Artist Q&A
Answer
Tom Foster replies
When drawing unusual or
particularly characterful facial
types, I find it important to
have a strong understanding
of the underlying anatomy, because my
ability to convincingly exaggerate elements
of this will govern the legitimacy of my
characters. So I have reference material,
such as anatomical diagrams, on hand to
cover any of the gaps in my knowledge.
I look up images of celebrities whose
faces seem to match the character type
I’m aiming for most closely, and study the
dominant shapes in their faces. However,
I try not to base my design too closely onQuestion
My comic characters’ faces lack variety – can you help?
Abi Thorne, England
Emphasising different, key aspects of the face can create a variety of convincing
characters, so long as the fundamentals of form and anatomy are maintained.one person, as a noticeable resemblance to
a familiar figure may bring the reader out
of the fiction of the story and compromise
the character’s own unique identity. So I
draw from elements of different sources,
because noticing the commonalities and
the differences in my chosen models helps
me understand what the core elements that
define the character are.
By building up enough knowledge of
the foundations of facial geography, I can
choose precisely which elements to keep
generic and which to make distinct, to
better define only the things about the
character that I wish to communicate.Answer
Tom Foster replies
Page layouts have a lot of
inf luence over how a reader
follows a story. Here I lay out
a page detailing an escalating
conf lict. In the first two panels, there’s only
mild conf lict, so I use straightforward
angles and panel placement. But as things
get more heated, I begin to drop or break
panel borders, stagger panel placement
and incorporate more dynamic angles and
perspective. I use DAZ 3D to plan my panel
compositions; manipulating the camera
placement and focal length can create some
dramatic effects that would be difficult to
achieve using traditional methods.
I then use Photoshop to organise my
DAZ renders. All the major compositional
elements in each panel are placed to guide
the reader from one panel to the next in
sequence. The figures in panel 3 are shot
from such an angle as to create an invisible
diagonal line that leads from the upper
figure, through the lower figure, through
the left fist of the character in panel 4, right
to the focal point of panel 4: the face of the
charging character. I then guide the reader
through the focal points of the following
two panels in a similar way, using one
continuous, zig-zagging line of action. This
way the action can be dynamically staged,
yet be clear and easy-to-follow for a reader.Question
How can I make dynamic page layouts easy to follow?
Nathan Shannon, CanadaLEADING THE EYE
Drawing an imaginary, or even literal, line
through your layout to represent the path of
the reader’s eye across the page can be a great
help in pulling all your major storytelling
elements together, so that they flow smoothly.A strong thumbnail with a clear line of action can be
invaluable in anchoring the core elements of a page.An increasingly varied page layout can help escalate tension and
drama in a scene, but the action should still be clearly delineated.
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