Your Complete Guide to Building an Art Ritual, Perfecting your Process, and Mastering the Craft of Line and Color.
Comics | Concept Art | Illustration
Learn how to draw and create awesome stylized Line and Color Illustrations using Modern Digital Techniques, and Ancient Drawing Wisdom. At your own pace and rhythm. 16 hours a day. Or 16 minutes a day.
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be naturally good at drawing?
What makes someone good at art?
If you do your research… you will find many solutions and explanations. There are drawing systems, how-to, books, Youtubers, tutorials, core concepts, art foundation, art fundamentals.
Study the basics, Learn perspective, learn anatomy, learn composition, study the masters, go to life drawing, carry a sketchbook and do studies of everyday things.
Etc etc etc…
I have heard it all. I have read it all. I have done it all. And I have talked to a lot of artists who do all of these things.
And yet some people get better and some people do not.
I have many artist friends (actually I think almost all of my friends are professional artists). And some will swear by the basics and getting a good foundation. Others look at me funny when I start talking about how important I think perspective is. Some of the most successful artists I know never studied art foundation. They don’t go to life drawing. They don’t care about that stuff. At. All.
They draw inspiration and direction from the art around them. They just draw the stuff they want. A lot.
Obviously depending on the type of art you want to make… you will need to study the basics to a particular degree…
And some of the most skilled artists I know are ruthless in their pursuit of technical and foundational mastery.
…But studying these things is not what makes the difference.
I’ll tell you what does...
After decades of learning to draw...
(it never stops, I’m still learning and improving…)
I have found the fundamental components which make people good at drawing are pretty simple:
You need to draw as much as possible.
You need to draw regularly.
And you need to enjoy the creative process.
You see, drawing is not an intellectual knowledge based skill. It is a physical hand eye coordination skill. Or to put it simpler… it’s something your body learns… not your mind.
Drawing has more in common with Dancing, Martial Art, or Sport, than Maths, Engineering or Science.
Now… I am one of those perspective nuts. I teach perspective and technical rendering to hundreds and hundreds of students each year. I think it has improved my art immeasurably. Especially considering I need to draw all sorts of backgrounds and environments in Comics. Or draw Spaceships for video games.
But despite all the perspective knowledge rattling around in my head. When I go to draw. I am not thinking about any perspective. Almost none of my thoughts are on technical drawing.
I am thinking about the cool thing I want to draw. That’s it.
My body remembers how to draw.
I believe this is the case for most artists. Technical or not. You draw in a state of Flow where there is not a lot of conscious thought.
So what does this have to do with HOW to get good in the first place?
Well… There are 3 main Keys which unlock your learning potential:
The First Key is that: too much technical advice and intellectual knowledge at one time just clogs up the learning system.
Unless your Physical and Subconscious Body/Somatic learning can integrate the information… It is useless.
What you need is:
- A manageable amount of high quality technical information to study. One small piece at a time.
- To focus on mastering a simple set of tools and techniques in depth.
- To spend most of your time creating. Not acquiring information.
To optimise how you actually turn the knowledge/exercise/theory into hard wired skill. You need to go slowly.
There is a maximum amount of information you can take in each day/week.
And most of the adaptation and ‘Learning’ happens at night when we sleep… Again because we are learning a physical skill. Not an intellectual one. It’s like riding a bike. No amount of someone telling us how to do it helps when we are trying to balance and pedal and steer at the same time. But over time it just starts to happen.
When we are acquiring physical skills. The regular practice of failure and adjustment over time is what leads to eventual perfection.
You can’t read a book about how to throw a basketball through a hoop. You need to go out. And do It.
Sure...sports science might be able to help us throw the ball better and make sure our form is good… But without practice and adaptation while sleeping… It’s like tears in the rain.
Ok what next?
We get good at what we repeatedly do. It’s that simple.
The Second Key revolves around what we practice and spend our time creating.
“You can only fight the way you practice”
― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
I have found it’s vital to practice what you actually want to do. It’s easy to spend a lot of time doing studies and endlessly perfecting our Loomis Head Construction. But these should be a small portion of our time.
Practice makes Permanent. Not perfect.
If you spend all your time studying head construction… you will be good at doing head construction. And your actual heads will still suck. Because you aren’t integrating the knowledge into what you actually want to do.
…unless you actually just want to draw those stiff head construction drawings and anatomy studies all day… I mean, I guess. If you can somehow find a job just drawing boxy heads and people with no skin…
(Now, keep in mind… I teach Loomis Head Construction, to hundreds of people each year. And I know it back to front. But it’s just a small part of studying how to draw people. It’s a guide, not the star of the show)
Developing your Art Ritual is one of the most important things you can do.
The Third Key... is that it’s important to build a habit of sitting down to create. It needs to be regular (not necessarily an epic herculean effort of time and concentration… just regular).
I call this The Art Ritual.
Habit is a powerful thing. We can have good or bad habits. But the important thing about them is that they have a magnetic pull.
Once you dedicate yourself to developing a strong habit for sitting down to create, it will pull you towards the drawing board (or the sketchbook at the cafe, or the Wacom/Cintiq, or the Ipad on the couch…. Whatever your crazy artistic mind prefers)
It’s important to understand that this is YOUR habit. The way your mind works is unique. What inspires you is unique. Your current life situation is unique. It’s not about finding a ‘better habit’. Or what my habit is. It’s about finding yours. And developing it into a powerful tool for creativity.
These days if I don’t do enough drawing each week… I start to get scratchy. I need my fix. Life just doesn’t feel right without drawing to me. I long for the creative outlet and ability to just sit down at my desk and create something cool from my imagination. When I sit down, everything clicks into place and I am there. Where I always am. The troubles of the world disappear into peripheral noise. I am at once relaxed and engaged.
Sometimes you might need to go for a walk. Have a shower. Listen to music. Jump up and down. Stand on your head…. Whatever it takes. To create an ‘on ramp’ for your creativity to flow. That’s fine. That’s the point. Embrace it. Build it. Make it a habit.
The key is that once you develop a ritual, it makes it a lot easier to get the regular drawing happening.
And regular drawing is what will make you good.
Over the years I have seen students and aspiring artists struggle with these issues. that's why...
I created a course to help master each of these areas:
Line and Color Academy:
Your Complete Guide to:
- Building an Art Ritual
- Perfecting your Process
- Mastering the Craft of Line and Color.
Ok what's it about? What do you get?
Well, to begin with, naturally - In this course you will learn how to Master the Line and Color style. Using modern digital techniques in Photoshop.
This simple technique/style is used in Anime/Manga, European BD, Western Superheros, Concept art, Illustration. All of the art you see on this site is created by me using these simple techniques.
If you are here, I am assuming you like Comics/BD and Anime, and other Animation, and cool stylized Illustration, You like amazing stylized video games. The techniques used are the same the world over.
I will teach you all of them.
No secrets, every technique I use is covered.
I have studied this style and technique for over 25 years. I have studied countless techniques from Japan and Europe on how to draw Manga, and ‘Anime’ style Illustration and create French Bande Dessinée.
I have also studied how these same techniques are used by countless illustrators as their main style. And how these techniques are used in the entertainment industry to create Visual Development and Concept Art for Video Games and Animation.
To guide you through my process I have created a massive real time (not sped up) fully narrated tutorial where I show you how I create a highly polished Illustration using the line and color style. In Photoshop. From start to finish.
It’s 22 hours long…
In it I cover how to
- Come up with ideas
- Make sure you have the right ‘Intent’ going into the image
- Manage your expectations and emotions throughout the process
- Create a set of thumbnail idea sketches
- Turn your thumbnail into a detailed value plan
- Create a solid construction/rough drawing
- Improve and develop your drawing WHILE in the rough phase
- Create amazing polished finished lines
- Organise your Layers
- Plan a color scheme
- Add shadows and lighting
- Refine all the little details
- Add Atmosphere and mood
- Make sure your finished image matches the thumbnail
- Add painted elements to create cohesion
- Adjust contrast and brightness
- Create multiple ‘color grades’ To explore the final look
- Refine and adjust the final image.
You get the Brushes, The PSDs, Step by Step Images. Everything.
It’s the longest and most in depth tutorial I have created to date.
What else?
In-depth Tutorials are great. But to make sure the information is easy to reference - I created a separate step by step guide that gives you specific advice on what to focus on during each step. Summing up the points from each stage of the tutorial and giving you key takeaways that you can apply when you tackle a particular step yourself.
Because this course is about YOU creating awesome images. Not me.
Check it out:
In this Step by Step guide:
I have created a series of small 10-15 minutes videos you can watch when you start and finish each stage of a detailed image like this.
For instance when you are moving from the thumbnail to the rough construction drawing. If you feel lost or like you need some advice to focus on. You can watch the ‘Beginning the Construction’ Video and get some targeted advice on what to do in the coming stage.
Once you have finished your construction drawing. You can watch the ‘Finishing the Construction’ Video. Where I will give you some advice on what to double check before you move on.
It’s my complete guide to creating a detailed Illustration from start to finish.
Your Simple Reliable Process
Remember how I said earlier that you need to master ‘As simple set of tools’ though?
A huge part of my ethos is that we need to begin learning a simple set of tools and techniques. And that we need to learn these in depth, before we move on to adding extra techniques and all the fancy Photoshop tricks.
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
―Bruce Lee
I call this ‘A Simple Reliable Process’
You might be interested in learning advanced techniques. But if you are still starting out your journey, my advice is simple:
Learn a simple reliable process first. Get really good at the basics. Then start adding more advanced techniques one piece at a time.
Why? Because remember we are learning a physical based skill. And we want to really integrate all of the knowledge well. And spend most of our time creating. Not learning endless techniques that we forget the next day.
If you are just starting out I want you to be able to jump in and hit the ground running. To start building an Art Ritual and creating cool stuff.
That's why I have created a separate tutorial focusing exclusively on how to learn and develop your own Simple Reliable Process:
In The Simple Reliable Process you will learn
- How to use a simple set of tools
- The basics of Line and Color
- How to add advanced techniques one at a time.
We start by learning how to use 3 tools in Photoshop to create the entire drawing and color pass.
We then progressively add extra techniques.
- Adjusting Colors
Gradients - Adjusting the color of the lines
- Adding Texture
- Adding Simple Shadows
- Adding Rendering and Highlights
- Adding a color ‘grade’ to tweak the final look
There are 3 sections:
- The Basics (Line and Flat color)
- Adjusting Lines (How to change line colors, and tweak Scanned Lines)
- Advanced Techniques (Shading Rendering and Texture)
Simple is Sophisticated!
It’s important to note that even though you will be creating images using a ‘simple’ technique… The results do not have to be simple. We can create fully detailed living breathing worlds by using only line drawing and flat color (no rendering or shadows). Many artists have made this simple technique their only style. And have created entire careers from it.
Most of what makes an image good is the idea behind it. The quality and emotion of the drawing. And the fact that the artist knows how to get the most out of their tools and process. No matter how simple or complex.
We get there…again…by practice and developing deep knowledge of our tools.
Your Ritual!
So what about Your Art Ritual…. How do you get this happening? How do you build one that serves your creative needs?
Well… I have not only created a series of videos on how to build this regular art habit.
I have created an entire 5 Stage System that will help guide you through the process of mastering the Line and Color Craft...
...No matter what your current skill set or experience.
You see, a major element of developing a regular ritual… is that it needs to be fun.
I have found the most common reason people struggle to create art as a regular part of their life… is that it’s frustrating. You can like drawing… but sometimes it can be challenging and sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.
In most cases people are simply taking on too much challenge at one time.
And they aren’t even aware of it.
I used to struggle with gauging my level of challenge all the time...
When I started learning to draw...
...I would often experience crazy up and down swings.
It felt like one day I was amazing and the next everything I touched was utter trash.
One day I was going to be an amazing artist admired by all. The next I was going to have to give up and get a job as an accountant.
One day I was going to be able to tell awesome stories and share my imagination with the world. The next I was sure I would never make it.
I would think, that's it...it's over! The End. My family was right, time to get a ‘real job’! Time to grow up! Stop drawing that stupid fantasy stuff... Maybe I could draw a bit in my spare time, (as I entered the miserable, 9-5 office rat race.)
Ugh…
Managing your expectations and knowing what to focus on is key.
Why does this happen...
I have found that in most cases this sort of up and down feeling is due to us not knowing when we are doing something hard. I now know that there were often cases when I really should have had no expectation of that drawing turning out well. It was beyond me.
But we have to push and try hard, yeah? We have to challenge ourselves!?
Yes… but not straight away. And not in every situation.
Imagine you are training to be a world class fighter. You might be talented. You might have a promise. You might have awesome skills. But if you step in the ring with someone way above your skill level… you will get knocked the F**K out.
In many cases this is exactly what I was doing. Just plain old biting off more than I could chew.
I just couldn’t see it at the time.
I had to learn to manage my level of challenge with each image I did. Slowly increasing the complexity and difficulty.
This is one of the hardest things you need to master.
That’s why I have taken everything I know about level of challenge, and created a simple 5 Stage System.
Let me show you...
It’s actually pretty simple!
I have organized the main set of tasks and hurdles all artists need to overcome into 5 distinct areas:
Stage 1 - Is all about Developing the Ritual. Getting your sketching happening. Creating a regular art habit. This is where we focus on old school drawing with pencil and paper. Find out what inspires us and create a plan for what type of art we want to make.
Stage 2 - is all about finding your own reliable digital process. Learning the tools like Photoshop in depth. You want to keep the images you create simple and fun until you know your process back to front, inside and out.
Stage 3 - Is all about tracking your progress and making sure you are heading in the right direction. I teach you how to critique your own work. And how to create images that will push you in the right direction.
Once you can see regular reliable progress. Then you can start to add in more challenge.
Stage 4 - Is all about focusing on your style and your foundation. This is where you can start to learn the technical side of drawing if you wish. Refine your process and imagination, and make sure you are creating the art that you actually want to create.
Stage 5 - Is all about taking on significant challenge. Once you have overcome all of the hurdles in the previous stages you can now start to think about what you want to do with your art. Develop a portfolio. Think about professional work. Create challenges for yourself so you can really stretch your legs and create those epic images you have been imagining for years.
So how does that work?
Well… this is not a simple 4 week course, where you watch a few quick tutorials and videos and suddenly learn to draw like a pro. This is going to obviously take time. But Line and Color Academy is not an 8 week or 12 week course. It is a resource. You can come back to it as you progress along this Journey.
You can spend 1 week, or 2 months, or 2 years really digging into stage 3. Making sure you know you are making solid progress. Once you really know that the things you are doing are moving you in the right direction… you gain a lot of power and momentum. It’s worth focusing on these areas until you have them figured out.
You can pace yourself. We are all different. Some things come naturally some do not. What matters is that we master them all in the end.
Focus...
The key to the 5 Stage System is that it tells you what NOT to focus on.
For instance I know a lot of students and aspiring artists worry about their style… or if they are at professional level yet. What this system does is tell you when to start worrying. When to focus on a particular thing. And when not to.
"There is no point worrying what your style is if you aren’t drawing regularly!"
"There’s no point worrying about getting professional work if you haven’t yet mastered the basic tools!"
When I started to figure this out. It changed my entire approach to learning.
And trust me… I didn’t learn this by doing it properly the first time. I bit off a lot more than I could chew many times! And had many frustrating moments and crunch deadlines because I misjudged how hard a particular task would be.
This course will help you navigate these issues.
Build a Ritual, Perfect your Process, And Master the Craft!
Get Instant Lifetime Access for $190
Lets look at what's included:
- Advanced Process Mega tutorial (28 videos: 22 Hours)
- Step By Step Guide (17 Videos: 2.5 Hours)
- Simple Reliable Process series (21 Videos: 9.5 Hours)
- 5 Stage System for charting your progress. (11+ Videos 4+ Hours)
- 5 Elements of Drawing video (1 hour)
- Tutorial Collection - The Travellers (8 Videos: 6.5 hours)
- Tutorial Collection - The Dancing Girl (3 hours)
- Composition and Thumbnailing Masterclass (5 Videos: 3.5 Hours)
+ more
There are subjects and ideas covered which I haven’t even mentioned on this page! Such as:
Theory and Ideas Videos:
- How Perspective is Used in the Real World
- Perspective Survival Guide
- Refining your Imagination
- Finding your Muse
- The Creation Loop: Illustration Study Guide
- Brushes Techniques and Theory Mini Course (13 Videos: 5.5 Hours)
There are over 100 Videos, that’s 60+ Hours of Drawing Tutorials and Advice!
Amazing Value
I mentioned 8 week online courses. I have taught a lot of them over the years. They normally cost anywhere from $700 upwards (often $1000 and up for a 12 week course).
Line and Color Academy has at least 4x-5x the content of any 8 week online course I have run. It has more useful advice and theory than I have ever put into a course. And it is designed to serve you over your entire journey. Not just 8 weeks.
It is designed from the ground up to work without feedback and mentorship. Which provides the best value, along with your ability to learn at your own pace. Which is one of the key components to reliable long term improvement.
Unlike a normal 12 week course that is sold ‘without teacher feedback’, this is designed to work that way from the beginning.
If I tried to fit all of this information into a 12 week course it wouldn’t fit! I have extensive experience planning course outlines :) There is absolutely no other way for me to give this volume and quality of information or experience without you literally being an apprentice working in my studio 5 days a week.
I have created this from the very start so that you don’t need to ask me any questions. I have taken my experience teaching students over the years and have designed systems to help guide you at your own pace. You get to have my best advice any time you want it. From anywhere in the world.
Try it Risk Free
I am offering a 60 day Guarantee. If you try the course out for 60 days and decide ultimately that it’s not for you. I will refund you 100%. No questions asked.
I want this course to work for you. If it’s not a good fit - no problem. Send me an email and I’ll give you your money back.
FAQ
Who is this course for?
Who is this course NOT for?
What software do I need?
Can I draw with pencil and paper?
But hang on! There are a few more things I haven't mentioned yet! You also get :
Thumbnailing and Composition Masterclass. In this masterclass I will guide you through my thoughts on how to improve your composition and how to plan your images.
The Tutorial Collection: Yes there are more Tutorials! Here I show you how to create different types of images. Some complex, some simple. From Start to finish. Fully narrated.
Bonus Mini Course: Brushes Techniques and Theory. In this Mini Course I cover all of the brushes and other technical details that go into creating my line and color images.
Ok so there are a lot of videos and tutorials and ideas in there! But remember this is about you.
I can show you how I do things from start to finish, in real time. I can show you what brushes to use. How to use them. But the most important thing is that you start creating your own awesome art. Regularly.
If you get this part of the puzzle in place… many of the other pieces become easier.
Getting inspired and staying inspired throughout your journey is a major skill. It’s not something you are born with. You have to develop the structures in your life to support your artistic endeavors. Navigating the journey is a skill you can acquire. And It’s vital.
If you can figure out these elements and get creating regularly you will automatically improve.
I see a lot of students go through the learning journey. I see people who obviously have talent and show amazing promise in the beginning. And I see people who… quite frankly, suck. But the thing which makes the difference over time is how much they draw… and how much they enjoy it. The more people draw and the better their relationship to drawing… the better they get. It’s that simple.
The challenge is finding that enjoyment in drawing and making sure you are on the right path.
Let's get started!
If you enroll now you can get instant access and start watching the first steps immediately.
PS: I wasn’t a great artist when I started out. No one thought I was going to make it. No one thought I was going to be successful. Certainly no one thought I would be able to make a living doing it. But I did. And I have seen a lot of people go through the same Journey. It just takes time and dedication. But it’s worth it.
PPS: And It’s not like I spent my entire journey ‘on the path’. I wasted years of my life playing video games (I was really good too! I almost went pro).
If I had properly understood the things I know now… I would be much further along in my career.
I wasted a lot of time on art angst and stress. On finding the right brush. And other pointless nonsense. I created this course so hopefully you can save some time and get to a better place with your art sooner than I did!
See you inside!
-Tim Mcburnie
