I usually prefer the look of art that I created by doing life-drawing from scenes in my mind’s eye, rather than those drawings where I painstakingly construct the characters out of lines, simple shapes, etc., building them up. To me, my mental life-drawing stuff just looks more organic and comfortable to my eyes. That having been said, I have switched back and forth between these two approaches many times over the years. Issue 6, and the current issue 12, is examples of life drawing from my mind’s eye.
When my visualization abilities are at full charge, I tend to go right to the art board and draw the pictures there directly, skipping thumbnails altogether. At all other times, I draw the picture on a separate piece of paper, make changes in the computer, and trace it onto the art board. I wish my visualization abilities were always at full charge, but stress or illness or fatigue can sideline them.
When I mention life drawing from reference pictures in my mind’s eye, I mean that I am using the same skills that I would use to draw a live models, props, or settings. Visualization and concentration are among the artist’s most powerful tools.
I have changed paper, inking supplies, pencils, and other tools often over the years. Sometimes I’ll hand draw backgrounds, sometimes I’ll use Sketchup to build the background. At one point, I cut and formatted all my own art boards, but now I use Blueline Pro paper exclusively. When it comes to inking, the mix of brush, crow quill, fountain pen, and technical markers in my art has changed regularly. These changes are based on my mood, but no one has ever noticed or pointed out the change, because my art looks like my art no matter how I did it. (It’s the artist, not the tools!) For years I drew with 4H pencils in lead holders, and now I’m partial to 3B in lead holders and draftsman’s mechanical pencils. I should be more consistent, but it’s the mood I’m in, and the availability of tools, and the tooth of the paper that makes up my mind more often than not.
I used to collect toys for reference. I have a drawer full of realistic looking squirt guns, for example, that have shown up as real guns in the comic again and again. If I am having trouble drawing a character from a sharp angle, I will often use my Art S. Buck plastic models posed correctly, or perhaps my old GI Joes. The older, large GI Joes are fantastic models, because they are well jointed and capable of almost any pose. I also have tons of vinyl animals, and lots of vinyl dinosaurs, but the latter rarely get used as art models, primarily because no dinosaurs have shown up in the comic. I love drawing and painting dinosaurs, so maybe it’s time for a Jurassic invasion of Spire City.
When drawing or inking, I am often in “the Zone” for hours on end, a higher state of consciousness when the pencil seems to guide itself, everything I do is gold, and I feel and overwhelming sense of joy. This is really a wonderful state, and the brain releases endorphins like crazy when I’m there. Like my visualization abilities, illness, emotional turmoil, and fatigue all have the ability to keep me out of the zone. I wish I could bottle this state, and take a swig whenever I needed it, but I cannot.
Despite have drawn tons of stuff over the last fifteen years, I feel confident in stating that life drawing at the Indianapolis Art Center’s open studios has increased my ability, and my visualization powers, by ten-fold.
When I revisit this subject, I will go into some detail on how to develop and make use of visualization in art.
Scott.
Working on turning the guest bedroom into my den is continuing right on track. Today I cleaned out the glass cabinet of Batman goodies I stored there. Handling this collection again made me smile—I mean, there are Batman bandages, Batman chicken & noodle soup, Batman cake toppers, a Batman night light, Bat signal projectors, Batmobiles, Batman Easter Egg set, etc. etc. In my defense, most of the stuff in this collection was pretty low cost, all the Batman Pez dispensers, Batman tooth brushes, Batman suckers, Batman pencil toppers, etc.
Last night, I watched the video of Dr. Steven Greer’s speech to the exopolitical crowd in Barcelona, Spain. The show was about an hour long, and it had some very intriguing moments. I’m not sure what to think of Dr. Greer, to be honest; he is vain, self-impressed, and a name and innuendo dropper, yet he also seems to believe what he’s fighting for. Much of the disclosure that has happened is a result of Greer’s pressure in the higher levels of government. He is a showman and a committed believer at the same time, so I find him perplexing.
I haven’t read any of this Blackest Night event at DC. When the trades come out, I will probably read the main series, but skip most of the supporting series and crossovers. I’m looking forward to it, though, because the concept is cool and Doug Mankes’ art is really impressive. I’ve been a fan of his since the Seven Soldiers’ “Frankenstein” mini-series. To be honest, I also hope they use Blackest Night to return some of their cooler dead characters to life. While I was still buying the monthlies, it seems DC comics were all about death, death, and death, and it was getting me down.
I really like trade-paperbacks. I do not like single issues, which now cost $2.99 to $3.99. As far as I’m concerned, the economics are way against collecting the floppies.
Digital comic distribution seems to have arrived. As usual, the way was paved by the pirates and all their file sharing. ComicsXP is my favorite of the new digital distributers, and you can watch an excellent presentation about it 
In my opinion, Freddie E. William’s book “The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics” is perhaps the most important book on cartooning written this decade. I like “how to” books, but most of them cover the same time-tested material again and again. William’s book is something new, a new way to cartoon.
I’ve been reading Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America. It’s easy to see why he won his Eisner’s. Because of the rich supporting cast and super writing, the book has continued on for several years with the main character dead. I haven’t read any of the Rebirth material yet, because it’s not collected into trades, but I have high expectations for that too.
I’ve got an interview coming up in the new ComicsXP magazine, available free at http://www.comicsxp.com. This magazine has not been released yet, but the interview is by John Wilson, and some of my answers may surprise you.
I have taken it upon myself to create a master Photoshop resource file on my computer, one that includes all the brushes, textures, tool presets, custom shapes, custom paths, filters and patterns that I’ve either collected or created myself. This file also contains my photographic morgue, as well as Sketchup files I use regularly. I backed this file up a few days ago, and it took two DVDs to hold it, and would have taken 9 CDs. Yikes.
Over at the 
Remember, the model’s exterior outline is more important than his/her interior details.
