Todd McFarlane: Drawing Lessons From the Creator Of Spawn
New here? I recommend you learn about the Cool Continuum first. You can also buy the book to access 60+ artist profiles and the practical guide.
Todd McFarlane is arguably one of the most successful comic book creators after Stan Lee, with an impressive career that stands out even more given his dedication to drawing.
The Canadian artist was born in 1961 and, like most people, became a comic book fan. However, his commitment to his craft made him an Artisan in the Cool Conundrum early on. You see, most creative people only do what they like and don’t put in the leg work to get themselves out there and grow as professionals, but McFarlane did, and that proved to be the key to his success.
According to the man himself, he sent over one hundred samples per month in the early 80s to comic book publishers to see if they would be interested in his work. As he was being rejected and learning from the letters he received from the publishers, McFarlane would work every week on a specific body part to improve his anatomy art and learn more about how movement in comics works.
After a couple of runs at DC Comics and working on two issues of the Batman: Year Two story, McFarlane moved to Marvel Comics. One of his most important works there was the Incredible Hulk run he had with…
