Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond

I am working my way through this book. I am learning as i go. When i am done, i plan to get my story and start...this book is divided into lessons. the writers have been there, done it and now teach it. This is their lesson plan. The US is better (with some research) at training artists to make a living out of art, what was once called 'commercial art'. Hers in the UK, not so much. And the information can be hard to find and learning a battle. If you want to do a graphic novel, get this book. The information you will get is great, the structured lessons will teach you something, and that is what you need.

Really good book. Excellent quality. Well worth the money. People complain that the print is small but as we wear glasses and it's for a teenage nephew, can't see that as a problem! He absolutely loved it.

A really good book, reasonably priced, that arrived promptly. Thank you for your good service.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  Drawing Words and Writing Pictures is more of a course that a book on drawing comics. The authors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, both comic artists and teachers, have designed the book to follow a 15-week semester. It's easy to follow and each lesson builds on the previous.The course is comprehensive and covers everything from paneling, storytelling, transitions, lettering, inking, character development, etc. Basically every form of education you need to create your own comic.Each lesson has plenty of illustrated examples from the authors and other artists like Craig Thompson, Osamu Tezuka, Paul Pope, etc. You're exposed to many styles, genre and ways of creating comics. The instructions are so clear it's almost like hand holding, but of course you still have to do all the hard work. And the lessons end with homework so you can actually practice what was taught -- practical.This is a really helpful guide on drawing comics. Highly recommended to aspiring comic artists. Well worth the price.This is as close as it can get to attending a real comics drawing class.(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Very much not a digital age book, I found the approach very archaic, if your trying to do anything on the computer this is not the book , its all ink and process white, and gets a little convoluted explaining things which made me glaze over at times. I like Abel's work so was disappointed.