Saturdayat 1PM in AmericasMart2 204J , Adam Withers lead this panel for novice artists. He is one of an award-nominated comic creating team Comfort and Adam. Their acclaimed series The Uniques and Rainbow in the Dark put them on the map, and they also wrote/illustrated the Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Comics (Random House) and Kitty Game (with artist Corinne Roberts).

Withers assured the attendees that by using basic shapes to start, you can build upon that to create a drawing of your choosing. Hands? Feet? Perspective? They all start out the same way.

One of the issues new artists have is thinking you can start with a finished project. Nothing is going to be perfect the first time out. Are you going to make mistakes? Yep. Even professionals make mistakes. You have to be patient and build. Whether it’s by hand or digitally, practice is important. As with anything else, if you don’t practice, you never get better.

Withers was so much fun, his witty approach to teaching refreshing. No one felt awkward in asking questions. He took ideas from the audience and demonstrated how he would draw that idea. From scratch to rough finish, he made the art of drawing come to life.

Maybe now I can make that special drawing. At least, I am going to try.