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Topic: Question for JB- Drawing Eyes on Spider-Man (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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vishard chandool
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 1:52pm | IP Logged | 1  
Hi JB, do you have any tips on drawing the eyes on Spider-Man's costume correctly?

I notice that the eyes on the Iron Fist costume are similar. Are they drawn the same way as on the Spider-Man costume?
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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 2:06pm | IP Logged | 2  
I used to think that the :eyes" on Spider-Man and Iron Fist were similar, and drew them that way when I was starting at Marvel, Only after quite some time did I notice IF has a kind of up-tick at the back, different from the spider guy.

As to how to draw them ------ so many different ways! Find the one that works for you, and use it! (I rarely draw them the same way twice!)

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vishard chandool
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 2:13pm | IP Logged | 3  
That was a lightning fast reply. Thanks.
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Ron Grant
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 2:47pm | IP Logged | 4  
Not related but the topic reminded me  of when I was a young lad my Grandma would dot the eyes on Spider-Man much to my displeasure .
My Mom  said she did the same to Little Orphan Annie.

Edited by Ron Grant on 23 June 2017 at 2:50pm
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Eric Sofer
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 5:57pm | IP Logged | 5  
I notice you don't make them wink, blink, or close, for either character... same drill for Batman or Iron Man.

Of course, that's how it SHOULD be. But I remember one BIG NAME artist doing that with Batman in a landmark issue of Justice League of America. He did make it look really good, though....
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 6:16pm | IP Logged | 6  
But he does make them squint, when necessary:


I don't recall any other artist pulling this off so well, either.
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Eric White
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Posted: 23 June 2017 at 6:32pm | IP Logged | 7  
I think that's the single best panel of the Penguin I've ever seen. 
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Rob Ocelot
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Posted: 24 June 2017 at 9:37am | IP Logged | 8  
Darn, I thought this was about the eyeballs on the last page of the AF15 Spider-man story.   

Always wondered about them, if they were added by Ditko or by someone else later.  Occasionally they've been absent in reprints.

They're on the original artwork that was donated to the Smithsonian:



Of course that doesn't preclude someone else adding them after the fact, but I think Steve wanted to show that the eyehole material was semi-translucent, so in the the right circumstances you could see the eyes under the mask close up.   

edit: you can clearly see that they are small circles and not dots (which is what they appear to be on the published page due to size reduction and ink properties).

Funny though, Spider-man also has a nose in the same panel and no one makes any noise about that.


Edited by Rob Ocelot on 24 June 2017 at 9:39am
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John Byrne
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Posted: 24 June 2017 at 11:23am | IP Logged | 9  
… I think Steve wanted to show that the eyehole material was semi-translucent, so in the the right circumstances you could see the eyes under the mask close up.   

••

More likely he wanted to show expression on an expressionless mask and, being a "purist" did not want to change the shape of the eyes Spider-Man's in order to show his shock. So, Steve exercised a little artistic license, and legions of over-literal fans have been going bonkers about it ever since.

(Something else that makes fans foam at the mouth: looking at that drawing, who thinks Spider-Man's costume is red and BLUE?}

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Rob Ocelot
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Posted: 28 June 2017 at 7:59pm | IP Logged | 10  

More likely he wanted to show expression on an expressionless mask and, being a "purist" did not want to change the shape of the eyes Spider-Man's in order to show his shock. So, Steve exercised a little artistic license, and legions of over-literal fans have been going bonkers about it ever since.

Good point.  There are also lines showing either a shake or a quick cocking of the head to indicate surprise and the 'eyes' help to reinforce the expression.

(Something else that makes fans foam at the mouth: looking at that drawing, who thinks Spider-Man's costume is red and BLUE?}

Bwahaha!  This old chestnut again.  

It's red and black, per Ditko's inking.  Period.   Even Jack's cover to AF#15 follows Steve's design. Red and black.

... and like some demented game of Whack-A-Mole out pops a fanboy who insists that it's red and blue because that's how they remember it, and their memories are pefect.

There's one in every bunch.  This is one of those things that is never going to go away in our lifetimes, Chief.
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Christopher Frost
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Posted: 28 June 2017 at 8:33pm | IP Logged | 11  
The perception of red/blue is due to a combination of the old blue highlights in the colouring in the old comics along with the fact that it was blue in the old cartoon that most people have seen. As a result of those two elements, most people think the costume is supposed to be red and blue as opposed to red and black.
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 29 June 2017 at 6:23am | IP Logged | 12  
(Something else that makes fans foam at the mouth: looking at that drawing,
who thinks Spider-Man's costume is red and BLUE?}

—

I think Spider-Man's costume was originally red and black, and certainly
prefer when he is colored that way, but seem to recall reading somewhere that
Steve Ditko now says it was always red and blue.
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