Composition 101: The Thumbnail Sketch: How Taking Cell Phone Photographs and Reading Comics Make You a Better Artist

How Taking Cell Phone Photographs and Reading Comics Make You a Better Artist

If you want to become a better artist, my advice is to take lots of photographs with your phone and read a ton of comic books. There is no quicker way to improve your sense of visual composition. 

Wait, what? That sounds too easy. There has to be more to it than that! 

 Composition is a visual language that all good photographers and artists know. In 2018 I explained the different types of camera angels in this post. I showed my viewers how they could take excellent, interesting photographs with their cell phones and become better photographers. 

Today I will explain how, after becoming a better photographer, you can also create fantastic, dynamic drawings just by paying attention to composition. The key is to start with a thumbnail sketch!

The ability to draw what you see, while useful, is only a small part of the 'how to become a better artist' puzzle.  You need to know how to draw your viewers into your artwork and lead their eyes around the page.

I have created these two videos to show you exactly how to be mindful of composition when creating art. The first video shows how to create a thumbnail sketch to establish your composition. The second video covers inking and adding details. 

 

Below are the sketches I created in the above videos. Feel free to print them out and use them as a reference. If you are an art teacher, you will notice an immediate improvement in your students drawings after teaching this lesson, but please be sure to credit The Helpful Art Teacher when you share your great results.

Below each page, I have included samples of some of my cell phone pictures that inspired the drawings. All of the original photos used in these drawings may be found embedded in my Photography 101 post.

When you try this yourself, it is imperative that you take your own photographs first and use them as reference when creating your own drawings. 

If you are a teacher, have your students create sub-albums on their phones with different types of shots. Here is a document with descriptions of some of the most commonly used camera angles.

Remember, the goal of a good art teacher is to help your students to become better artists. They aren't going to accomplish that if you start them out merely copying the creative work of other people. A good art teacher will help students to develop their own ideas. The best place for them to start doing that is the camera roll of their cell phone.

 Each person carries in his pocket an electronic diary of everything that truly interests them. Let that be the place to have them begin creating. Most students take photographs of things they are interested in without even thinking about the fact that they are actually creating art. This lesson will help them to become more intentional about the images they create and it will provide them with a path to taking more interesting photographs.

Here is the link to the blank comic book pages that I used when creating the drawings below.

  

Full Shot of my daughter

         

             

At the beginning of this article, I encouraged you to read comic books. Why? 

Do you actually have to go out and buy some comic books to get started? Nope! Here is a great resource for reading real comic books online, from the 1930's era to contemporary. All the greats are here!

Please let me explain how becoming an avid comic book and graphic novel reader can improve your visual storytelling craft tremendously. 

The same camera angles used in photography are used by all great comic book artists. Lets look at one example of Action Comics together and you will see what I mean.

Please click on this link to begin.

Start scrolling through the story. Before you read the comic book, take a look at the compositions. What do you see? How many different types of 'camera angles' can you identify?

Over the Shoulder Shot

Close Up

Extreme Close Up

Rule of Thirds. Also Wide Angle Shot

Leading Lines (One Point Perspective)

Up Shot or Worm's Eye View

Wide Angle Shot. Also Two Shot and Up Shot

Dutch Angle Tilt

Notice, in the story, how each subsequent image uses a completely different camera angle. Each image invites the viewer into the story and draws the viewers eye to the most important details. In fact, it is possible to understand much of the story without reading the words, just by picking up on the visual cues.

Commercial artists are visual storytellers. Their goal is to use their artwork to communicate stories and ideas through the art of visual storytelling. 

My advice will also help you be more successful if you are a fine artist and plan to sell your work in galleries. 

 The best fine artists in the world are also aware of the language of good composition. Here is a great article from My Modern Met that gives examples of famous paintings that utilize the rule of thirds.

This article shows how all artists, from commercial artists and abstract expressionists, utilize the language of good composition. Click here to read the book Creative Illustration by  Andrew Loomis. He gives invaluable advice on the rules of composition and pictorial space. You can easily find the original version on the Internet Archive. The version linked here is edited (by me) to make it school appropriate for my high school students.