I don't know if this is the right forum for this, but I'm going to make a fighting scene in my comic Kitty. The only problem is, I've never done one before. Any tips from people who have done them or know alot about them just from reading other comics?

Well, to me, it's most important for a fight scene to remember to change up your angles a lot. Think of it like a movie, where the camera pans around the characters while they're fighting to keep things interesting. If you use panels, it's also a good idea to have characters "break out" of the boxes to give a sense of movement.

You should try using dynamic camera angles. Showing shots from different angles helps make combat look more interesting. Front shots, side shots, crotch shots, anything. Doing this might be a bit difficult, but the end result will look much better.

darwin has some cool fight scenes
it's like watching a movie
http://www.drunkduck.com/Only_Half/index.php

Combat scenes are pretty hard to do, but don't be put off, it just takes practice. Some stuff said is really true.

1) Multiple camera angles, many longshots. You don't want to do too many closeups in battle scenes. While some are good, remember that closeups are for emphasis only, and most of the time you'll need to show nearly their full bodies to get the feeling of imact across, also showing the terrain of the battle.
2) Exaduration of motion is requred to get a feeling of intense movement. I found that some of the how to draw Manga "battle scenes" books were good for reference for this.
3) Get friends to 'act out' the scene before you try to draw it. Take pictures or film it for later reference.
4) Pacing is very important. A battle has a flow. Usually it builds up, peeks to a climax with physical violence, and then the combatants back off. There are variations to exactly how much to do and when.
5) watch some combat heavy movies and pause the video and look at how the fight scenes are composed. Looking at storyboards for said movies if you can find them is helpful too.
6) Reference some of the good fight scenes in your favorite comics and look at how the action flows, camera angles used, how many pages for the flow, etc.

Mostly it takes time and practice tho.

Thanks. Sounds like good advice. I'll try it.

ShadowsMyst
Combat scenes are pretty hard to do, but don't be put off, it just takes practice. Some stuff said is really true.

1) Multiple camera angles, many longshots. You don't want to do too many closeups in battle scenes. While some are good, remember that closeups are for emphasis only, and most of the time you'll need to show nearly their full bodies to get the feeling of imact across, also showing the terrain of the battle.
2) Exaduration of motion is requred to get a feeling of intense movement. I found that some of the how to draw Manga "battle scenes" books were good for reference for this.
3) Get friends to 'act out' the scene before you try to draw it. Take pictures or film it for later reference.
4) Pacing is very important. A battle has a flow. Usually it builds up, peeks to a climax with physical violence, and then the combatants back off. There are variations to exactly how much to do and when.
5) watch some combat heavy movies and pause the video and look at how the fight scenes are composed. Looking at storyboards for said movies if you can find them is helpful too.
6) Reference some of the good fight scenes in your favorite comics and look at how the action flows, camera angles used, how many pages for the flow, etc.

Mostly it takes time and practice tho.

Yes, thankfully the fighting scene is going to start on the third chapter, so I've got plenty of time to practice.

There are plenty of books on how to do this kind of junk. I suggest anything by antarctic press. And if you don't have the extra money, then there are some good online tutorials. Personally, I like the ones at http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/

Good luck! :)

Try to give a feel of 'freezeframe' or 'still', as if someone was standing around with a camera and took a snapshot of the fight. In Wolf I have many of that kind of technique. Also, remember that in a fight everyone involved is in motion. So static poses are not going to cut it. In addition, everyone in a fight does something. Someone goes for a weapon, the other goes for the hair, the third one goes for the throat and the fourth one goes for the nearest cover ;) but everyone does something.

It may also help to blur your background to give a sense of extreme speed/motion... though I generally don't like this effect, in many peoples' comics it works well enough :)

- Be sure that your transition (flow) is as smooth as can be.
- Don't be afraid to use text to help explain what just happened if it's too difficult to draw.
- Use different camera angles. The more dramatic, the better.
- Use mangas or comics for reference points
- Basically remember any cool scenes that you've seen before that stick with you. Remember why you like them, and try to duplicate that feeling and style as best you can.

one thing I recommend is to be on the lookout for references. references can really help, and so if you are reading some manga and see a punch you'd like to have drawn, then mark the page and use it to get proportions and stuff right!!
I have a how to draw manga "illustrating battles" book and... well, it's rather helpful, but the art in the book isn't all that fantastic.

If you have a webcam, you can pose for your own references! Or if you know someone who has a camera handy, you could ask them.

Since I got my webcam, it has been my reference savior.

Aaaaand because I don't reference poses well when the subject is clothed, I have a lot of pictures of me in my underwear. o.o;

hey i'm new at this got any sugesstions?-

When I do action that I need reference for I usually either grab a print comic thats paticularily action packed for reference, or I watch a kung-fu movie, and freeze-frame it for model reference.

Most importantly is to maintain the left to right movement of your page. And top to bottom. The action sequence should be enhanced by the panel shapes, sizes and placement. Try to invision camera movement in a fight sequence in film..Jet Li films are well known for this energy. Something that was said earlier as well. Don't be afraid to have your figures leave the safety of the panel.

Buy an action movie DVD, preferrably those chinese kungfu or Tarantino's flicks. Freeze frame some action scenes, and screen-capture them (and print them out if you will) and refer to them.

combat scenes... I have alot of them. Check out my comics. :)

Some tips:

1) Get people to pose for you - if you wanna do complicated fight scenes where youre unsure of how they'd look at diff camera angles.

2) Buy action figures - if you dont have friends to pose for you, get action figures. Stuff like those foldable spiderman action figures.



***Magic blasting is the easiest combat scene to do. The hardest IMO is a combat scene that involves Brazilian Jujitsu. :)

One thing that was taught to me... in comic books, people fully commit to everything they do in a fight scene. They don't just punch, for example... they put their whole body into it to the point where you think they're gonna belly-flop afte rthey land that punch. They do everything so exaggerated and fully that it seems "super".

one thing you can do in a comic is that you can go as crazy in the fight scene because you're not hampered by a movie budget.

just be creative.

Exaggerate your poses. Drawing Comics the Marvel way has some great examples.
Use perspective.
Learn how to fight yourself/watch a well choreographed film. I benefited a lot from taking martial arts, self-defense and fencing. (As well as having friends in the campus fight club...not THE fight club...but Rennies. ;))
Use references and view examples. :3