In this article, we will explain, the secrets of one of the most famous illustrators of France (Moebius).
Although there are more secrets about the way of working of this great artist, we will only give you some of them. We consider them to be the most important ones, and the basis to be a great illustrator and cartoonist.
In order to understand it better, we let you read the article and be amazed: 6 incredible secrets of Moebius to create comics here! But the most important thing: Take note of each of these secrets and apply them!
Create comics, a pleasant task, and from now on, easy, with these 6 incredible secrets of Moebius to create comics.
What? You don’t know Moebius yet? Don’t worry, if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy his work yet, or if you already know him and want to know more secrets about his author, you’re in the right place.
Jean Giraud, better known as Moebius, was one of the most famous French cartoonists and illustrators in history.
His success came with the western The Lieutenant Blueberry, but then, in the 70s, he gave a blow on the table of the comic world. This, with his works of science fiction with a surrealist tone.
On several occasions, Moebius has revealed some of his secrets when creating his stories and illustrations. Here are some of them!
1. The importance of pleasure and emotion, to expand our creative universe.
For Moebius, pleasure is fundamental to survive and develop his creative universe. There is no creation possible without pleasure, therefore, there is no drawing possible without it.
For the famous French artist, drawing is the emotion that leaves a trace.
By drawing, a material is released from the memory that produces a sensitization to the image. According to the artist, a current is produced, which passes through the hand, the eye, the support and, in a single stroke, provokes an emotion.
There are different emotions, for example, beautiful drawings can emerge when the artist enters a kind of mysterious, disturbing well. You might even think that you are going crazy.
2. How to create stories? Learn how to explain them
Surely, many times you have wondered how do the great scriptwriters, to think those wonderful stories that have fascinated us so much?
Moebius believes that making comics is learning to explain stories, the same thing that happens in cinema, literature, theater and other media. This does not mean that it only has to do with literature.
3. Expand your consciousness. Use the experience of others to expand your own.
To learn to tell a story, you must enter into parts of people’s lives. To explain them is to extend your own experience by entering into that of others. In this way, you can enter into a collective fabric with infinitely different experiences.
4. Draw from life, don’t just copy.
Although Moebius began as a self-taught artist copying other artists. According to his experience, he warns that it is not advisable to work only by copying.
In Art School, his teachers insisted to him that, in order to transcribe reality with a certain level of freshness and personality, the eye had to face the three-dimensional image.
If you work drawing from life, you can observe millions of bits of information, which will help you to understand and synthesize things.
5. Drawing from photos, don’t depend so much on them.
Although Moebius believes that the ability to draw from photographs is very special, he advises only to use the elements of the photo that you need.
Transcribe them back through your brain, so they become part of your personal vision.
Your drawing does not have to look too dependent on a photographic vision.
The same goes for drawing from life. You have to observe, understand the situation, and insert your own vision into the work.
6. Don’t neglect digital tools
Although Moebius thinks that the use of a graphic tablet and artistic software is nothing more than a sophisticated pencil, he warns that we cannot underestimate their specificity.
Digital tools are instruments that have their own character and can take you to a completely different world than the one you create with traditional tools.
Here, some of Moebius’ most striking works.
To understand the imaginary power of this artist, you have to read his fabulous comics.
Surely, it will be difficult to make a selection, but here are two of his most striking works. You can’t miss them!
-The Airtight Garage (1976)
Moebius’ most experimental comic, an exercise of deep introspection, in which the author wanted to pay homage to the superhero genre. Carried out with an astonishing degree of freedom.
The script can be chaotic, but therein lies the magic of this comic. It explores the limits of time and space, dealing with themes of philosophy, metaphysics, and reconverting the genre of science fiction.
-The Incal (1981-1988)
The best-selling European comic book in history, and one of the most famous science fiction comics in the world.
Together with Alejandro Jodorowsky, Moebius, draws a detective story, set in a Cyberpunk future, where a detective finds a mystical artifact for which he is persecuted.
If you are a fan of spirituality, surrealism or space opera, you cannot miss this work. It is worth mentioning that it was continued years later by other great cartoonists.
Conclusion
Although Jean Giraud, better known as Moebius, has been a source of inspiration for several drawing enthusiasts, you should know his secrets, or at least some of them.
Here we leave you 6 secrets when creating comics, as we mentioned during the article, each secret has its logic and technique, so you should not fail to pay attention to any of them.
If you are left with any doubt or simply do not understand, go back to the beginning of the post and start from scratch.
Bibliography:
Interview by Dominique Mirambeau to Moebius, 1993. Text originally published in the ArtFutura catalog.
The other face of Moebius, interview by Kim Thompson for The Comics Journal nº 112, 1987.
