How to Draw Comics: My Favorite Books for Learning Comic Art

Sarah Nelson
7 days ago
4 min read

Four comic book drawing guides are arranged in a fan pattern on a dark background. Text reads "How to Draw Comics."

When I started learning comic art, I realized there’s no single book that covers everything. Comics are a mix of storytelling, illustration, design, pacing, and acting. I figured the best way to grow as an artist would be to study each part in depth separately and then combine them.

Over the years, I’ve collected a small library of books that I return to. Some helped me with anatomy, others taught me how to make a panel flow, and a few gave me those “aha!” moments that changed how I think about storytelling.

Here are my favorites, grouped by topic:

For Learning the Craft of Sequential Art:

These books are all about the art of telling a story in panels, choosing the right shot, guiding the reader’s eye, and blending words and pictures.

Mastering Comics by Jessica Abel & Matt Madden

Cartoon sketches showing three people in a hallway discussing perspective lines. Text guides viewers on drawing techniques. Purple accents.

A page showing scriptwriting tips and black-and-white comic panels. A person talks on the phone, drinks coffee, and appears thoughtful.

This book is my favorite on teaching the basics of comic making. It's essentially a college-level comics course in book form. It’s packed with exercises that prompt you to think more intentionally about story structure, pacing, and panel choices. If you are a beginner and want a book that teaches but also gives course-like exercises to help you learn, this is the book.

⭐ Buy it here: Mastering Comics: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures Continued

Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner

Open book with text and images. Illustrations show figures praying and comic strips with dialogue like "Help!" and "Marry me!" Text discusses pictographs.

Open book with comic panel illustrations and text. Diagrams show page layout and character sketches. Dominant colors are white and black.

I love this book. Eisner is a master cartoonist (The Spirit, A Contract with God). He not only pioneered the art form, but the The Eisner comic industry awards are named after him.

This book breaks down the principles behind sequential art and visual storytelling. A must-read for anyone interested in the fundamentals: anatomy, framing, timing, imagery, and writing.

⭐ Buy it here: Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist

Making Comics by Scott McCloud

Cartoonist drawing comics at a desk with comic pages floating around. Bold text reads "Making Comics." Bright yellow background.

This one is also a must-read in my opinion. McCloud uses the comic format to teach you the fundamentals of comic creation, so it's entertaining and educational. He also explains the psychology behind comic drawing conventions.

⭐ Buy it here: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

Comic book cover featuring Marvel heroes around a drawing of Spider-Man. Text reads "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

Sketch showing a sequence of figures in motion, labeled from "WEAK" to "BEST." Text alongside provides drawing advice for action depiction.

Comic page with superheroes in six panels. Heroes confront a monster in a lab setting. Pencil sketches show action and dramatic expressions.

A classic book worth reading, especially if you want to draw comics in the Marvel style. I personally don't adhere to that, but I still found it helpful in explaining how to create dynamic and energetic characters on the page.

⭐ Buy it here: How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way

For Learning Figure Drawing:

Solid anatomy makes everything else stronger. Even the most stylized comic characters feel more believable when they’re grounded in an understanding of the human body.

Drawing the Head & Hands by Andrew Loomis

An open book displays text on the left and head drawing tutorials on the right, including diagrams of a sphere and human head sketches.

Open sketchbook with head drawings illustrating "Establishing the middle line" and "Simplified bone structure," featuring explanatory text.

This vintage book breaks down the Loomis Method, the technique that the author created to draw heads and faces. This method really demystified drawing faces for me personally.

⭐ Buy it here: Drawing The Head Hands

Figure Drawing For All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis

Sketches of male anatomy showing front, side, and back views, highlighting planes with instructional text on rendering light and shadow.

Sketches of mannequin frames demonstrate figure drawing techniques. Annotations guide posture and emotion. Visible text explains drawing strategies.

Another vintage Loomis book, this time on figure drawing. It covers proportions, poses, and how to give figures weight and balance.

⭐ Buy it here: Figure Drawing for All It's Worth

Cartooning the Head & Figure by Jack Hamm

Open book showing sports cartooning techniques, with illustrated examples of exaggerated actions and movements in black and white.

An open book shows diagrams and descriptions of facial muscles for expressions, featuring sketches of faces illustrating different emotions.

This book helped me when working through style and the line between realism and exaggerated style. It's a great vintage book that helps simplify anatomy for a more cartoony style without losing expression or believability.

⭐ Buy it here: Cartooning the Head and Figure

Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators by David H. Ross

Illustration book shows an eight-step running cycle of a human figure. Blue and white colors. Text discusses running mechanics. Pages 76-77.

Illustration of arm anatomy with labeled muscles on a textbook page. Blue headers, black outlines on white background, text detailing muscle function.

A great book that explains the building blocks of structuring the figure and being able to draw freehand from imagination. The exercises really help build muscle memory so you’re not stuck looking for references all the time.

⭐ Buy it here: Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators: Mastering the Art of Drawing from Memory

For Learning How to Draw Comic Characters:

Creating Characters with Personality by Tom Bancroft

Cartoon shapes with expressions, including a talking yellow triangle, on left page; sketches of Santa and characters on the right. Text discusses symbolism.

Cartoon character sketches show design progression. Left: "Beginning Point" character. Right: Variations with notes on features.

This book concisely communicates the basics of character design and how to push your designs to visually communicate personality.

⭐ Buy it here: Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels

Character Mentor by Tom Bancroft

Fantasy cover: armored hero with sword faces giant creature. Woman in green watches. Forest backdrop. Text: Character Mentor, Tom Bancroft.

Cartoon of "Chet" leaning awkwardly, surrounded by sketches of poses balancing weight. Text explains balance in character poses. Pages 60-61.

Sketchbook pages showing dynamic vs. dull figure sketches. Includes illustrations of poses and text emphasizing pose angles.

A perfect follow-up to Creating Characters. This book focuses on acting, posing, and subtle details in dynamic character design.

⭐ Buy it here: Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life

For Learning How to Draw Perspective:

Good perspective can make even a simple scene feel immersive. These books made something that used to intimidate me feel totally approachable.

Perspective for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea

Comic book cover with a person drawing a cityscape. A blue plane and skyscraper are in the background. Title: "Perspective! For Comic Book Artists".

Comic book pages showing two characters discussing perspective drawing on grid paper. Various hand-drawn diagrams illustrate techniques. Text included.

Comic pages about perspective; left shows a one-point perspective lesson, right depicts a man drawing shelves; text highlights techniques.

Another book that is written like a comic! This one really breaks down perspective in a thorough way and made me have some breakthroughs while thinking about drawing perspective that I hadn't grasped before reading. I also appreciate that it’s written specifically for comics, with examples that look like actual comic panels.

⭐ Buy it here: Perspective! for Comic Book Artists

Perspective Drawing by Ernest Norling

Instructional sketches showing eye level and horizon line concepts for artists, featuring children and adults with text explaining perspective.

Drawing tutorial with various objects and a cat in boxes to illustrate perspective. Includes instructions and text about drawing techniques.

A vintage hard-to-find book. I like this book because it shows the principles of perspective and explains it simple, visual way that just clicked for me. If you’ve ever struggled with the basics of perspective, this clears up the confusion.

⭐ Buy it here: Perspective Drawing

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I hope that these recommendations help you on your comic artist journey!

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