How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling

This is an excellent book but the title is misleading. It assumes you are already a skilled artist who wants to explore the noir genre with skills in figurative and landscape drawing and a good knowledge of perspective.But for artists or fans of the genre it is comprehensive, easy to read and extremely informative. (I was so absorbed by it I read it in a sitting, staying up far too late. )I've already got Chris Hart's book on the subject but this is much better. It goes from tools and techniques right through to a completed mini Noir comic and is packed full of examples - including roughs and thumbnails- which give a tremendously enjoyable insight into the author's process.I've been a fan of comics since childhood, so own lots plus lots of how to books but can honestly say that this one gave me more insight into how graphic storytelling works than any of the others.

The title of this book is a little misleading if you want a book that physically shows you how to draw in this style because that is not what this book shows. Having said that the book is very good but it makes the assumption that you are an artist capable of drawing in this style and don't need the stage by stage instruction of character drawing and inking. The focus of the book is to guide you through the techniques of noir artwork development, character design and story development. There is some very good guidance and ideas in this book from the author's wide experience.If you need a drawing guide then "Drawing Crime Noir for Comics and Graphic Novels" by Christopher Hart is a very good book, which I also have in my studio cartooning and illustration library. Both these books have proved very useful from time to time.

Solid grounding with some interesting exercises in negative space, excellently thought through with the enclosing short noir story cementing many of the pointers made earlier: a strong 9 on the CDWM scale.

A fan of BW pictures and comics, this simply is brilliant. A must have for any artist / illustrator / fan.

Shawn Martinbrough does a great job explaining the concepts required to achieve this highly desaturated and contrasted art style.

This is a well structured How-to book; starting with the raw materials and ending with a finished product (which was a nice 'twist'). I found the advice useful and sensible, the instructions easy to read with clear examples.

Very well written - clearly set out and full of great examples.

The author tried to explain his art but lacked the eloquence to do it. On top of that, his art is ugly, absolutely horrible. It's true he can draw, but he's a professional, that is a given. As with any book, there are some insights to be had here and there, but this book is a missed opportunity.

Es un gran libro del cual puedo decir cosas maravillosa y vale mucho la pena de adquirir, la entrega fue excelente y el producto se encontró en las mejores condiciones.

Excelente material. Até bem didático pra quem não tem total domínio do inglês,fala dos matérias , uso de sombras e como os diversos mateiras influenciam no desenho e composição. Ensina a por atmosfera, sentimento e composição pra quem quer fazer quadrinhos e tb ilustrações, já q o autor trabalhou na Marvel e atuou como arte finalista do grande John Paul leon

This book is slightly different from the other "learn to draw" books.If you want to use the information in "How to Draw Noir Comics" you have to know the basics (anatomy, ...).Step by step the "noir" technique is explained, what materials you need, how you can create atmosphere with the way you use shadows, ...Very interesting book.

Didáctico y práctico. Muy útil si quieres utilizar ese estilo de dibujo o aprender algunos de los trucos que lo rigen.

Got the book delivered as promised. It has some great visuals and the author shares great tips and techniques on how to master inking. Highly recommend to inkers !!