Examples of great black-and-white art and artists

January 30, 2015 10:22 AM

I want to learn how to draw great black and white art. Composition, contrast, light, shadow, all the good stuff. I'm trying to gather good samples to learn from.

Since there are several styles and approaches to black and white, here are some examples of the content I'm looking for

Juan Giménez with As de Pique
Hal Foster with Prince Valiant
David Mazzuchelli with Batman Year One (yes, it's colored, but the brilliant B&W comes through)
Bill Waterson with Calvin and Hobbes
Katsuhiro Otomo with Akira

If you can give me specific comic book issues it would be great (e.g. not "anything by Alex Toth" or "Batman: Black and White").

Also, I'd rather prefer strictly black and white, no grayscales. Some toning (as in manga tones) is OK, as long as plain B&W predominates.

Also, if there are some good articles or tutorials on the web you can point me to, those also would be great.

Thank you!

posted by jgwong to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

Best answer: I think you probably can't go wrong with having Miyazaki's Nausicaä manga to look at and enjoy. Here is the oversized hardcover box set, which will let you really examine the intricate texture and linework he packed into every frame. Lots to learn about simplicity of line for expression and composition to fit information into a frame, plus it all still has that hand-drawn feel that your other examples seem to embody. And it's just a classic worth anyone's time.
posted by Mizu at 10:30 AM on January 30, 2015

Tsutomu Nihei (Knights of Sidonia, Biomega, etc.) and Kaoru Mori (Otoyomegatari, Emma) are both at the top of their game lately, although they're perhaps a touch more fond of screentone than you specify.

It's a little lateral, but I bet you'd really enjoy Käthe Kollwitz's prints. (Memorial for Karl Liebknecht, Untitled Self Portrait, and many others.)
posted by fifthrider at 11:00 AM on January 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh, and a bonus: a series of videos of Kaoru Mori working.
posted by fifthrider at 11:09 AM on January 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Mizu: Thanks! I have never read Nausicaä, so I'm in for a treat.

fifthrider: Not exactly what I am after, except the Biomega page, which I'll look further. Thanks!
posted by jgwong at 12:18 PM on January 30, 2015

Wanda Gag - Millions of Cats
Aubrey Beardley - Salome
William Kentridge
Esther Averill - Jenny Linsky Books
posted by brookeb at 12:22 PM on January 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: For my money, Jaime Hernandez is the best B&W comic book artist, and The Death of Speedy is him at the top of his game.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:26 PM on January 30, 2015

Best answer: Frank Miller's Sin City books (there are 6 I believe) are fantastic examples of creative B&W drawing:

1 | 2 | 3
posted by carsonb at 12:29 PM on January 30, 2015

The French cartoonist Boulet has recently been posting some time-lapse videos of himself at work.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:38 PM on January 30, 2015

Best answer: You cannot possibly not look at André Franquin and his Idées noires.

Also, much by Quino.

The German Kurt Halbritter is worth looking into and learning from for lines.
posted by Namlit at 12:44 PM on January 30, 2015

also Otto Dix and Georg Groz.
posted by brookeb at 12:50 PM on January 30, 2015

Best answer: Franklin Booth:

"His unusual technique was the result of a misunderstanding: Booth scrupulously copied magazine illustrations which he thought were pen-and-ink drawings. In fact, they were wood engravings."

Also, for really adept use of a lot of solid black, check out Mike Mignola.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 1:25 PM on January 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh and of course not to forget Hans Georg Rauch
posted by Namlit at 1:35 PM on January 30, 2015

M.C. Escher
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:01 PM on January 30, 2015

Best answer: Big second for everything alread mentioned (Quino!!), especially the incredible Idees Noires, and anything Franquin. I'd also look at Milt Caniff (expensive, but the big Terry and the Pirates collections are gorgeous), Craig Thompson, either of whose books are master classes in brushwork, and Satrapi's Persepolis is very interesting to study for balance of blacks. Blutch's Peplum is great if you can find it.

Pinterest is an amazing and overlooked place for this sort of thing-

Comic Inks
Inking Comics
Pen and Ink
Marker Pen and Ink
Black and White Technique (disclaimer: my own board)
posted by Erasmouse at 2:40 AM on January 31, 2015

Response by poster: Erasmouse: Those Pinterest links are awesome! Thanks a lot!
posted by jgwong at 5:18 AM on January 31, 2015

Best answer: The Today's Inspiration blog usually has a lot of work from mid-century illustrators.
posted by cleroy at 12:30 PM on January 31, 2015