(It's a long vertically-scrolling comic strip, so make sure to keep scrolling down when you read it...)Brian Ralph manages to combine real drawing lessons with some personal rants, and by adding in some autobiographical story elements, he comes up with a comic strip that's so good I wish I had a poster of it on my wall right now. Man, I LOVE it! Great stuff! If you want to read some great cartooning tips, Check it out HERE at http://firstsecondbooks.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/11/drawlikeralph.jpg
Check out Brian Ralph's website at http://bralph.com/
12 comments:
Sherm,
Hello and thanks so much for your wonderful contributions to the animation world!!!! I just recently discovered you from Chad over at the toon monkey! I have talked to him on the phone and he too is a great guy with some knock out animation skills! Oh,..I also just purchased your Cartooning book as I love traning books and have only found a few worth keeping. I know yours will be another!!! I'm struggling with a new character I'm developing and it just puts me in a foul mood when I can't get the $#@%!&!'n legs right! I always struggle with the legs! Rather than take it out on my dog again,...I purchased your book! I'm just so thrilled that you are kind enough to share your talent and knowledge with an old washed up cartoonist (I'm 43)like me!!!!! I only hope I didn't embarrass myself too badly by admitting I still have troubles with basics like arm positioning and legs all the while being 43 years old!!!!
Hey, Todd...thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you like the blog, and I hope you'll enjoy the drawing book. For your dog's sake, feel free to email me a couple of drawings and I'll see if I can help out with the positioning. (you can find my email address in my Blogger profile).
And I hope that 43 doesn't mean washed up! I'm turning 43 tomorrow!!
Take care... --Sherm
Thanks! I just might do that!! No,..43 is good,..it's all good. I just feel like I'm way behind on pursuing my cartooning sometimes. I'm a graphic artist at a huge corporation in Tennessee,..and sometimes I regret taking the cash way back when over my love of cartooning especially when the corporate infighting and politics rear their ugly heads. Talk about an environment that sucks the creativity right out of ya at the end of the day,..geesh!!
I'm really wanting to make a go at this 'tooning 'thang so I may take you up on your offer!!! I've got to get through these hangups and sticking points before I can move on though!!! Now that my wife supports this dream and my 8 year old son as well,...I'm beginning to feel alive again! My dog is still not to keen on this...
td
Happy birthday Sherm!!
Your pal from Argentina
Julian
Wow...thanks, Julian! I'm having a great birthday...but you just made it better. Take care, buddy... --Sherm
Brian Ralph's work is excellent. I just Amazon'd me up some Shermy books too. Thanks for the great time in Burbank, and the drawings.
Long live mr Cohen! WOOOT!
C
sweet new Cartoon snap blog design and logo Sherm!
Hey, Mike...thanks for noticing the logo...you're the first to comment on it! I wanted to break out of that generic look and make a banner that looked like cartoons and comics. Glad you like it! Good hearing from yeh --Sherm
Sherm! Is the book out yet? Did you tell me you had a book out ? I want ypu book. Ok I'll buy it!
Hiya, Bill...Yeah, the book is out and you can find it at Swain's or Michael's or Aaron Brothers or wherever they sell Walter Foster art books! Of course, there's always Amazon.com, too. Sorry I never mentioned the book to you. I wrote & drew the book for Walter Foster Publishing a couple years ago while I was working at Cartoon Network. The book was published while I was working at Disney last year, so by the time I was back at Nick I kinda forgot to mention it to people.
I've been saving drawing notes ever since you were so kind to first critique my drawings on your dining room table. Believe it or not, I still have a big box of notes from those Ren and Stimpy days when I was trying to learn a ton of drawing theories in as short a time as possible. I learned a lot from you and Bob Camp and Stephen Destephano and Tom Owens and from studying the cartoons and silent movies and classic films that were recommended to me.
I still remember drawing a prop for one of your shows...it was a book. I drew a really generic book, and you tossed it back to me and said,"you can draw a better book than that." You were right! Another unrelated memory: You were watching some footage that had just come in from overseas. I was rubbernecking nearby and I commented that I thought Ren's acting was great. You hated it because it was too over the top too soon in the show. You told me about pacing and the whole idea of contrast in acting and posing. Burned into my memory.
So I guess what I'm saying is that everything in this book is something I picked up from somebody else like yourself that was committed enough and kind enough and demanding enough and patient enough to share their cartooning knowledge with somebody new to animation. Now I try to do the same whenever possible.
sherm. we miss your updates!
bless us with a sweet ass post.
...pretty please.
-mike
Hey, Mike! I just posted some new weirdities featuring some oddball Sam Spade comics...check 'em out!
Thanks for keeping me on my toes!
More goodies on deck! --Sherm
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