Pencil Drawing for Superhero Comics
A course by Salva Espín, Illustrator and Comic Artist
Learn the basics of sequential storytelling and create your next comic characters
Few Spanish-speaking cartoonists can say that they have worked on characters like Deadpool, Wolverine, and the Hulk. Salva Espín, with more than 20 Marvel comics under his belt, is one of them, and in this course, he teaches you the fundamentals of sequential narrative, as well as his process for drawing superheroes.
Discover the graphic, narrative, and technical processes behind the creation of a comic from one of the most awarded and prolific cartoonists on the Spanish scene.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 1 download
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Salva and his career in the world of comics, which has led him to work for Marvel since 2007. Learn about his influences in the world of illustration, from Dragon Ball to Street Fighter.
Dive into a brief introduction to the language of comics, going over the basic structure of a script—accompanied by real examples—the types of shots, angles, the reading order, and the types of panel within the sequential narrative.
Go over the materials to use to draw your comic and the role each one plays in the process.
Continuing with pre-production, search for references for the design of your characters, taking into account universal color codes and stereotypes, including when to break them and when not to. Then, sketch the secondary character.
Learn to lay out a comic page to make it easier to read. Start working on the character sketches, starting with simple geometric figures. Then, move on to your pencil sketch.
Scan your comic pages to move on to inking, coloring, and adding texts. Salva gives you tips to retouch the digitized image in Photoshop and export it in the correct format.
Finally, Salva gives you a series of Marvel trade tips regarding nudity, violence, double joints, and how to make a character look like they are submerged underwater.
- 98% positive reviews (261)
- 7,894 students
- 17 lessons (3h 17m)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Draw two comic pages based on a script provided by Salva.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in drawing and the world of comics.
Requirements and materials
You need basic knowledge of drawing, human anatomy, and abstraction to compose images.
Reviews
Salva Espín
A course by Salva Espín
Salva Espín is a cartoonist, illustrator, comic artist, cover artist, foreword writer, and comic inker born in Murcia, Spain. He has been working as a cartoonist for Marvel Comics since 2007 and, since 2012, has been the official cartoonist for the irreverent Deadpool.
Important characters such as Wolverine, Hulk, Spiderman, and Captain America have passed through his hands, in addition to the aforementioned Deadpool and his more than 20 comics for Marvel, making him one of the most prolific cartoonists today.
In 2013, he opened his comic-book store in Murcia, 7Heroes, which is a true tribute to the world of comics and where cards, retro video games, and board games are sold in addition to comics.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
Presentation
-
Influences
-
-
U2
Introduction to the language of the comic. The sequential narration
-
Script
-
Sequential narration
-
-
U3
Prepare for action
-
materials
-
Search for references and pre-production 1
-
Search for references and preproduction 2
-
Sketch of the secondary character
-
-
U4
Introduction to comic drawing
-
Layout / Composition comic page 1
-
Layout / Composition comic page 2
-
Sketch 1
-
Sketch 2
-
Pencil 1
-
Pencil 2
-
Pencil 3
-
-
U5
Last steps towards the final page
-
Scan and prepare the shipment
-
Salva's Tips
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Pencil drawing for superhero comics
-
What to expect from a Domestika course
-
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
-
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
-
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
-
Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
-
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
-
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
-
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
-
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn sequential storytelling techniques, character design for comics, animation, and video games, script structure, panel composition, sketching, inking, digitizing, and how to create a professional portfolio for publishers.
Yes, the course is designed for people with intermediate skills looking to refine their comic techniques, visual storytelling, and character design.
It’s recommended to have basic drawing skills and some familiarity with anatomy and perspective concepts, as the exercises and techniques are intermediate level.
You’ll need comic paper, pencils (including a blue pencil), kneaded eraser, ruler, lightbox, scanner, and access to Photoshop or another digital editing program.
You’ll master sketching, inking, panel composition, creating dynamic pages, using visual references, humor and realism techniques, plus digitizing and retouching in Photoshop.
Yes, you’ll learn to design characters for comics as well as video games and animation, covering both cartoon and realistic styles.
The course guides you through creating original pages and characters, selecting your best work, and presenting it professionally to catch editors’ attention.
¡Muy buen curso! me ha enseñado a corregir personajes que suelo sobrecargar y luego me cuestan dibujar.
Lo recomiendo mucho ya que también te ayuda si eres alguien que hace las cosas complejas y necesitas\quieres simplificar un diseño para que quede genial.
Adorei conhecer mais sobres os processos e etapas da composição de páginas. As aulas são muito bem explicadas e me ajudaram a ter uma visão abrangente que me guiarão nos meus projetos.
Muito obrigado professor Aspin.
muito bom facil de entender foi de muita utilidade para mim
A really thorough course on the mental and physical processes of penciling a comic.
muy bueno y detallado