Attack of the Giant Bee
434. ATTACK OF THE GIANT BEE - A pen and ink drawing on an 11 x 14 size drawing paper. I have no clue to whom I sent this fanzine drawing, it was done in the mid 1960s when I was learning to draw.
My first teacher was a drawing instruction book, "Fun With a Pencil'" by Andrew Loomis. It was originally published in 1939 by Viking Press, and in it he wrote, "The mental depression of our era, with all the serious problems we face, weighs heavy upon us. A little joy from inside must be welcome to almost everybody. There is real fun in drawing, to make something come to life with the mere lines of a pencil,"
That was written over 70 years ago, just two years before the start of World War 2. And here we are today still facing serious problems, and we still need something to alleviate the depression we feel after watching the news every day.
Anyway, I read that entire book, and in my spare time I copied every drawing on every page, starting with a simple circle at the very beginning of the book, as instructed. I went on, drawing heads, hands, and human figures. Perspective, composition, and objects in light and shadow. It took over a year to copy all the drawings in the book. Oops!, I did skip drawing the "stick figures".
I was pleased to see that when I was near the end of the book my drawings looked pretty good. But, I was not "there" yet, this was only the beginning! Copying a drawing is one thing, but creating your own "original" artwork is the real challenge! And to be a professional illustrator requires a bit more than just being able to draw well, you need to understand the market you are trying to break into. I hoped I knew enough about the science fiction field to do it.
My first teacher was a drawing instruction book, "Fun With a Pencil'" by Andrew Loomis. It was originally published in 1939 by Viking Press, and in it he wrote, "The mental depression of our era, with all the serious problems we face, weighs heavy upon us. A little joy from inside must be welcome to almost everybody. There is real fun in drawing, to make something come to life with the mere lines of a pencil,"
That was written over 70 years ago, just two years before the start of World War 2. And here we are today still facing serious problems, and we still need something to alleviate the depression we feel after watching the news every day.
Anyway, I read that entire book, and in my spare time I copied every drawing on every page, starting with a simple circle at the very beginning of the book, as instructed. I went on, drawing heads, hands, and human figures. Perspective, composition, and objects in light and shadow. It took over a year to copy all the drawings in the book. Oops!, I did skip drawing the "stick figures".
I was pleased to see that when I was near the end of the book my drawings looked pretty good. But, I was not "there" yet, this was only the beginning! Copying a drawing is one thing, but creating your own "original" artwork is the real challenge! And to be a professional illustrator requires a bit more than just being able to draw well, you need to understand the market you are trying to break into. I hoped I knew enough about the science fiction field to do it.
