Drawing Crime Noir: For Comics and Graphic Novels

by Christopher Hart

• Strong, cutting-edge imagery shows artists how to make crime pay
• Superstar author Christopher Hart explores a new genre
• Perfect for anyone interested in drawing for comic books or graphic novels Aspiring artists, lonely, desperate—this is your chance to grab the gold ring of the hottest style noir. Windswept streets, dark shadowy figures, reckless women, gleaming pistols, men without conscience, boulevards of fear...they’re all here in Drawing Crime Noir . Extensive instruction, including a complete tutorial on how to turn an ordinary comic-book scene into a crime noir scene, shows how to create the moody world of noir, from using shadows to create intense moods and suspense, to drawing the swirling capes and cloaked faces of tormented superheroes; the trench coats and dark glasses of nihilistic antiheroes; the dark suits of mobbed-up politicians on the take and the hit men who keep order; and the form-fitting dresses and snakeskin shoes of the sexy women who would kill a man as soon as kiss him.

Genres: Art, Comics, Nonfiction, Drawing

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

I started drawing character designs and storyboards for a small animation studio in while in High School. Cartooning and animation was a magical experience to me. I try to bring that experience, as well as art tips, to my readers. Their enthusiasm also motivates me.

Early in my career, my cartoon work got noticed by Watson-Guptill, a premier publisher of art books. They asked me to do a book for them on drawing cartoons. It sold 200,000 copies, which is a healthy number. So we kept going. I discovered that I enjoyed the art of creating books, which has its own special requirements. I also worked as an author for Random House, Quarto and Soho Publishing. In total, I have had 8 million books sold, and have been translated into 20 languages.

My book, "The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates" has sold over half a million copies to date and is still very actively in print. An earlier book of mine, "Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics:" reached the number one art book in the country, according to Bookscan.

I've also been a cover story on the industry trade magazine, "Publisher's Weekly." And if you've read this far into my Bio, then I'm more impressed with you than you are with me!

Thank you so very much for letting me offer some inspiration to you in your art adventures.

Christopher Hart

Reviews

[Ami Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite art book I have. My copy is almost worn out from all the times I've pulled it off the shelf and read through it. I love Noir art and it is just so much fun to draw! This is such a helpful book for people wanting to learn some of the finer details on the crime noir drawing methods. Very cool book.

[A.R. Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited for this book because classic noir is one of my favorite genres. But this is not your 1940s detective, this is closer to Neo-noir of the 1980s. While its not graphic, as in showing you blood spatter patterns, it is less vintage noir than I wanted it to be.

There’s also large focus on the dangerous woman aspect, which I appreciate, but it was also highly sexualized and included a section on ‘working girls’… which ok, that’s part of the noir landscape, but human trafficking is heartbreaking and should never be glamorized.

That being said, Drawing Crime Noir still a good read for instructions and learning, because it covers the modernized tropes, how to draw them, shadows, angles, cigarettes, smoke, silhouettes, graphic shadows, and fight scenes. So, yes, a good well detailed text and much needed because noir has its own distinct style, no matter what the era your story is set in.

[Mike Mitchell]

This is a very strong how-to guide for anyone interested in drawing crime comics -- that is, the modern genre of art popularized by Frank Miller in his Sin City series (the movie looks just like his comics did -- stark black and white with startling pops of color). I found the tips on lighting and character design to be technical and helpful. He often shows the differences between normal "heroic" character design and the grittier "noir" style. If you have ANY interest at all in drawing comics of any kind, this book will help you with mood, design and lighting tricks that will make your work better.

A suggestion: This is an art book -- you need to see things large and be able to flip pages quickly. Don't get an electronic copy of this book. Get a physical copy so you can get the most value from what it has to offer.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hart has great techniques if you want to draw in the classic noir style.

[Anne Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with great drawings.