Wow, I really can’t give Freddie Williams II enough props for authoring the latest installment to “DC’s Guide to” books. As with many digital illustrators, I soaked up all the publications for creating sequential art digitally. One has to take a tip from here and grab and technique from there – it’s all pretty time consuming, slowing up the learning process and thus – the illustrating. Freddie Williams’s book, The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics, is specific to comic pages and shows you how to use the computer to do the things we know it can do. That’s always been my problem – I know the computer can do something, I just don’t know how to do it. One of Williams’ techniques that were featured in the book is a tool for getting perspectives right. This was invaluable to me. I actually thought I would be limited to spotting my perspectives on each illustration (that would suck) because I could not figure out a way to get the guides right – and believe me, I know how to create and use the fundamental 1 point, 2 point, 3 point perspective guides. For me, the book has addressed problems that I’d face, even before I knew I run into that problem – like saving, storing and formats for colorists.


I have to say that I haven’t been confused with the book much at all. Sure, you have to have a great working knowledge of Photoshop, but many other “How to” books lay out long descriptive expositions on the basics. Other books also have been overly dense and do not seem to illustrate the uses of the techniques they reference. Freddie Williams’ book does. It’s short, to the point, and in and out with the application.

If you’re like me, then you’ll probably use a mixture of the methods you’ve discovered on your own with Williams’ tips. You may incorporate various art programs or have established a different way to conduct a similar method. Either way, the book is way worth getting. It’s the most relevant book I’ve found.