He wasn’t quite sure what to draw.
This happens to him, to me, to every artist–we have our paper, our pencils before us, we’re excited to make art, but the ideas don’t seem to flow. So I told him what I tell lots of similarly indecisive comic book artists–make 6 boxes on your paper. You can always add more on the back. As you make boxes and start to draw ideas will come to you.
Whether or not it always works, it worked this time. He created what he called the evolution of the stick figure. The stick figure was assembled in the comic line by line–first the body, then the head, then the arms and legs. He even added a seventh panel, where the stick figure prepared to do battle against the stick boss–I told him I couldn’t wait to see how the battle unfolded.
At workshops and drawing booths, lots of people say they can’t draw. Jerry will tell them to draw even a stick figure, enjoying the act of creation rather than worrying about worrying about whether or not their art is “good enough” Often, the results are spectacular–whole pages of stick figures in elaborate poses, with amazing backgrounds and fascinating expressions. At a recent workshop in Sugarland, Texas, a kid made an entire tableau of stick figures laying siege to a castle, flying in planes, dropping bombs, digging under the walls.
So here’s an appreciation post to the humble but deceptively powerful stick figure! A superficially simple creature, it contains in its lines, its simplicity enormous potential for art and storytelling.
It’s especially powerful for pose drawing exercises. As kids come up to pose, they will do handstands, elaborate contortions, daring acts of imbalance that last less than a moment. With a few lines you can capture this energy and then…make it WACKY!
More than that, you can use stick figures to play around with story ideas, interactions between characters and their environments, before adding more detail to your comic. Think about how your characters talk, or fight, or work together? Develop what theater people call the blocking of a scene.
One of the biggest barriers between people and their creativity is the inner critic. This voice shows us the flaws in our work, telling us that we’ll never be a real artist because we don’t practice enough, or we don’t have enough talent, or because our ideas just aren’t that good. The way to overcome this voice is simple: DO ART! Make a “bad” drawing. Create for the sheer pleasure of it and see what happens. As you make art, you’ll find that this inner critic becomes quieter. It may even help you, pointing out things you can fix rather than obstacles to making art at all. But usually, you become lost in the flow of the art, fixing “mistakes” as they arise or seeing how they contribute to what makes your art unique and beautiful.
And what better way to get started than with something simple. Something that everyone can draw. Something that will allow you to being the journey from Idea to Creation.
So here’s to the stick figure! Draw a stick figure today–but don’t forget to make it WACKY! And feel free to show us what you create! Whatever you create, Do Art Nation, remember that we’d love to see it! Keep the fire of creativity lit in your brains, and as always thank you for being on this journey with us!
