Drawing Cutting Edge Comics Reviews

• Good compliment, but can't stand on its own

  
  By A2AOC1GWSMD42O on 2004-02-16
  The good thing about this book is that most basic drawing ideas are covered: faces, basic anatomy, and perspective. One of the articles I particularly like is the drawing comparison between different top artists (from using the same reference). It gives an idea of how to develop your own unique style rather than copying someone elses. The focus in the "cutting edge" comic market today is to give a "dark" feeling. Hence inking is exaggerated and skin tones are darker (compare Witchblade to Wonder Woman and you'll know what I mean). If you're interested in these aspects of drawing, then this book will give you a taste that no current other book can offer.

  Despite the uniqueness of this book, the problem is that book is NOT a stand-alone (all-in-one) guide to drawing "Top-Cow" and "Chaos" style comics. If you are a newbie in drawing, then this book is more eye-candy than an aid to help you. You will have difficulties reaching Al Rio's level of quality on this book alone. There are little step-by-step instructions or diagrams. Since there are different artists contributing to different sections of the book, it can be a distraction. No offense, but I don't really think Chris Hart's artwork is "cutting edge." It looks rather cartoony as another reviewer said. Hence, I think this book can be better streamlined and edited. In addition, there should be more about shading, more about anatomy and poses, and more about creating impact. I think Andy Smith's "Drawing Dynamic Comics" has better basics than this book. In fact, it would be good to pick up that book as well because it gives a different perspective from another author. In any event, this book tries to do too much. I would rather have this book dump all the "basic stuff" and dig deeper into the advanced stuff.
  
  

• Babes [and] heros w/ giant muscles--cutting edge?

  
  By on 2002-10-21
  Sorry. It's rather typical, I'm afraid. It's a collection of obscenely-muscled male hero stereotypes, and barely-clothed babes with [a]giant [chest], skin-tight outfits and bare midriffs and absurdly-low pants (starting right at the cover). No doubt they're sexy, but I wouldn't call it "cutting edge." Rather, it's dead-center in the middle of comic cliches that abound on any comics store shelf. While it's fun to draw and gaze on such hypersexed creatures, there's a weird feeling of adolescant bedroom horniness about it all. When are we going to see truly "cutting edge" characters who aren't all imitations of the same body with different heads and costumes?
  
  

• Doesn't get much better than this

  
  By A2PPPNBVM6S4VZ on 2002-07-10
  Two thumbs up! This book blows Hart's previous how to books based on comic art out of the water. It shows examples of correct anatomy, facial expressions, different camera angles, foreshortening, perspective, page design, and genre types. And for those who want to draw beautiful women and massive men this book shows you how. Those basics are a must have for those of you who want to be aspiring artists, because the comic industry is very compeitive. Some of the samples of art are outstanding! This book is for more of advanced artists. It also gives you tips from top people in the industry from TopCow and Chaos comics. The styles shown is this book are how many top artists draw now so if you wanna be a perfessional comic artists I implore you this book is absolutly a must have! I use this book as an everyday reference so it's easily worth it's money and can help you develop that cutting edge you need. DO U ENJOY DRAWING COMIC ART AND READING COMICS AND LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, E-MAIL ME.
  
  

• Cutting Edge? Not so much...

  
  By A1Z7NV6NAKH5IC on 2005-08-28
  The comic book equivalent of "extreme" sports. While comic book figures are obviously drawn "larger than life," this book takes that technique well over the top. If you're not distracted by recurring illustrations of women with proportions which don't remotely resemble reality (augmention notwithstanding), you won't mind this book.
  
  Instead, I recommend Hart's books "How to Draw Comic Book Heroes and Villains" for a less "extreme" treatment of his method, and "Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy" for general guidelines on drawing the human figure without a live model, and checking the proportions of your subject by "internal" reference.
  
  Others have suggested "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" (1978) instead, and I concur. I also highly recommend "The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics" by Klaus Janson (2003) as a companion volume.
  
  Make sure you look at this one in the bookstore before deciding to buy it.
  
  

• No talent Hack

  
  By A2ZVYRQNVME01W on 2005-07-19
  Your better off buying your favorite comic books then buying this book. Problem is he's trying to adapt to the Marvel House of style. You don't need extream foreshortening to be a good line artist. The book was rushed and done for money. There is a DC comics book out there with Klaus Jansen and Draw magazine published by twomorrow is a better bang for you buck.
  
  
• The best art teaching book available...
  By AAP5KTEYSGO2V on 2002-10-24
  "Drawing Cutting Edge Comics" has been the best drawing book I have seen on the market by Chris Hart in a long time. Totally blows his other books away! How ever, it's more for ppl who already know how to draw human anatomy...a.k.a they don't show you how to draw the human body in motion like "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way." This book is def. like a book for ppl who are serious about going into the Comic Book Industry. It's a must buy.
  
  
• Does not deliver
  By A3CQ8ZNAXZIK3O on 2002-01-06
  This book is a ... , trust me when I tell you that you will learn very little out of it , it has lots of pretty samples but it is not enough to teach , there are no tutorials , no step by step and hardly any informative text . For example the coloring section shows the inks and then the finished colors next to it - that's it .

  You can learn just the same by looking at comics , I was very disappointed from this book . ...
  
  

• Draw like a pro
  By on 2002-03-03
  Well, what can I say but Chris Hart has totally outdone his previous books! This book is an excellent source of information with art and tips from pros from company's such as Top Cow and Chaos comics. There is even a small section on coloring with a 2 page comic preview of Bad Kitty (Chaos) at the end. The best book on the market I have ever seen. I myself am a freelance comic book artist and I give this book a 5/5!
  
  
• Great Book!
  By ANEDXRFDZDL18 on 2001-12-30
  I recently purchased this book, and I found it quite useful, and the artwork and instructions quite good. I especially found the art of Al Rio quite helpful. For me, Al's art pages (5, 8-23, 25, 52-61, 116) was worth the cost of the book alone. Constructive criticism: I wish they hadn't shrunk the facial diagrams on page 14-15 so small that they were difficult to see. This is useful and beautiful art reference. Also, although I enjoy Chris Hart's writing, his artwork, which dominates the second half, is not as good as the other artists ands is excessively cartoony. I really wish Al Rio or Grant Miehm did more of the interior drawing. I also would like to see more 'turnarounds' (such as are done on the top of 18-19) for anatomical reference. The ones that are included are small, but good. Overall, though this book is another great in a series, and has many good pictures for artists of all skill levels. Keep producing more Christopher!
  
  
• Drawing Cutting Edge Comics
  By on 2002-01-02
  This is a pretty good book overall if you are trying to learn about new ideas in the comic book art genre. If you are a beginner, this is really not the book for you. There are some "how to" portions on the book for beginners, but as a whole there is very little explanation on most of the topics.
  The author has sections on faces, expressions, dynamic poses, etc. but really no explanation on how to create the desired effects. The author does present a section on how to make comic book women more "alluring" and for the most part it is a good chapter. It could use a little more in depth description.
  The pictures inside are a good source for reference, but that is about all. He does give some good insight on evolving "trends" in comics art today and he managed to get Al Rio to do most of the art for what I would consider his "important" illustrations. The author has included "interviews" and I use the term lightly, with some Comic artists, and one at the end of the book with Brian Pulido from Chaos! Comics. I'm really not sure why. He seemed to cut them short for space considerations. Because of that, they don't add much.
  The section on coloring has some good examples and illustrates the differences he brings forth, but there are NO explanations or how-to. To me it was pretty, but useless.
  If you are a beginner looking for help, try another book. If you feel you are beyond the "beginner" stage, you may want to check this book out. It has some nice tips strewn throughout, you just have to look for them.
  
  
• The Best Around
  By A1ZBTK8550LB8M on 2002-07-01
  I have almost every single book on comic book art written in the last ten years, and this one tops them all. By far.
  I recommend this book not only to people who want to be comic book artists, but also those who are interested in more "serious" art forms. The tips and tricks are indispensible for anyone drawing the human form or face, regardless of the style.
  I've read this book a hundred times, and I still use it every day for reference.
  
  
• The tutorial for comic artists
  By A3J5DRC0LFBPIP on 2004-02-14
  I ordered several comic drawing books, and being an artist for many years, this book adds punch to your drawing arsenal. While this book does not teach you the bare basics of drawing or drawing comics (I highly recommend "Drawing Comics The Marvel Way" If you need the basics) it teaches you how to make your drawings better.

  While this comic style may be a "fad" and some critcs say the modern style of comics is overdone and cliched, this book goes beyond the cliches and the fads... it teaches you how to think out of the box, which is what comic fans want.

  Recommended!
  
  

• Eh.
  By A2ZF6EJJE2S33F on 2004-09-05
  An accessible reference point, Drawing Cutting Edge comics is not a how-to book. For the most part, Hart tends to touch on topics without actually elaborating on them(as if he is writing because he has to and not simply because he wants to). From a reference vantage point, this book contains excellent material on basic anatomy and facial structure--including an extensive section regarding the face drawn from varying angles, etc. Also helpful for both beginning and advanced artists is the four page spread on drawing hands and feet in different positions. Hart attempts to present a comprehensive chapter on drawing more seductive females and will again this is good reference material, realize that Hart's females are simply cookie cutter models. You'll notice he uses the same body types and faces and only changes the hairstyle and costume. While it's a good section for those beginning to draw female comic characters, you'll need to keep in mind to create a more diverse selection of characters in your own work. Beyond that, the remainder of the book is basically Hart's take on creating unique characters. Yet again, while there are some good learning tips to be found, his characters are anything but unique and it is better to focus on your own creations while perhaps using Hart's illustration as a rough guide. Roughly one-sixth of this book is dedicated to "interviews" with artists, etc. which unfortunately fall short in that they only tell you what you already know and don't shed any new light on breaking into the comic world. At the end, there is a noteworthy selection on transforming comic book characters into tv animation characters. So in conclusion, while this book is not the pinnacle of artistic instruction, it does provide reference for several key elements of the trade.
  
  
• i know this
  By AZCYWPQFZLKG4 on 2002-05-08
  if you know how to draw.. and even folkswho don't know you say you can draw.. you don't need this book. It shows you how to drawstuffthat's trendy in comic books but if you wantto learnto draw. don't draw trendy.. ask yourself where is rob liefeld andallthoseartistwho copied his art style ..?
  they're gone or they're copy who ever is in style now.. but those like jimlee.. and dan jurgen.. and such artist had there style and never tried to change it.
  so stay original:)

  if you like to draw.. email me ..always into chattin with fellow artist.
  as you can tell drawing is my thing not typing :)
  
  

• Simply the Best!...
  By A2Y1KGY7QLO43E on 2003-05-02
  Very inspirational!!...

  I have some very good books about Arts, but as a Comic Book artist and Advertising guy I wanted a book about "Comics"

  Something with tips, language and ideas about comics... and folks... this is it!

  This books is great in every way... I have bought some pretty good books about this genre, as a reference and help just to keep in hand in case you need it...

  This Christopher Hart book is inspirational!!!!!
  
  

• You want to draw better?
  By A25K12XUP4PSV on 2004-03-22
  I'm a begining artist and I must say this book helps a lot. I would recommend you start with Hart's earlier book on human anatomy made easy to get you started. This book is for advanced artist looking for that extra something. This book will definately help with that.
  
  
• This is a much better cheap knock off of good drawing books
  By A344M221EPGFX3 on 2006-06-13
  I'll have to admit, this book blows How to Draw Comic Book Heroes and Villains out of the water! It also falls short of Dick Giordano's newer book Draw Comics with Dick Giordano, and well short of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way to say the very least! I would invest my money in a how to draw book written by someone who knows how to draw than by someone who wants to make a buck. You would be well advised to stay away from this author's work. He doesn't know what he's talking about!
  
  
• Nice pictures but not much else.
  By A1I9J2SOWPTEZ2 on 2006-12-22
  I bought this book because I saw it in a book store and liked the style of work in it. Ive been drawing and painting for years. The art is everybit as good as mine or better but as far as a learning book or a book teaching you how to acomplish these works it is lacking. Its an ok book for anyone who doesnt like to read. because theres not much reading or explaination in it. Its all sort of look and guess. Its also lacking variations in characters of other races/nationalities. Im glad I bought it used and not new.
  
  
• Drawing Cutting Edge Comics
  By AEDP7344B5JHA on 2003-05-06
  The minute I saw the cover on this book I KNEW I Wanted it went to the bookstore to check it out and ordered it off Amazon for a much better deal.It would be worth the retail either way I love to draw dynamic women and figures this is the best book on body perspective and animation I have bought But Hart is a great illustrator in my book.I got another of his books as a companion with it.
  
  
• Pre-Review
  By A2SL4FKEMIZSYD on 2004-09-12
  I just skimmed over the preview of a few pages of the book(as Amazon offers for no charge), picked up my sketchbook, and started sketching out the male/female templates. It was very easy for me. I also got a completely original look on both sketches. I don't like to try to conform my style to others'. Anyway, I like art. I like portraits. And I like comics. So why shouldn't this be hard to pick up? If the results from the preview were satisfied me, then I'm definitely going for the whole thing.
  
  
• Very good book!
  By A30J3MMN4IAXPI on 2005-05-22
  This book is the most helpful book I've used as far as art goes. It's not really for beginner artists, but hey, you can try it out! I personally think that it has made me a much better artist. It is a 5 star book reguardless of what anyone else says.
  
  
• Great!!
  By A18BHFNVPUDWBF on 2007-01-15
  This is a great item to get into my collection. Definately a buy that is well worth it.
  
  
• HOW TO DRAW TODAY'S COMICS
  By on 2002-12-06
  VERY GOOD BOOK. I AM ALREADY AN AMATEUR/SEMI-PROFESSIONAL PENCILLER AND I FIND MR. HART'S TECHNIQUE REFRESHING. THERE'S NO ONE WAY TO DRAW. IF YOU LIKE A STYLE GO WITH IT; IF NOT MOVE ON. HIS STYLE IS LIKE MANY COMICS TODAY: IMAGE, CHAOS, DARK HORSE. MUST BUY FOR THOSE LOOKING TO DRAW LIKE THAT.
  
  
• a great inspiration to draw
  By on 2003-11-13
  I bought this book when first starting out. Although you need to have some basic skills to really dive into the later chapters, Hart does start out showing how to draw the face and figures. Def. not an all-in-one drawing book, but the clear writing and helpful illustrations will give those who need some added inspiration to keep practicing.
  
  
• Cutting Edge Not Deep Enough
  By AVAYPIMDXYNRF on 2007-08-17
  Although Hart's talented, his book will not improve beginners' skills because he does not fully develop each section. Cutting Edge needs to be twice its size to cover its topics. A person can spend years getting anatomy down. I had hoped for more step-by-step methods to his style, but Hart jumps from A to Z, expecting the reader to understand the huge gap inbetween. Get drawing experience before reading this, or you'll be disappointed.
  
  
• BUY!
  By AHCGJUDL33FF on 2003-01-29
  I took one look at this book at the store and bought it right away! Amazing drawings. It's a need to buy. If you want to brush up on your drawing skills then you'll love it. I bought this for son, and he suddenly started to enjoy drawing. I feel that buying this book will only give you posotive results.
  
  
• BUY!
  By AHCGJUDL33FF on 2003-01-29
  I took one look at this book at the store and bought it right away! Amazing drawings. It's a need to buy. If you want to brush up on your drawing skills then you'll love it. I bought this for son, and he suddenly started to enjoy drawing. I feel that buying this book will only give you posotive results.
  
  
• THE BEST OF THE BEST
  By on 2004-01-08
  This book is realllllllllly good. Real good tips and examples too. Tons of examples. I can nit pick and say the section on muscles could have been more detailed. Definately get this book if u want to draw real good.
  
  
• Something's missing
  By A2DM3ZJ6N1KN55 on 2004-09-02
  Although this book shows some good examples, I find that it is lacking somewhat. There's a feel of a rush job here. It's good for quick references, such as how to draw a face from different angles, et. al.
  
  I don't quite agree with the section on composition. He's trying a bit too hard to make everything "cutting-edge" that he forgets the idea of story-telling. This results in his pages a bit over-done. Perhaps he should read Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art.
  
  One section that confuses me is the part on animation. That shouldn't be in this book since this is supposed to be about comics. Personally, to some extent, the animation section is a waste of space.
  
  I could summarize the gist of this book: To attain cutting-edge, exaggerate!
  
  If you're looking for a book that is more of a picture reference, get this book (See first paragraph). But I would suggest Will Eisner's books for better in-depth story-telling lessons.
  
  
• Drawing Cutting Edge Comics
  By A3TRQV9EEBNI47 on 2007-07-24
  Awesome book you can learn alot from this book even if you are a beginner
  
  

• Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists
• Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion: American Comics with a Manga Influence
• How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
• Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist: How to Draw the New Streamlined Look of Action-Adventure Comics!
• How to Draw Great-Looking Comic Book Women (Christopher Hart Titles)