August
11th, 2008 HOW TO DRAW STAR WARS: MORE COMIC BOOKS!
MATT
BUSCH is back- this time offering even
more great tips on how to draw COMIC
BOOKS! This episode focuses on how
to tell your visual story through dynamic page
layouts. Check it out below!
You
can also see this episode in higher 640 X 480
res at StarWars.com by clicking HERE!
July
7th, 2008 YOU CAN DRAW STAR WARS VOLUME 2 COMING
TO DVD!
As
a follow-up to the original series of tutorial
videos that found limited release on DVD in
2007, Lucasfilm Ltd. has authorized
a new DVD from DK Publishing
and Planetmatt Entertainment:YOU CAN DRAW STAR WARS- VOLUME TWO.
Hosted by notorious artist Matt Busch, the DVD
will collect all seven Episodes from Season
2 released this year.
The
first series chronicled the entire creation
of a 30th Anniversary poster, whereas Season
2 includes the creation of the REVENGE
OF THE SITH Style D One Sheet,
but also spreads focus to areas such as drawing
on the road, storyboarding for film and animation,
and comic books. Each chapter includes comical
skits to spice up the pace, including a few
where Busch parodies Indiana Jones-
another Lucasfilm staple.
The
tutorials began as a side promotion for the
book of the same name from DK Publishing, to
which Busch produced nearly 400 illustrations.
Before released on DVD, all videos can first
be seen on StarWars.com
and KidDK.com.
The videos later hit other avenues online, and
have had more than one million plays on MySpaceTV
alone. "It's awesome that these are available
on DVD," comments Busch, "for the
dedicated aspiring artist, to be able to experience
the details at four times the resolution is
wonderful."
Busch
himself will be attending the upcoming STAR
WARS Celebration Japan next week in
Tokyo with a brand new limited edition poster.
The following week, Busch will be a featured
Special Guest at Comic-Con International
in San Diego, the largest pop-culture show on
the planet.
The
Volume Two DVD will debut at Comic-Con as well.
To find out how to get your hands on
a copy for FREE, check out Busch's Spotlight
panel on Saturday, July 26th from 11:30 - 12:30pm
in Room 30CDE. Another good idea would
be to stop by the DK booth and find out when
Busch and author Bonnie Burton and fellow artist
Tom Hodges will be signing books. To find out
the latest info on how to nab a DVD, stay locked
in to www.MattBusch.com
for updates.
July
1st, 2008 THE WORLDS OF MATT BUSCH NOW AVAILABLE,
NEW INFOMERCIAL!
The
new art book, The Worlds of Matt Busch, is available
now, collecting all the different entertainment
genres Busch has been involved with. To help
promote, Matt Busch has produced an entertaining
parody infomercial. Check it out below!
The
book is available everywhere, including these
choice Online locations, offering the book at
cheaper than retail! Click on one of the following
links to get your copy now!
June
10th, 2008 HOW TO DRAW STAR WARS: EPISODE 12!
Recently
released this past weekend on MySpaceTV,
Matt Busch's latest How To Draw
video topped the MySpace Video Charts,
coming in at Number One for
categories of Instructional and Animation/CGI,
and Number Two for Entertainment. To date, Busch's
videos have gathered more than a million plays
on MySpace alone.
Here
Busch returns with a plethora of tips- this
time delving into COMIC BOOKS!
The latest episode focuses on how to illustrate
your visual storytelling in your panels through
shots and angles.
Continuing
the INDIANA JONES
parody from where Episode 10 left off, Busch
evades more Stormtroopers and finally makes
his way to the Temple of Vader, but will he
successfully nab the golden idol? You'll have
to watch to see!
In
addition to the MySpace Video below, you can
also see this episode in higher 640 X 480 res
at StarWars.com by clicking HERE.
As well, you can download all of the How To
Draw STAR WARS episodes as Quicktime files at
the DK site HERE.
Making
waves as one of the hottest new comic books
on the shelves, AFTERBURN
is already in development as a major motion
picture with Tobey Maguire
attached to star.
Below
you'll see how Matt Busch approaches creating
the dynamic painted covers for the issues. Busch,
no stranger to comic books or movies, will be
a featured Special Guest at
this year's Comic-Con International
show in San Diego.
Created
by Scott Chitwood, AFTERBURN
is written by Chitwood and Paul Ens, illustrated
by Wayne Nichols, with covers painted by Busch.
You can find out more about AFTERBURN HERE.
The latest episode of Matt Busch's tutorial
series has been released! In the second part
of creating the Style D One Sheet movie poster
for REVENGE OF THE SITH,
Busch begins painting and takes you through
the complete process. As well, there's guest
Narration from MattBusch.com's
own Paul
Michael Kane- who'll show how he
created the typography and other digital secrets
for the poster.
On
location in Hollywood, California, you'll also
see Busch prepping for a big Jedi Lightsaber
Tournament. How does Busch fare with
the competition? You'll just have to watch and
see!
In
addition to seeing the latest episode on MySpace
TV below, you see the full episode
at StarWars.com at a full 640 X 480 resolution
HERE.
You can also also download all of the Episodes
as Quicktime movies at the KidDK.com right HERE.
Stay
tuned for the next episode, where Matt returns
with a brand new INDIANA JONES-themed
episode on how to draw Comic Books!
StarWars.com
has just released Part Two of a new
How To Draw Manga
series, written and illustrated by Matt Busch!
You can check out the Step By Step article HERE.
Manga,
of course, refers to the Japanese style of comics,
and what a better way to prep for the upcoming
Celebration Japan show in July than to explore
some of their pop culture. This week's article
takes a look at how to draw Manga Padme from
the side 'profile' view.
The
article is the second in a Three Part weekly
series, so be sure to check back next week and
see how to draw Manga STAR WARS
characters from different angles. In case you
missed it, you can see the first article HERE.
April
14th, 2008 INDIANA JONES DRAWS STAR WARS!
Any fan of INDIANA JONES
and STAR WARS can
quote numerous instances in which the Indy films
reference the films from the "galaxy far,
far away..." (Did you know that in Temple
of Doom, the sound the plane's
engines make when it runs out of fuel is the
same sound the Millennium Falcon makes when
the hyperdrive fails?) Now, paying homage reverses
in Matt Busch's latest How To Draw
STAR WARS video, which can be
seen HERE.
In
this episode, Busch himself is dressed as the
famous archeologist, seeking the Temple of Vader.
He uncovers the mysteries of the Original STAR
WARS Style D "Circus" poster,
and prepares to illustrate it's bookend piece
for REVENGE OF THE SITH.
With the aid of Lucasfilm's Pete Vilmur, you'll
see the entire process for getting a STAR WARS
poster approved and the many different sketches
an artist often goes through. You'll also see
how Busch incorporates digital technology to
accommodate changes to his traditional sketches.
Since
hitting MySpaceTV, theHow To Draw
STAR WARS series has exploded
onto the charts, going straight to Number One.
The last episode gained 350,000 plays on MySpace
alone, in addition to StarWars.com and KidDK.com.
The video series is loosely based on the book
You Can Draw STAR WARS,
which Busch provided nearly 400 drawings and
paintings for, and was released by DK publishing
in 2007. A limited edition DVD of the first
7 episodes were also released last summer.
Like
Indiana Jones, Busch himself is a professor
by day at Macomb College, though at night he's
an adventure-seeking illustrator. Mostly known
for his work illustrating STAR WARS
products, he's worked with all kinds of Hollywood
properties, including some upcoming work based
around the new INDIANA JONES AND
THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
movie.
You
can check out the first Indy-themed episode
on MySpaceTV below. As well, you can see a higher
res 640 X 480 version at StarWars.com by clicking
HERE.
Last but certainly not least, you can also download
this episode as a Quicktime movie and save it
to your iPod at the KidDK site right HERE!
Welcome
to the STEP BY STEP section of the site! Here
you'll see how Matt Busch illustrated this dramatic image of Darth
Maul zooming across the Tattooine desert on his Sith Speeder!
From early design sketches to the final details, you'll see it
all!
"I received the call to create an image
that would be used on a postcard that would be sent out from the
STAR WARS INSIDER. Darth Maul was the character of choice, and
the only guideline I was given was to show something 'new' that
no one has seen before. So, I immediately began sketching..."
A
detail of the first sketch.
"I start with rough sketches. Everyone has a different style
for doing roughs, whether it be pencils, charcoal on gray paper,
or markers. While my roughs may be tighter than most, I'm actually
using simple materials- 8 1/2" by 11" typing paper and
a ball point pen!"
A
complete look at the first sketch.
"Here
we see a menacing look at Darth Maul. While I'm happy with the
sketch, everybody and their brother had already painted Maul in
a dramatic pose weilding his double-bladed lightsaber. The job
called for something 'new'..."
A
detail of the second sketch.
"I figured that Darth Maul on his Sith Speeder was the way
to go. Everyone wanted to see more of it, so here was the chance.
"You can see that while these roughs are basically glorified
scribbles, it's enough to clearly get the idea across. Scribbling
helps me to get the images out quickly while they are still fresh
in my head.."
The
completed second sketch.
"I thought it would be cool to show a scene from Episode
I that could have happened but we never got to see. So here we
have Maul cruising the streets of a Tattooine settlement in search
of the Jedi and the Queen. "I was also happy with this sketch,
But knew that I could take it to a higher level of visual excitement."
A
Detail of the third Sketch.
"Perspective. Sometimes that's the little push you need to
make the image more exciting. I skewed the horizon a bit and sketched
the Sith Speeder zooming out more towards the viewer."
The
completed third sketch.
"I will usually submit at least three sketches. Even if a
client doesn't like any of them, it's enough to tell me what direction
to go to from there. In this case, the third sketch was the one
they liked the best, and was approved."
The
penciled drawing.
"This is where I'm actually beginning on what will be the
finished piece. I had a piece of heavyweight illustration board
cut to 15" by 20". Then, with a regular #2 pencil like
you use in school, I begin to draw.
"Like most artists, I work from reference. However, I try
not to just take an existing photo and just duplicate it. Everyone
has allready seen all of the photos so there is no point in just
rehashing the same images over and over.
"So I use several things for reference and some things are
just the imagination to create what I hoped would be a fresh,
new, and exciting image.
I went and picked up the Darth Maul / Sith Speeder bank to study
the Sith Speeder, but refered to the EPISODE I VISUAL DICTIONARY
for the bike's specific details. While I did use rare photo reference
for Maul's face, I made up his body, robe, and field cloak out
of my head. The landscape and sky were also created from scratch.
"The drawing is pretty tight, because it's indicating exactly
what the painting will be like. I fax the pencil drawing over
for any last minute changes. The drawing is approved, and I can
start painting!"
STEP
1
"The first thing I like to do is develop a contrast. I want
to split everything up, the darkest darks and the lightest lights.
The pencil sketch itself acts as a middle ground, and the open
areas of the board show the lightest tones. So I start to paint
with the darkest dark... BLACK! Acrylic Black- right out of the
tube!"
STEP
2
"Now I begin with gray washes. For practical reasons, I paint
almost everything in acrylics these days. The washes are painted
in like watercolor. I'm just taking the acrylic paint and thinning
it down with water. I paint in the gray tones so that it begins
to look like a full value painting in black and white."
STEP
3
"I
continue with the washes, but now with color. With the color washes,
I'm not trying to render as much as I'm just separating specific
shapes of color. You can still see the original drawing underneath
the washes and that the painting is already pulling together."
STEP
4
"Now I pull out the airbrush. Many people see my work and
assume that it's all airbrush- but it's far from the truth. Certain
tricks work well with the airbrush, but I try to stay away from
using it too much. Airbrush pieces can look dated and can be the
kiss of death with many art directors.
"In this piece I uses the airbrush to fill in the sky and
the lighting effect for the Sith Speeder's headlights. The quickest
step of them all, the airbrushing on this piece took less than
ten minutes."
STEP
5
"Now
I go back in and start painting again. Most of what I'm painting
at this point are shiny highlights and lights in general. For
example, I'm using colors opaquely for the lights on the Sith
Infiltrator."
STEP
6
"Now I work in some grit. The piece in general needs texture
to it, but I also wnated to show the crusty surface and some sand
getting kicked up by the Sith Speeder's repulsorlifts. For the
small bits of sand, I'll dip an old toothbrush in some paint and
spritz it onto the surface of the board. To add contrast of sand
particle sizes and to show some depth, I'll flick larger paint
splatters with a brush."
STEP
7
"I have pretty much finished with the paint and it's now
time to break out the color pencils to bring everything together.
I mainly use the pencils to create action lines, giving the illusion
that Darth Maul and the Sith Speeder are in motion. Because Darth
Maul is gliding toward the viewer at an angle, I make sure that
the lines go back correctly in perspective."
STEP
8
"I'm also using the color pencil for fine details all around
the piece. Here you can see the face details in Maul's face touched
up with the pencils. Depending on how much time I have, I may
prefer to just paint everything, but the pencils can come in handy
to pull stuff together quickly when needed."
STEP
9
"I sign it last. I think it's an unspoken tradition for artists
and illustrators. I remember how cool it was to watch Bob Ross
on TV crank out a wonderful painting in a half hour and then sign
it at the end. To add to the dynamic perspective of the piece,
I thought it would be cool to also sign my name in perspective,
giving the illusion that my name is actually carved into the ground."
STEP
10
"Sleep on it! Many times upon finishing a piece I am off
to get it to Fed Ex, but if I can help it, I always try to sleep
on it. It's a Good idea to put it away for a bit and then come
back to it fresh. Certain things may pop out at you that you didn't
see when you were staring at it for hours before. "One of
the ways I look at how I create my work is that I start off with
one giant mistake. I just scribble something on to the board and
start throwing paint on it. Then, my entire process is just fixing
things. I fix things with brushes, and then I fix things with
an airbrush. Then I fix the details with color pencils. Once I
can't find anything else to fix, the painting is complete!"
As
a follow-up to the original series of tutorial
videos that found limited release on DVD in
2007, Lucasfilm Ltd. has authorized
a new DVD from DK Publishing
and Planetmatt Entertainment:
YOU CAN DRAW STAR WARS- VOLUME TWO.
Hosted by notorious artist Matt Busch, the DVD
will collect all seven Episodes from Season
2 released this year.
StarWars.com
has just released Part Two of a new
How To Draw Manga
series, written and illustrated by Matt Busch!
You can check out the Step By Step article 
