Joe Kubert: How to Draw From Life

by Joe Kubert, J. David Spurlock (Editor)

Joe Kubert's career as a comics artist and graphic novelist is legendary. The founder of the renowned Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, he has taught many of the finest cartoonists working today. In How to Draw from Life, he presents a wealth of his own original drawings from nude models, spanning his sixty-plus years as an artist and art instructor. Subjects include gesture drawing, contour drawing, the figure in motion, short studies, long studies, form and structure, anatomy, and lighting. Fully annotated with Kubert's insightful commentary on drawing from life, this is the perfect book for art students, professionals, and comics enthusiasts everywhere.

Genres: Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Joe Kubert was a Jewish-American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. His sons, Andy Kubert and Adam Kubert, have themselves become successful comic-book artists.

Kubert's other creations include the comic books Tor, Son of Sinbad, and Viking Prince, and, with writer Robin Moore, the comic strip Tales of the Green Beret.

Kubert was inducted into the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997, and Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reviews

[Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn on this one - there's absolutely nothing wrong with a book comprised of selections from Joe Kubert's figure drawings over the years. That, in itself, is a pretty strong drawing card. The art within shows Kubert using a variety of media (and types of figure drawings - everything from one- and two-minute gesture drawings to more finished work that will look more like a "Kubert" figure) to great effect.

But the "how to" part of the title is a little misleading. There are some essays that explain his approach and offer tips, but it's a bit light on the actual instruction side of things. This is in no way something like Andrew Loomis' how-to books - there's no effort at explaining structure or general musculature or foreshortening (or drapery, since virtually none of the figures are clothed in any meaningful way). Kubert does stress the need for artists to work from actual models in order to truly understand the figure, which is the best piece of advice in the book.

I can't not recommend the book, because it's useful to see Kubert's figure drawings, particularly if you already have a good basic framework for this type of work, and also because Joe Kubert was a fine artist, whose work is well worth anyone's time. But if you're a beginner looking for a toehold to build upon, try anything by Loomis, or perhaps Jack Hamm or maybe even Burne Hogarth (although that's not where I'd start).

[astried]

It's great as an example to see how much details you can get from different poses timing.