Figure Drawing and Figure Invention - Jeff Watt's Book Recommendations - Watts Weekly

Jeff pulls some of his top-choice books for studying figure invention and figure sketching. He also brings out some never before seen sketches that he's done just for fun.
Link to Watts on Bridgman: www.leucadiapublishing.com/br...
VIDEO CHAPTERS:
[00:00] - Intro
[01:32] - How to Draw the Marvel Way by John Buscema and Stan Lee - rb.gy/mdxot7
[04:18] - Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Michael Hampton - rb.gy/5ouv1x
[04:47] - Imagine FX - How to Draw and Paint Anatomy with Ron Lemen - rb.gy/fikrpj
[05:45] - Danger Girl Sketchbook by J. Scott Campbell - rb.gy/r6djbu
[06:35] - Notes to Draw From - Comic Book Illustration by Mitch Byrd - rb.gy/o1fpf5
[07:11] - Iguana Bay 2.0 by Claire Wendling - rb.gy/jnqbo9
[08:45] - The Sketch Book by Neal Adams - rb.gy/gmqfj8
[10:28] - Frazetta Sketchbook Volume 1 by Frank Frazetta - rb.gy/hjsafl
[13:46] - Buscema: A Life in Sketches by Emilio Soltero - rb.gy/g17ewe
[14:52] - Jeff's Sketches
---
Do you want to improve your figure drawing? Anatomy? Portraits? We would appreciate you stopping by the Watts Atelier website to see all the teaching that we offer. From courses on the Reilly Method, Figure Drawing, Bridgman Anatomy and Structural Drawing to portrait and figure painting we have you covered. Our Online school provides students of all levels with a solid curriculum to follow that will take you from a beginner artist to a highly proficient and if you have the dedication, a professional. Learn from illustrators and artists Jeff Watts, Erik Gist, Lucas Graciano, Ben M. Young, Meadow Gist, Robert Watts and more. We cover a wide variety of materials, mediums and techniques that you can use to help your learning. We hope to see you there!
www.wattsatelier.com/online Free Trial of Watts Atelier Online:
www.wattsatelier.com/shop/fre...

[@davidsmith6783]

books mentioned 1:32 How to Draw the Marvel Way by John Buscema and Stan Lee 4:18 Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Michael Hampton 5:45 Danger Girl Sketchbook by J. Scott Campbell 6:35 Notes to Draw From - Comic Book Illustration by Mitch Byrd 7:11 Iguana Bay 2.0 by Claire Wendling 8:45 The Sketch Book by Neal Adams 10:28 Frazetta Sketchbook Volume 1 by Frank Frazetta 13:46 Buscema: A Life in Sketches by Emilio Soltero

[@illustratornamedkasper]

Thanks! He's a book guy, but not a youtube chapter guy :-D

[@mydoggylives]

No one seems to carry that last Buscema book. Pity. It looked interesting!

[@artvibestudios]

Thanks for doing that!

[@Silver77cyn]

Thanks! 👍

[@mike_MT_jonez]

“I like to hold em and I love the smell of them” same here.

[@richarddunn7017]

Underrated

[@sketchartist1964]

Heck yea, nothing compares to holding an actual book.

[@angelswing567]

They are so expensive in turkey😪

[@MystiqWisdom]

Good to see another man of culture 🧐

[@moritakaishida7963]

It was really nice to hear an art teacher say so many positive things about comic book artists , as an aspiring one thank you

[@ducksoff7236]

The art teachers that complain about comic book artists or the art itself come from two schools. The first school they don't think its bad. They just want you to focus on the fundamentals because they want you to be able to draw anything you want in any style you want so your your own style will eventually emerge. Otherwise you could get stuck in one way of drawing. The second school are just jealous A-holes who's own art sucks so they put it down to try and build themselves up.

[@alexandertoro6984]

​@@ducksoff7236Or they have just seen bad comic book art with wonky proportions and perspectives and think it's all the same. Any skilled artist can appreciate and learn from a well drawn comic.

[@kcsnipes]

eh art is art, i guess most art teachers dont say positive things about comic artists ?

[@Raw799]

I literally just went online and bought that Frazzeta Sketchbook Vol. 1. Those books aren't getting any cheaper folks, score them now. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and approach to drawing.

[@FrazettaGirls]

Hi Jeff! Thanks for these videos. They are really helping me learn as a new artist - Sara Frazetta

[@JoshAshConceptArt]

Love books and love listening to people who are passionate about books talk about them! Thanks for taking the time to make so much great KZbin content!

[@vllad74]

You are always injecting so much inspiration through your videos Jeff! If somebody looses his will for drawing they just need to watch one of your clips... Thanks you very much!

[@zandergalit7711]

Thanks for this Jeff! Hope your KZbin channel grows exponentially. All the best!

[@AndrewMarloweTV]

Always enjoy the insight and inspiration from the Watts weekly

[@PaulMellender]

Absolutely agree on “How to draw comics the marvel way”. Great stuff

[@INCWorks]

I loved listening to this. Your ideas about building on 'aesthetic sensibility' make a lot of sense. And now I'm going to pull out my old art books.

[@kavereon]

Thank you, Jeff! This is an indispensable and very inspiring video for aspiring artists.

[@mixedpot1767]

Oh man so much wisdom in these videos you putting out there. Much appreciated.

[@JoeYT23]

Wonderful video, thanks for sharing so much knowledge, I never stop following this channel!

[@Obese_Pterodactyl]

I drew until I was 17 and because of my highschool art teacher claiming real artists never use reference and can also just shit out a good piece without drawing the basic shapes and stuff I got frustrated and quit. I must be lucky because when I tried again in my thirties I was at where I left off. I'm not very good, my avatar is proof of this, but this video was inspirational. I can only wonder what my art would be like if I drew every day instead of once a year.

[@demionriddick4809]

Up to you to find ou. Keep going find those 30 minutes. You got it! Draw everyday until you leave this earth.

[@wattsatelier]

Yeah, keep the drawing going. You can certainly get really good long as you have a plan and stay dedicated to it. As Demion said, just something like half an hour a day stretched over a year and you'll see some great improvement. Maybe use some of these books to copy and study from as a jumping off point, then use some reference you find online to solidify the knowledge that you learn from the books. Good luck!

[@richarddunn7017]

Keep going and there isnt a damn thing wrong with your avatar

[@adammoran163]

I've been drawing off and on since I was 10 (49 now). My highschool art teacher was absolutely amazing, she helped me find myself. By the time I was a Sr I was taking 4 art classes (out of a 6 class schedule). Towards the end of that year my father asked me what I wanted to do when I graduated... I told him I wanted to be a graphic artist.. He said something that I will never forget. He told me I needed something to fall back on WHEN that doesn't work. I threw away several thousand dollars worth of paint, brushes, pencils etc & didn't draw for a good 6 or 7 years after that.

[@demionriddick4809]

@@adammoran163 Shit I heard the same thing. It made me go harder. I didn't continue my training because of money but when I had the time I started back up. Remember you got til the end of your time to get better. Continue to get better everyday and you do that one mark at time. You won't become Jeff Watts but Jeff Watts can never become you either. Your art is your unique expression as long as you are expressing yourself it's all that matters. The technical stuff is there if you want it but the MOST important thing you can do is to keep making marks.

[@_trismegistus]

Thanks for sharing your work, Jeff. Love to see it.

[@jeffhreid]

Excellent video Jeff. Enjoyed it very much and saw some reference books to add to the collection

[@sovereignruler]

Growing up, Marvel was it for me. My favorite artists were Jack King Kirby, John Buscema (loved the cover of Thor #4 with the Silver Surfer), and of course my all-time favorite John Romita Sr. and his incredible work on Spider-Man. He was my comic God. Back then, I could pick up any comic book and knew who the artist was. To say I was obsessed with art and comics, is an understatement. It is one of the reasons why I found your channel Jeff. You and your staff are amazing at what you do, and I am grateful for the knowledge you share. Thank you.

[@Chaoslorden]

Thank you for the inspiration. Listening trough the videos while painting commissions and while I'm doing that I learn while working. 🎨⚒️❤️

[@zebposada]

Thanks for this amazing video Jeff. Lots of good vibes to you.

[@bipinshrestha8265]

Awesome video... really inspirational. Would love to see more.

[@crystalh6968]

This was very helpful, the filter analogy in particular. Hope to get to in person classes in the near future.

[@stevehutch]

This is such an insightful tutorial. Incredible.

[@creatorart]

Many and good information as always from the man who has the passion what he's doing!

[@sovereignruler]

Thanks for sharing Jeff. Very informative.

[@tranzorz6293]

Brought how to draw the marvel way years ago and absolutely loved it. Even if you're not into marvel its just a great book for general illustration. Learnt so much from it.

[@JFTL81]

Love the book overviews. Your sketchbooks are amazing.

[@EddyfyingArt]

Thanks so much for these videos, you are a gem of information!

[@ElianaLemosArt]

Master JW this one was truly epic and generous, thank you!

[@ameybenodekar1682]

Thank you so much Jeff Watt 😊

[@kingpen1179]

we're almost 100k subs, congrats in advance jeff and your team❤️

[@wattsatelier]

Thank you!! I think getting the more consistant videos have helped a lot. More to come!

[@ArtbyPatrickPetruccello]

The Marvel Way! That is a terrific book.

[@toddtyrrell]

So informative, thank you Jeff

[@bellamoreno2620]

Thank you so much! This was extremely informative.

[@rejan5163]

i always love listening to you sir.

[@exoticcarfactsofficialchan7050]

I still have the "How to draw, the Marvel way" VHS tape that I got as a kid. One of the best tutorial videos ever.

[@merpderp7223]

Thanks for sharing mate, great video 👍

[@actionpoppa6079]

Awesome advice on practice 👍 thank you!!

[@Johnboy6346]

Starting drawing again this year after a 5 year break, reinvigorated and putting in more effort than I did before. This was a great video as I try to consume as many different techniques and styles and experiment with them, this video gave me a few more to try.

[@krzysztofmathews738]

This is great. Thank you for this video!

[@robertdufour2456]

So well said! Thank you so much!

[@Pazu84Vaucluse]

can't wait to watch more book reviews

[@BuffaloWill]

Randomly found this video. very cool. Subscribed and looking forward to more to come!

[@ericmacfarlane3604]

You are so inspiring to listen to :D glad to have found this video

[@DevinC_]

That Hampton book is my favorite book for anatomy. Nice and simple.

[@randalllaue4042]

Thank you for book list!!!

[@PhalangiumOpilio]

Thanks Jeff, for this interesting video! It is to great help for me.

[@neilhansen6544]

Fantastic analysis!

[@thomascampos7056]

I had that back in junior high, one of the best learning tools I’ve ever had.

[@armandovicuna6]

One of my favorite drawing books!

[@bryanmartin9420]

Thanks,excellent job!

[@christophereberhart7487]

This video earned my sub, I'm always looking for figure drawing books targeting beginners. Thanks for the resources.

[@wattsatelier]

Awesome, thanks for the sub! As a supplement to some of the books in this video I would also add Andrew Loomis' "Figure Drawing for All it's Worth" as a great resource.

[@illustratornamedkasper]

I'm def. a book guy too! 'How to Draw the Marvel way' was the one that opened the first door to me about how perspective worked when i was about 14 something. Good stuff.

[@outlawphil]

I still have this book from my childhood, great pick Jeff.

[@briandhackney]

Amen to everything you just said!

[@000bullets]

Yes please go through the whole book list

[@raygsbrelcik5578]

I am the very same. I enjoy the "Feel," the "Look," and even the, "Smell," of books like this----Especially older ones, and Novels, as well.

[@OoziHobo]

been using the Danger Girl sketchbook a lot lately... I think I might draw everything in there after watching this, really internalize it

[@ebonyavengerstevenson1321]

Jeff thanks for showing love to Big John Buscema he was definitely one of the greatest!

[@johnnylamonte3451]

As someone whose had a bad habit of collecting and buying art/technique books but never digin into them in waiting to be ''ready'', this makes me more excited to just start and explore, try out and combine ideas. Thanks! May start with the Marvel Way book as well.

[@ryanaul]

Love the Marvel Book.. Solid choice.

[@samankucher5117]

Thank you for the great advice:)

[@MrBlaineFox]

That Imagine FX book is really good, that's one of my first go to books when I want to brush up on some anatomy and figure drawing concepts, think they still sell it and newer editions on the publishers website.

[@mannieabeleda235]

great video sir.

[@evilldead6824]

I got that book as a kid back in the 80s. Still have it not quite as beat up but pretty close.

[@OliVeeTV]

Wow Jeff -Thanks

[@SketchedbySte]

I love this video, I re watch it often! Did any more book videos / recommendations like this get made does anyone know? I really enjoyed this one, found some great artists through it too!

[@salfordnurse]

How to draw the Marvel Way was one of the first books on Drawing I ever got. Still love it and go back to it

[@wattsatelier]

It's probably one of the best first books you can pick up! It's just so simple and such a straightforward approach.

[@salfordnurse]

@@wattsatelier there’s some great references in the back

[@michaelangelo5217]

Can’t wait for those book reviews Jeff! I’d love if you reviewed philosophical ones as well as the art books.

[@drpg11]

2years later we still waiting

[@odysseusjones8531]

It is SO good to see an art teacher give John Buscema his due. His dynamic anatomy is amazing and it's interesting seeing the various interpretations of his pencils by all the different inkers then compare that to his own inks, which he rarely did due to time constraints. If you get a chance, pick up a copy of Thor Annual 13 and see how he leads your eye from panel to panel through both the graphic design/composition and the inking. Truly a master class in graphic storytelling. IMO though, Buscema is best in black and white. Unlike most artists, the colors drain the life from his drawings rather than enhance them.

[@samankucher5117]

I love the intro music :)

[@aldack]

Michael Hampton's book is fantastic!

[@NeroDeamon]

Danger girl now thats nostalgia right there

[@iamcoffeerepublic]

Yes! Please do more book reviews.

[@wattsatelier]

We will have more to come!

[@juggernaut__21]

Thank you so much for sharing

[@robertdufour2456]

You must be an awesome teacher!

[@illumardimago2307]

Wooow you and me are from thats same era about drawing ya im into action figure drawings and i loved the art work on stan lee book

[@daftcruz]

Ron Lemen is very overlooked, his book is one of the best I've come across. It teaches a lot about gesture, structure, simplification and the Reilly Method, I really like it. I don't like Hampton that much but he's awesome for studying structure and bones. Besides those, Draw Comics in Marvel Way and Loomis one, I didn't know about the other ones, thank you for sharing them.

[@dezukaful]

Wait what ron lemen made a book???

[@daftcruz]

@@dezukaful not a solo book, but his anatomy lessons through ImagineFX (see 4:38). Keep in mind that there's actually two volumes (How to draw aind paint anatomy Vol 1 and Vol 2), so you'll need both if you want to get all the content.

[@dezukaful]

@@daftcruz thanks for the reply. I thought you meant an actual book bc i remember him saying he wanted/was making one

[@dannycruz5446]

@@dezukaful its a large format magazine that reprinted his old Imaginefx articles. They made 2 editions of vol. 1 but the second edition is the one to get cause it has a bunch of new material Ron made specifically for the magazine. Totally worth tracking down.

[@daftcruz]

@@dezukaful if he indeed makes one, then I'm gonna buy it

[@jmarcguy]

We have a beautiful library where I live. It’s got 3d printers, a video game lounge, tools you can borrow, lots of cool things. However, it doesn’t have enough books!! They used to have all the old, huge books that I’d get to draw from. Now, everything is an ebook.

[@owlsonik37]

How to draw the marvel war was my first art book back in the 80’s! Great book

[@raygsbrelcik5578]

I got into Frazzetta YEARS ago----Actually painted 8 of his more Exciting paintings ( they ALL were, I know). It was good experi- ence. Frank was my instructor, though I never MET him.

[@ShadowR4t]

great video, lot of good information. i recently got back in to drawing after not going anything for quite a while, i have laways been good with technicla drawing and cityscapes and stuff like that, always had atrouble with figures, but i am wanting to work on this to get better, would there be any beginner books that would you would recommend for someone getting back int it. thanks

[@caminooneninesixone]

I love your drawing table. Where can I purchase one like it?

[@fabiovaldesaraneda2012]

YOOOO Master is back

[@HorstramWieljentic]

Thanks teacher, excellent your explanation. So I understand that cartoonists don't need the posing sitter to create their characters?

[@mattrogers1052]

books are an addiction

[@jakebutler3744]

What a great guy,

[@alvinrylin981]

Great video Jeff! What do you think about Steve Huston's book?

[@andyb.rodriguezart6558]

Holy cow, those super hero studies with Buscema and that Superman are gold! I hope Jeff posts those on his IG. All those sketches are stuff I love to see!

[@andyb.rodriguezart6558]

Also I feel greedy for saying this considering we just got a Bridgman book, but a Jeff Watts Sketchbook would actually be pretty sweet too!

[@wattsatelier]

We have been trying to workshop putting out some of Jeff's sketchbooks for printing, so stay tuned on that front!

[@drpg11]

Is this still happening?

[@andyb.rodriguezart6558]

@@drpg11 There was a book on Jeff's figure drawings on women that dropped in Nov 2021 in reference to that comment. Here's the link if you want to check it out: www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawings-Jeffrey-Watts-Quicksketch/dp/0990373533/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WNJHX1H2CA4L&keywords=jeff+watts&qid=1698176743&sprefix=jeff+watts%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1

[@legendaryheroes1814]

Thank you for your information,i am getting ready to draw again,this was a good video ,ferzetta rules

[@1Ma9iN8tive]

Frank Frazetta was a great inspiration for me in the 80’s. George Bridgman was a good Intro for me to form Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, Second Edition (Force Drawing Series) 2nd Edition by Mike Mattesi (Author) Loomis is amazing … Loved this video thanks … I learnt a whole bunch today.

[@denisjakovljevicArt]

More book reviews!

[@vincepreston9304]

So many people called( Big John Buscema) a jack Kirby clone ,but I tell them he was required to draw in that style "The Marvel Way""! Jack Kirby was Marvel! In my humble opinion Buscema was every bit as good if not better! Buscema could do it all, westerns, Romance , animals, and his Conan second to none! He was without question one of the best Marvel ever had!

[@sketchartist1964]

Hi Jeff! Have you ever discussed the work of Alex Nino? And if you have, how can I find the video? He has always been a favorite of mine, thanks!

[@platiniathens8066]

Also nice anatomy studies I think are those from Albrecht Dürer. I ve the MARVEL WAY too. Classic style always give good information.

[@inchasto]

1:31 How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way 4:15 Figure Drawing: Design and Invention 5:43 J. Scott Campbell Danger Girl Sketchbook: Expanded Edition 6:33 Notes to Draw From, Vol. 1: Comic Book Illustration 7:10 WENDLING: Iguana Bay 2.0 8:45 Neal Adams: The Sketch Book 10:27 Frazetta Sketchbook Volume 1 13:44 John Buscema: A Life in Sketches

[@artvibestudios]

Thank you so much for giving books on fundamentals!. I’ve been looking for books to draw and where to start for beginners. This will be helpful! Thanks again!

[@jay48091]

Jeff Might be the greatest hand in draftsmanship...ever!

[@zambot3667]

I missed this guy

[@levisimpson516]

I just like books too.