Jamais Jochim
Bio
I'm the guy who knows every last fact about Spider-man and if I don't I'll track it down. I love bad movies, enjoy table-top gaming, and probably would drive you crazy if you weren't ready for it.
Stories (265)
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Creating Art for Marketing
When you're thinking about the art for your book, it can be difficult to remember that you're going to need specific art for marketing purposes. That is, you're going to need art created specifically for marketing, such as for posters or logos; this art needs to be created for not just purposes other than the context of the comic and must also be done to different requirements, such as different resolutions, sizes, and even color schemes. This must all be allowed before the marketing for the comic can even begin.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Creating the Best Book Covers
Writers need to realize that the cover of their book is the first thing most readers see, and unfortunately too many readers judge the book by its cover. However, for too many authors, there's a too easy temptation to get into Canva and design a quick and easy book cover. The problem is that they don't understand the individual parts that make up a book cover, the best placement for those parts, and lack the necessary graphics experience to put everything together. It's really not that hard to create a great book cover, and with a few simple tips it should be easy to put together a decent-looking cover that will help sell your book.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Cinematography Tricks for The Artist
Something that a lot of illustrators forget is that they don't need to reinvent the wheel every time they sit down to draw. They also forget that a lot of different artists have had to deal with the same issues and problems; it may not be a bad idea to look at other disciplines to see what tricks they have that may be useful for comics. The obvious one is cinematography, given that it's also a form of visual storytelling.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Using Panels and Other Layout Options to Effect
Strangely, most artists tend to ignore what panels can do for them, seeing them as just something to deal with rather than a useful tool. That is, they tend to worry more about what goes on the panels than the panels themselves. This is a tragically wasted opportunity as how the panels are defined can add to the storytelling of the comic. While it does require some planning to pull off, that planning can add some really nice visual elements to the comic that are well worth the extra effort.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Why AI Art Won't Replace Human Artists Any Time Soon
Artifical intelligence is beginning to take over a number of more mundane tasks in a variety of different industries, ranging from cleaning chores to industrial tasks. While robots and software are usually created to fill some sort of perceived need, sometimes they are created to explore the limits of artificial intelligence; some of these projects have some interesting applications. AI art is one of these latter, where programmers were curious if they could replicate the human creative process.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Using An Algorithm to Create Art
Recently, art created by computers has become a major debate. Software that can create art from minimal information has become much more sophisticated and is better able to replicate the style of known artists. While there are some issues with the art produced, it is generally pretty good and the art produced is capable of winning art contests. While some really great art has been produced, there are some interesting glitches that have shown up, and so the art ranges from gallery quality to downright nightmare fuel. Suffice it to say that there is plenty to talk about.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Keeping The Art Simple
Different artists have different methods of drawing. Some prefer the block-of-wood method: They don't know what they are going to draw, but they'll know when they start drawing. Others take a more ordered approach and talk it out until they have an idea of what they want to do. And others just draw whatever they want, hoping it will fall into place. Some of these strategies are better than others, and you need to develop a strategy that works for you.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
The Importance of Backgrounds
Most beginning artists debate drawing backgrounds because of the complexity; backgrounds can be intimidating so it's definitely understandable. However, you need to keep in mind that a background adds a lot to the comic; it can sometimes be subtle, sometimes obvious, but backgrounds can add a lot to the comic. Part of the debate about whether or not to have backgrounds needs to keep in mind what they bring to the table.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Reasons to Debate Black & White
One of the more interesting debates for the artist is whether you will go full color or black and white. There are a lot of different options when it comes down to it; you nonetheless need to make a decision down which road you will go. It should be noted that these are just the two most basic decisions you can make; these choices assume that you are debating the most basic of choices. After all, you could do your comic using watercolors, oil paints, or even colored chalk; the options are pretty much limitless. However, for those looking at the most basic of options, here are some basic considerations when you're attempting to make the choice.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Debating Drawing Realistically or Stylistically
One of the first things you need to figure out is what kind of art style the comic will be in. While it can be easily argued that there are millions of different styles, the majority will break down to some variation of realistic or stylistic. For our purposes, the dividing line is determined by the emphasis on dynamism and musculature. While there are literally thousands of different markers we could look at, those three should do us well in their stead.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
What Do Artists Do?
One of the problems with being a writer is that you can't draw. Don't get me wrong: I'm well aware that some writers can draw and that some are actually good at it. There is definitely nothing saying that a writer can't learn to draw. This is just making the observation that most writers cannot draw and that means that if you want the project to go forward you need to convince an artist to take on the art chores.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
You're Not An Impostor
All writers, no matter how good or bad we are, tend to go through some phase where we think we're basically some sort of impostor, where it feels like we're an alien who's been sent here to record the human race, and figure out exactly what the human condition is all about. And because of that, well, we're fully expecting somebody to come over to us and rip off our rubber mask and expose us for the alien that we are.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
