BASIC TRAINING
written by George Pérez
transcribed by Vu
published in WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #77 (Jan 98)

This month's host: George Pérez
How to Draw Large Group Shots

Photograph by Al Ortega

Hi, class! When Wizard asked me to host one of these "Basic Training" articles, I was told they had me specifically in mind for this lesson. After more than 23 years in this business, I knew what they meant. For better or worse, my main claim to fame is drawing group books. Seldom happy with just getting a half-dozen characters on a page, I'm the type who likes to get as many as he can elbowing for attention. Some say I'm crazy, others say I'm insane. And they're all correct. Now it's time for me to pass that insanity onto you.

Until I put this article together, I never realized that there's actually some method to my madness - certain basic principles I follow which might help a novice artist deal with that unfeeling writer or editor who asks for that dreaded "big shot with everybody in it." Warning: Once you've proven you can do it once, you'll be asked to do it again. And again. And again.

Welcome to the asylym.

STEP ONE: A Cast of Thousands Actually, it's only 25. before I start laying out a group shot, I make a list of the characters I'm going to use, so I can then check them off as I draw them. The characters are usually determined by the script, so picking and choosing is generally not an option. However, since I've just returned to The Avengers (Unabashed self-promotion here!), the guys at Wizard figured Earth's Mightiest Heroes would do nicely. Thus, the cast is set: Beast Black Knight (on winged horse) Black Panther Black Widow Captain America Crystal Falcon (with Redwing) Giant-Man Hawkeye Hercules Hulk Iron Man Machine Man Magdalene Photon Quicksilver Rage Sandman Sersi Scarlet Witch She-Hulk Stingray Thor Vision Wasp STEP TWO: Group Dynamics First off, just as there's no one way to draw a character, there are many ways of drawing a large group (not counting covers, which is a whole other ballgame). Most of the time, that decision is dictated by the script. In my career I've found that group shots fall into three major categories:

The Gathering

The Gathering Here, the characters are usually in some large room, either talking to each other or reacting to their surroundings. For the sake of this articles, I'm skipping the background altogether. A major difference with this type of layout compared to the others is you have the option of turning characters away from the reader. In the case of characters with capes, that's a way to avoid drawing all the detail on a character or two. Just be aware of the comparative sizes of the characters.

The Portrait

The Portrait Usually requested for a splash page, this style shows the characters standing in appropriate postures as they look directly at the reader. Sometimes this portrait consists merely of head shots. The layout I've drawn here is somewhere in between.

The Action Shot

The Action Shot This one's got superheroes doing what they do best! They could be charging at the reader, ready for battle, while some use their powers to indicate that an enemy's just out of page range. They could be running at the reader in the same direction, or be in the midst of battle with enemies all around. For the sake of this lesson (and since drawing two groups battling is a bit much for now) we'll concentrate on the Battle Charge because it utilizes many elements common to all the group shots. NOTE: Since we read from left to right, there's sort of bias that establishes the right as the direction of advancement. Having the characters running toward the left seems to imply retreat - unless you've already established that's where the menace is located. While the characters are running straight at the reader, I can still direct them slightly to the right through small turns in their bodies and heads.

Captain America STEP 3: Method to the Madness Stars and Co-Stars Unfortunately, there's no way to give equal time to everyone in a group shot - somebody's got to be man the rear. This creates a sense of depth and perspective, which is very useful if you decide not to use backgrounds. Choosing which characters will be in front is an artistic decision, often based on the popularity of certain characters, but few will argue Captain America's right to lead an Avengers charge. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Cap will be the absolute front-most Avengers. Character positioning is sometimes dictated by who the characters are and what they do. In choosing who will be emphasized, several considerations need to be made. [ TO BE CONTINUED... ]