Online Art
Board Supplies

Comic art for the major US companies such as Marvel or DC is drawn on special art board that includes 'blue line' indicators so the artists draw to the correct size proprotional to the final US comic book art size. Artists contracted to the companies are provided with this board, although I am not sure if this is still supplied gratis, as it was in Paul Neary's day as Editorial Director at Marvel UK, or if they have to pay for it.

Page measurements apparently vary slightly from company to company, so using ordinary Bristol board and a ruler may be a better option for the aspiring artist than seeking down this specialised board.

2000AD is now published pro to US comic book size.

BlueLine
There is a type of Bristol board called BlueLine which features these the official comic page measurments printed on it. It's solicited through Previews and, therefore, most comic shops should be able to order it. Some artists don't like it.

Bristol Board
• Most art supply shops in Belfast sell Bristol board in A3 20 sheet blocks.

Art Supplies

• Great Art Supplies
Gerstaecker UK Limited / Great Art, Normandy House, 1 Nether Street, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1EA
Telephone Order line 0845 601 5772 (Local call rate)
Described as Europe's largest and brightest catalogue for art materials, this company says "Whatever your angle - whether you're an art student, leisure painter, art teacher or professional artist - we're sure that you'll find that we are full of all the supplies you need." They publish a variety of catalogues for each country -- one artist I know orders material from their French rather than UK edition.

• London Graphics Company
16-18 Shelton Street, Covent Garden London WC2H 9JL
Tel: 020 7759 4500 Fax: 020 7759 4585
London Graphic Centre was established in 1973 as a specialist graphic materials supplier to the London Design and Advertising market.

Dip Pens

• Hans Presto
This Swedish (with English translation) site apparently stocks and sells just about every dip pen ever made. It also has sections on Lettering, Comics and Handwriting. (thanks to artist Kev Hopgood for this one)

NEW BRITISH COMICS COLLECTIONS AVAIALBLE NOW...

This is the first Dan Dare collection I've edited for Titan Books, comprising work by Frank Hampson, Frank Bellamy and Don Harley.

Superb World War 1 strip first published in Battle and another collection edited by me for Titan

Comics Artists L

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Ladronn
Official: www.ladronn.com

Art by Cliff LangleyClint Langley
Official: www.clintlangley.com
Clint Langley studied art and design at Hasting College in East Sussex. His first comic strip work, Dynosty, co-created with Pat Mills, appeared in 2000AD 1994. Since that time he has worked on various comic strips such as Slaine, Judge Dredd, Darkblade, Nemesis the Warlock, Sinister Dexter, illustrated games for Games Workshop, White Wolf, FASA, Hogshead, Sla Industries, Hidden City Games, Urban Mammoth, drawn covers Black Library, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Celtos, Battletech and illustrated collectible card games such as World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, Sabertooth Games and more.

Roger Langridge
Official: Go
Hilarious cartoonist whose work includes strips for Doctor Who Magazine. A real genius -- you can have his Hotel Fred strip e-mailed to you. Recommended.

Don Lawrence
Official: www.donlawrence.co.uk
Artist on The Trigan Empire and creator of Storm.

Bob Layton
Official: Go
Bob Layton, whose credits include a stunning run on Iron Man, is a jack of all trades - penciler, inker, editor, studio head, idea guy, and production manager rolled into one.

Fractal Friction Page 3 by Kev LevellKevin Levell
Official: www.kevlev.co.uk
Blog: http://kevlev.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kevlevell

Kev graduated with a degree in Industrial Design from Loughborough University in 1995, an experience that taught him that he wanted his eventual career to be more fun. He's designed promotional toys but is now a sefl-employed freelance illustrator, working on projects such as webcomic Fractal Friction.
Steve Lieber
Official: unrewarding.com/steve/
Portland Oregon-based Cartoonist, illustrator and storyboard artist.

Norman Light
UK Comics expert Steve Holland outlines the career of Captain Future creator Light on a larger site about Billy Bunter creator Frank Richards. Norman Light’s earliest known work was for Martin & Reid shortly after the war, illustrating magazines and providing filler strips for their Jolly Western comic. Westerns became his main output in comics for some years; apart from one-off back-up strips for Commando Craig and Prairie Western, he drew nine Five Star Gentr strips for Scion’s Five Star Western in 1951-52.
He had already written and drawn Commando Craig for Scion, the crime-fighting adventures of Craig and his two companions, ex-Navy type ‘Dusty’ Miller and pilot ‘Rocky’ Rockwood. Trying to cram 13-16 frames of story into a page didn’t allow Light to put in his customary detail, and his early comic work suffered in comparison to his covers.
Light’s first science fiction strips appeared from Scion in 1952, but it was with his self-published Spaceman: Comic of the Future that Light really came into his own. This was the first publication from Gould-Light, published in around March 1953, and from the full-colour cover through the 24 pages of comic strips, almost everything was written and drawn by Norman Light (Spaceman also featured a strip Bill Merrill of the Scientific Investigation Bureau, drawn by a young Ron Embleton, returned from the war).
The main star was Captain Future of the futuristic Space Patrol, and Steve says these adventures are still something of a Holy Grail to some fans of SF comics. "They might not be the best SF published in that era or even the best drawn SF comics, but original copies are extremely scarce and there’s a delightful naivete about the stories, full of pulp cliches and post-war exuberance at mankind’s recent entry into the rocket age."
Light’s breathless adventures carried the title through 15 issues between the Spring of 1953 and early Summer of 1954, a creditable run for an independently produced comic.

Ellen Lindner
E-mail: Ellen_Lindner@bust.com
Ellen Lindner is an inveterate New Yorker currently living outside of Philadelphia.

Kickback by David LloydDavid Lloyd
Official: www.lforlloyd.com

Artist-writer for Kickback, V for Vendetta, Hellblazer, War Stories, Night Raven, Espers and much more.
• Read our 2006 interview with David Lloyd
• Read Forbidden Planet International's 2006 interview with David

Nigel Lowery
Official: Go
Heroine art, strips and other illustrations

James E. Lyle
Official: www.comicartistsdirect.com/lyle.html
James E. Lyle is a living illustration of the success of comic books for the past 25 years. His Escape to the Stars was at the vanguard of the second wave of alternative comics in the 1980s. Up through the present day, James has honed his skills as illustrator and craftsman.

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