Tips from Jesse Hamm

@Hamm_Tips

JESSE HAMM will not let his lack of fame or accomplishment stop him from tweeting advice to all and sundry! Get my tips archived in PDF form at my Patreon:

jessehamm@frontier.com
patreon.com/jessehamm
Joined November 2013
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  1. Pinned Tweet
    26 Jan 2016

    Somewhere out there are people who need to hear a story you're uniquely able to tell. Art by others, even better art, won't do; only yours.

    26 replies 2,409 retweets 4,072 likes
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  2. Feb 25

    Great tales inspire...but sometimes what most inspires you to tell your tale is seeing tales told wrong.

    37 retweets 114 likes
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  3. Feb 23

    Regarding tangents per se, try this experiment: take a drawing that has tangents and do a modified version in which you've eradicated all of the tangents. If it looks no better, then don't worry about tangents. But I suspect you'll find that the revised version looks stronger.

    3 replies 1 retweet 30 likes
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  4. Feb 23

    Broken rules can be fine if they are cancelled out by the drawing's strengths. Here's a column I wrote on this subject:

    Are corner tangents really worth bothering about? They crop up all of the time in my drawing and they don't seem to cause any severe problems to the readability of an image.
    1 reply 13 retweets 59 likes
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  5. Feb 17

    Composing a crowd scene? Remember: contrast draws attention.

    1 reply 32 retweets 211 likes
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  6. Retweeted
    Feb 15

    Saw people here saying "Don't post art unless you want crits!" This is a very 20th Century view of media, the view that publishing is always an "event" that invites public comment. Today, publishing online is like leaving your house. It's not a fashion show. It's just daily life.

    48 replies 1,871 retweets 7,541 likes
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  7. Feb 13

    Thanks Dale!

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    JLGL does such a great job of packing mood-setting details into a scene (as you point out) that it's easy for me as a reader to take them for granted as just part of his "style". Thanks for pointing out the HOW & WHY those choices work. Great column!
    3 likes
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  8. Feb 12

    Check out my latest , in which I analyze the work of master cartoonist José Luis García-López, and discuss ways to bring a scene alive:

    2 replies 4 retweets 16 likes
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  9. Retweeted
    Feb 12

    It’s time for a new Carousel with Jesse Hamm! Today Jesse takes a deep dive into 3 pages by José Luis García-López! Check it out on the !

    4 retweets 68 likes
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  10. Feb 11

    *Make character sheets of photos or drawings depicting your characters from different angles, different emotions, for reference *Draw "master shots" of settings your story returns to often *Keep a style guide nearby, of drawings (including yours) that fit the style you're after

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    Any tips in how to keep your art looking consistent when drawing your comic?
    3 replies 160 retweets 536 likes
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  11. Feb 11

    Thanks Marc!😊

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    This account is amazing, best follow I made on Twitter!!!😄😄😄
    1 retweet 4 likes
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  12. Feb 11

    Oh, he didn't break any rules. That's a perfectly fine captioned drawing. ^_^

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    Gary Larson breaks the rules. Because he can.
    1 reply 11 likes
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  13. Feb 11

    Include enough detail to bring the scene alive, but not so much that it distracts the reader from the story, giving them so much to pore over that they stop reading. Your task is to convince, not to impress. I'll have more on this in my next , coming Tuesday!

    I’m drawing a establishing shot for my comic. What’s your advice for backgrounds, is it possible to over-do it? (It’s one point perspective btw)
    1 reply 9 retweets 63 likes
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  14. Feb 10

    ...try to position the characters so their faces are visible and we aren't staring at the tops of their heads (which is boring). Also, use 1-point perspective for simplicity's sake, or take care to place the v. points far away from each other, so the perspective won't look warpy.

    2 replies 5 retweets 45 likes
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  15. Feb 10

    I'd generally avoid aerial or down-shots. Since we rarely look at the world that way, the shot will look odd, even if drawn right. Also, down-shots tend to obscure characters' faces, and rarely reveal info we couldn't see from the side. If you DO use a down-shot...

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    Any tips for drawing wide shots, specifically when they're aerial shots? (Or just drawing overhead shots in general.)
    2 replies 9 retweets 67 likes
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  16. Feb 10

    Wavy lines and floating musical notes are a useful shorthand, but showing people producing or reacting to music is also effective. A musician grimacing into his trumpet, dancers gyrating happily on a dance floor...these images will conjure up music in the reader's mind.

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    Any advice on depicting music in illustrations/comics?
    8 retweets 42 likes
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  17. Feb 10

    Thumbnail the first dozen or so pages with simple stick-figures and handwritten dialogue. Ignore quality; just get it on paper in a readable form. Having a readable comic will then help energize you to tackle the art - the "blueprints" of which will already exist in your roughs.

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips @JustCaytlin
    Do you have any tips on starting your first comic? Ive been stuck panicking that Ill never be good enough for them and need to push advice.
    1 reply 49 retweets 179 likes
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  18. Feb 10

    Most humor strips in the newspaper use this approach, for good reason. Often they'll drop the background entirely for the punchline panel, to give it greater speed/clarity. Wright's use of smash-cuts to a close-up or insert (thus dropping out the background) have the same effect.

    4 retweets 40 likes
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  19. Feb 10

    Generally, jokes in comics work best when the visual narrative is as simple as possible: static, repetitive, eye-level shots of characters with a flat, nondescript background. This isolates & clarifies the punchline, allowing readers to grasp it quickly, which gives it "punch."

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    Any tips on using comic layout to drive in a joke? Ala Edgar Wright in his movies
    5 replies 43 retweets 182 likes
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  20. Feb 10

    I think coloring choices have a lot to do with "kayfabe." IOW, if you want to lean into the idea of serious drama, never breaking character, aim for naturalism. But if you want to acknowledge that these are just lines on paper portraying fictional scenarios, embrace the nonsense.

    1 retweet 17 likes
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  21. Feb 10

    By Dick Tracyish I guess you mean a lot of primary colors? If you prefer more muted tones, you can experiment with the saturation slider. Look at comparisons between the original and re-colored KILLING JOKE for ideas:

    Replying to @Hamm_Tips
    let's suppose you're making a noirish comic. What is the proper way to color it that is not dick-tracyish?
    2 replies 1 retweet 17 likes
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