on panel composition, storytelling, tools and materials, Specifications inspiration and references, how to break into the industry and much more, this is the long awaited guide and a must-have for Bryan Hitch fans all over the world. PUBLICATION DATE: OCTOBER 2010 Size (HxW): 254 x 225mm Marketing points Size (WxH): 83/4 x 10in Extent: 128pp Illustrations colour: 150 Bryan Hitch is the most popular comic artist in the Including a foreword by writer, director and producer Edition: First world bar none of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon, this is a Word Count: 20,000 veritable visual feast of dynamic, impactful art for Format: Hardback Wizard magazine, which circulates 250,000 copies, comic fans all over the world. ISBN-13: 978-1-6006-1327-2 currently ranks Bryan as the most popular artist in Imprint: Impact the comic/graphic novel industry RRP: £19.99 Format: Paperback with special This is first practical book by Bryan that also talks fold-out front flap about his inspirations, approaches and techniques, ISBN-13: 978-1-6006-1327-2 making it essential reading Imprint: Impact US RRP: $24.99 Packed with Hitch’s best pieces for Marvel and with a Rights Available: World foreword by Joss Whedon Category: Art Techniques BIC Code 1: WFA Painting & Art The Author BIC Code 2: Manuals FM Fantasy Bryan Hitch is the world’s most popular comic book illustrator who is probably best known for his role as co-creator and writer on bestselling The Authority (DC) and The Ultimates (Marvel).

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