How to Analyze Art | Alfredo Alcala Master Study in Pen and Ink

[@bigblue6917]

Very informative as usual, Chloe. I particularly found the O,X T and N composition structure very interesting as I had not come across it before. I find it interesting about his choice of range. If he misses out 2 and 4 it makes his composition darker which would add to the story telling Thanks for yet another enjoyable video, Chloe and for making me think about how arts work.

[@longstrideillustration]

I appreciate that. Every study feels like taking a toy apart to see how it works, so this is more my interpretation of how to put the toy back together but I'm glad if sharing the process can stir fresh ideas!

[@bigblue6917]

@@longstrideillustration I also love to know how thing work so you are doing what I would do.

[@rivards1]

Alcala was the master among an entire generation of artists based in the Philippines, like Alex Nino, Nestor Redondo, Rudy Nebres. and others. American comic publishers discovered them in the 1970's and found they could get beautiful work cheaply from offshore labor. They all had a very decorative, sort of ornamental style. BTW, when I render feathering with a sable brush, I usually go from thin-to-thick, moving toward the black. I know people do it differently, but I've never gotten the knack of "flicking" the brush out from thick-to-thin, like you and Ryan Benjamin were doing

[@محمدالمميز-ه6ن]

الفريدو من اقوى رسامين الكومكس إلى حد الان لم يعمل احد بأسلوبه المتقن انا من المحبين له انا ممتن لكي سيدتي على هذا الشرح المثري والمفيد شكراً

[@longstrideillustration]

Glad to hear from a fan of master Alcala! Thanks for watching.

[@محمدالمميز-ه6ن]

@longstrideillustration محتواكي مميز وانا هاوي الرسم بالحبر وقد استفدت الكثير من هذا القناة الجميلة

[@thoughtbubbles7903]

Awesome! I picked up the Spanish edition of Voltar in Madrid last year. He’s incredible.

[@kattenihatten]

I love your videos ❤ The best channel for ink artwork in my opinion. You look at so many different styles and subjects, which makes it really interesting and applicable to other mediums.

[@longstrideillustration]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Midsummer333]

HOW DID YOU KNOW I NEEDED THIS??? I just did a Master study of a Conan artist and had such a hard time analysing his line decisions. Thank you!

[@longstrideillustration]

Good timing!👍

[@AlanMoonspear]

Very inspiring and instructive. Thank you very much for show and share this master class. :)

[@BryanJRiolo-q5h]

Excellent video! Lots of superb advice here. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@Elricbrasil123]

Fantastic vid! Pls do one study for Goseki Kojima!

[@longstrideillustration]

He's definitely on the list. Master Goseki Kojima had a big influence on manga of that genre.

[@TheHillsTrailBrothers]

At 3:30 I encourage you Chloe Gendron to look at the shield again. The light source is above and in-fact non of the underside of the shield is in view. What appears to be the curve that establishes the underside is actually the raised metal work on the outside of the shield. The arm underneath is in full shadow at the bicep and rib area. It’s an optical illusion of the fine quality of his line work to give details of the outside of the shield. His shadows in this one are fine. Perhaps a different example, but there is no second light source under the shield. It’s angled towards us, we can’t see behind it from this drawing.

[@TheHillsTrailBrothers]

I will add that reflected shadows or lighter that would otherwise be expected are story telling tools to generate impact or tension in a particular direction. Story telling has a huge impact on quality of work. When a master leaves imperfections in their work, i tend to see the novel story telling approach than to second guess their technical choices. I encourage those studying this stuff to remember the rule of happy accidents in even the work of the masters of craft. Sometimes it’s not a technically correct choice, but it helps the composition so much more. The master is the master because they know when to allow the happy accidents in to elevate the work.

[@SuperEdo45]

Chloe you rock! Love your content!❤❤

[@longstrideillustration]

I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@raewhittles9075]

Hi chloe ,i was intrigued by this video,I will tell you why,, since I started to draw again after a forty year break I have started watching u tube tutorials, and I noticed you pencil sketching your drawings before inking them ok I wondered why ,seems reasonable to me I have not used ink so far only pencils, yet so many videos say, ditch the pencils just use ink if you want to draw confidently because you can't erase of course,I'm struggling to agree with this but I do get it,I wondered what you think thanks.

[@longstrideillustration]

Thanks for watching and for the question. Both methods have value but they serve different purposes. Going straight to ink: 1) is a great exercise for building confidence with technique and control of the tools. 2) it also helps with developing styles that are more abstract, scribbly, gestural, and with a lot of contrast (less tone), such as masters Charles Dana Gibson and Kim Jung Gi. Planning a piece and the underdrawing: is my preference because I use dip pens and never any "white out" so there is no room for error. This method is also best suited for styles that are more calculated, using a precise range of values, such as masters Bernie Wrightson and Kentaro Miura. Master Moebius attributed his success from the quality of his pencil underdrawings, not to his inking experience. Hope this helps!

[@kattenihatten]

​@@longstrideillustration What an interesting and thoughtful answer ❤️ It would make a good video I think to go over the two paradigm, and there pros and cons.

[@WillThompson-k4t]

Is that a Pentel Pocket Brush you use at a couple points in this video?

[@longstrideillustration]

You bet! You'll find the list of supplies used in the video in the description and extra info in the Blog post: longstrideillustration.com/how-to-analyse-pen-and-ink-art/

[@maruko6256]

Did you ever try use Vine charcoal for drawing?

[@longstrideillustration]

Vine charcoal is great for sketching, especially figure drawing practice. For inking an illustration, it's best to use a hard graphite lead for the underdrawing to avoid residue on the inking paper.

[@AhsanKhan-ty8gl]

How can I analyse and know what structure artist is using for a composition. Like I can't tell if he has used N structure if you haven't showed in a video. Is there any clear way to see that?🤔

[@longstrideillustration]

Think of it as a route on a map. Start from the "point of interest", where did you look first, what caught your eye first in the illustration? then notice where your attention goes next in the picture plane, then third and fourth. Then link each of those points that drew your attention, you will see the structure.

[@AhsanKhan-ty8gl]

@@longstrideillustration I will definitely try

[@markmanhetherington1]

Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master: The Art of Alfredo Alcala is also available as a paperback and is a great read :)