Don't Buy Christopher Hart's Books!

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FlamesWolf's avatar
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Every time I see someone go "Christopher Hart is my favorite artist! He rocks!" and/or suggest his books, I grind my teeth and cringe. I'll be working on this journal off and on to bring up new points and focus on particular examples out of Hart's books. Why? I really think that people shouldn't buy his books. I want to convince them not to. If anything, they're damaging to artists, especially those just beginning and don't know any better.

I think it's important that people know that Christopher Hart is actually a terrible artist who has no grasp of anatomy, creativity, or originality whatsoever. He began as an "Americanized" artist and jumped on the anime and manga band wagon just to make money. He really doesn't know much about anime and manga at all.

His "How to Draw" books don't teach anyone much more than how to draw in an ugly anime-inspired generic style - he more or less states "this is how you should draw this, there is no other way" and his books do not suggest trying to develop your own style or be creative. He always states things as facts, such as:

"You'll notice that in traditional America comics, the woman fighters are devastatingly sexy. So are the female villains. However, the "regular" female characters (the ones in supporting roles) are often drawn blandly. These characters appear throughout comics and they're boring."

This is his extremely lame opinion that he is stating as fact.

"But, a new crop of artists is incorporating the Fusion style to make these "everyday" characters as attractive as any over-the-top spandex-clad fighter."

A new crop of artists is? Doesn't he mean "are"? This is just one of many mistakes, showing he can't write either.

"While all comics exaggerate woman's proportions, manga, on the other hand, caricatures feminine attitude, which manifests itself in almost cutesy poses that, when combined with killer good looks, is a winning combo."

This is completely untrue, and a rather disgusting statement. He shows not only his sexism in his horrible art "lessons", but that he knows nothing about the comic world whatsoever. This is only one example of many.

On the following page he shows you how to take a "regular" supporting character - and turn her into a brainless slut. He shows you how to give your female characters suggestive "cheerleader" poses, says that you should ruffle and lift skirts and have the heads tilted back "invitingly", and make her dainty with fuller legs. A few pages after this, he states you should make as much skin as possible show on female characters and pants hanging low on tilted hips makes for "good costuming". As well as stating that "Long, splashy hair is a must!" Over and over he says that the sultrier the character looks, the more attractive she is.

His comments on how to draw men, woman, and creatures are filled with stereotypes that he always states as fact. Also, he draws very little of the art in his books. When he does draw, the anatomy is always blatantly poor. Next time you pick one up, check out the credits in the first couple of pages.

They are childishly written and don't really explain how to draw well; he doesn't give the reader any of the basics of drawing, he just shows step-by-step drawings in an extremely generic anime and manga-inspired style. They might as well be "The Art of Christopher Hart" books for all that they teach. He doesn't ever give the basics that a beginning artist needs. So please; don't buy these books! Especially don't buy them if you're a beginning artist and you're serious about learning to draw. Pick up an anatomy book instead. I highly suggest Cyclopedia Anatomicae.
© 2006 - 2024 FlamesWolf
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Licca-ChanFTW's avatar

Even if Hart is a bad artist, anime and manga is misogynistic, hateful, pornographic filth that promote rape culture and woman beating. Why anime and manga is so popular, even with people claiming to be for equality, I don't get. Anime being popular with pervert incels I can get though.