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How to Draw Month: Marley Zarcone

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For How to Draw month, PREVIEWSworld talks with artist Marley Zarcone! Marley is an artist who has worked for Image Comics, Vertigo, and DC Comics. She is currently working on Shade the Changing Girl (AUG160172for DC Comics Young Animal imprint.

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Article Image c10cPREVIEWSworld: Who were your favorite artists growing up?

Marley Zarcone: Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr. were my earliest favorites. There's a specific X-men cover, with Revanche, Psylocke and Spiral on the cover, that I traced so often that it's pretty much embossed! I moved into reading Vertigo and manga as I got older. Hirioka Samura and Chris Bachalo are definitely major influences on my work. Blade of the Immortal is probably one of my all time favorite series.        

PREVIEWSworld: Were you self-taught, formally educated, or a combination of both?

Marley Zarcone: I wasn't formally educated. There were plans to go to art school, but I took advantage of an opportunity to live and work with a group of comic artists in Seattle instead. It was a bit of a mad house, but there was a lot to be learned. Started by helping out Corey Lewis on inks for Rival Schools.  

PREVIEWSworld: Talk about your studio environment. Do you watch or listen to anything while you draw?

Marley Zarcone: My husband and I are both comic artists, so he uses the loft space in our condo for his work space, and I use the spare bedroom. It's a pretty typical setup! Desk, drawing board, laptop, bookcase. We have two scanners. The 11x17 scanner is upstairs, and I have my precious, ancient Epson 3170 on a chair next to my desk. Since I'm on a monthly, it can be pretty chaotic. Usually books everywhere. I've been listening to audiobooks while I work. Currently listening to the Ringworld series, and it's the best! 

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PREVIEWSworld: What tools do you prefer while drawing? Pencils, pens, art boards, etc.?

Marley ZarconeAll traditional, unless I'm coloring. Then I'll use a wacom. My pencil is a Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 and it's supposed to do something fancy like rotate the lead, but I don't really notice a difference. I like the weight on it though! My pens are a mix. I like Uni's Pin Fineliners, and Pilot Drawing Pens. Pitt Pens are handy for tiny fills, and I use a Copic Wide for big fills. Tombow makes these really cool brush pens too. I'll use those for fine details, sometimes. I get fancy 11x17 art boards from DC with smooth Vellum bristol. I'm kind of a control freak when it comes to my lines, so anything with less ink spread is my preference!  

PREVIEWSworldAre there any books you would recommend to help with art?

Marley ZarconeFor general reference, the Loomis series of books are incredibly useful. Perspective Made Easy is another useful reference book. I've gathered a lot of art books over the years and they're all helpful inspiration. The Akira Animation Archives and Tatsuyuki Tanaka's two Cannabis Works books are my favorite art books to have around.

PREVIEWSworld: Do you prefer drawing by hand, digitally, or both?

Marley Zarcone: Definitely prefer drawing by hand. I hold my pen like a primate, so the hard plastic of the tablet pen somehow crushes a nerve on the inside of my thumb. I'm sure I could find a tablet pen that works, but I can't be bothered. Also there's something satisfying about having a stack of finished comic boards! 

PREVIEWSworld: How long does it normally take to draw a page?

Marley Zarcone: Depends on how long I've been on the book. I'm at a page a day now, but initially it was taking me much longer. The best way draw comics quickly is to draw comics constantly. Also, videogames are fun, but really bad for drawing speed!

PREVIEWSworld: What’s your favorite thing to draw?

Marley Zarcone: Layouts! I love designing pages. It's the best challenge!

PREVIEWSworld: What's the most unique thing you've been asked to draw at a convention?

Marley Zarcone: For some reason, I was asked to draw Brandon Graham's head. He was my roomate in Seattle, so when it was posted online I had an awkward interaction about why I was drawing his head on the other side of the country.

PREVIEWSworldFinally, what’s the best advice you have for beginning artists?

Marley ZarconeDraw everything, draw constantly, and avoid sandbox videogames. They're fun and terrible for comic productivity!

 

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You can find Marley on Twitter.

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