The anatomy feels off.
A Mike Van Orden Production
Draw the heroes
you've always imagined.
Four courses in the Pattern-Based Drawing System, taught by a self-taught pro who drew for Marvel, Upper Deck and Aspen Comics.
Chapter I
The Block
In his words
No matter how much I learned and practiced, there was always something in my art that just seemed a bit off. I was frustrated… almost to the point of giving up.
Mike Van Orden, self-taught
The pose turns stiff.
The face looks… emotionally unavailable.
Erase. Restart. Again.
Sound familiar? It isn't talent you're missing.
Self-taught, Mike kept drawing until it finally clicked. What clicked wasn't a gift. It was a pattern.
Chapter II
The Pattern
The Pattern-Based Drawing System
Every hero is four drawings deep.
- Shot 01Frame
Find the pose with simple shapes: a line of action, a ribcage egg, a pelvis bowl. Proportions first. Details later.
- Shot 02Structure
Hang it on the bones. Know what's under the skin and your poses stop collapsing.
- Shot 03Form
Wrap the muscle in simple, memorable patterns, without drawing every fiber “like you're prepping for surgery.”
- Shot 04Finish
Now commit: costume, line weight, rendering, attitude. That's a hero.
Learn the pattern once. Use it on every character you ever draw.
Mike Van Orden's demonstration figure is built in four layers: a loose construction mannequin, a skeleton, muscle forms in blue pencil, and the finished superhero.
Insert shot · Expressive faces
Under the lamp, every face is construction.
Every face Mike draws starts the same way: a skull, a center line, an eye line. Then it gets personality. Move the lamp over the sheet to see the underdrawing he'll teach you to build.
Now showing
Four features. One clear path.
The Comic Creator's Crash Course bundles all four of Mike's courses, in the order you need them. 25+ hours, 65+ step-by-step lessons.
Feature 01
Simplified Superhero Anatomy
Structure, proportion and power, without drawing every muscle fiber like you're prepping for surgery.
- Superhero proportions that don't look ridiculous
- Pattern-based sketching
- Common anatomy mistakes, fixed
Feature 02
Gestures & Dynamic Poses
Movement, personality and storytelling in your lines. Poses that leap off the page.
- The 3 keys to dynamic posing
- Flow and rhythm in gesture
- Fixing stiffness with story
Feature 03
Drawing Comic-Style Females
Grace, power and flow, without falling into the “same face, different wig” trap.
- Stylized female proportions
- Dynamic feminine posing
- Dodging common anatomy pitfalls
Feature 04
Drawing Expressive Faces
If your characters look emotionally unavailable, this one's for you. One brow raise at a time.
- The emotion formula: brows, eyes, mouth
- Exaggeration that stays on the rails
- Facial proportions for any style
Chapter III
The Proof
Dailies · Student: Brian
From “something's off” to finished pages.
- Tk 1Pencils
- Tk 2Inks
- Tk 3Color
where he started
Student work shown as a creative progression. Every artist's pace and results vary.
“This course finally made everything click. My poses, anatomy, and confidence leveled up fast.”
“I went from lost and stuck to drawing every day. This course gave me real momentum.”
With a special endorsement from
Rob Liefeld
Creator of Deadpool · Co-founder of Image Comics
“If you're serious about learning how to draw superheroes, then this course is a must-take. Mike is a helluva art coach. He's your guy, he's my guy.”
“Mike Van Orden is a crazy talented dude and a hell of an art coach!”
Chapter IV
The Mentor
Meet your art coach
Hi, I'm Mike. I got stuck too.
Self-taught, Mike broke through and went on to draw professionally for Marvel, Upper Deck and Aspen Comics. Then he turned what actually worked into the Pattern-Based Drawing System.
Today he teaches from Bangkok: live workshops, guest spots at comic conventions, and a global community of students.
- In the industry
- 10+ years
- Students coached
- 4,000+
- 46K+
- AI-generated lines
- 0
“Comic books changed my life. They made me believe I could be something more. Now I'm here to pass that gift forward, one student, one sketch, one story at a time.”
Mike Van Orden
Inspired by the work of Michael Turner · Jim Lee · Todd McFarlane · Marc Silvestri · Rob Liefeld · John Buscema · J. Scott Campbell
Dailies from the drawing table
@vanordenart on Instagram
Box office · Now open
One ticket. Four features. Yours for life.
Comic Art Mastery presents
Ser. CAM · 0079
The Comic Creator's Crash Course
- 01Simplified Superhero Anatomy
- 02Gestures & Dynamic Poses
- 03Drawing Comic-Style Females
- 04Drawing Expressive Faces
- Running time
- 25+ hrs
- Scenes
- 65+ lessons
- Row
- Lifetime
- Seat
- Yours
Combined value $499
$79 one-time
30-day money-back guarantee · Secure checkout by Comic Art Mastery
one $79 Tear here
Try it for 30 days, risk-free. Go through the lessons and practice the methods. If it's not for you, email within 30 days for a full refund.
Also screening: the bonus lessons
- Free: the Comic Art Companion Checklist, 20 tips to keep beside your sketchpad
- The Blank Page Killer, a start guide
- Rendering & Details for Comics
- From the Art Vault: hair, thumbnails, character design, real-time rendering
- How to turn a bad sketch into a great idea
- Comic Art digital sketch brush set for Procreate
- Downloadable templates & references · web and the CAM app (iOS & Android)
Post-screening Q&A
Questions from the audience.
Is this right for me?
Yes, if you want a clearer way to build comic characters. The lessons work for beginners, returning artists, and intermediate artists who feel stuck with anatomy, poses, faces, or drawing from imagination.
Can't I just learn this on YouTube?
YouTube has plenty of useful information, scattered across hundreds of unrelated videos. The Crash Course gives you one structured path, in the order you need it, with repeatable methods you can return to whenever a drawing goes wrong.
Is it only for comic book artists?
No. It's built around comic art, but the fundamentals transfer directly to character design, storyboarding, animation, concept art, game art and illustration.
What do I need to start?
Pencil and paper are enough. You can also work digitally with any tablet or app you like. The real requirement is a willingness to practice the methods as you learn them.
How long do I have access?
For life. Learn at your own pace and revisit any lesson whenever you need it, on the web or in the Comic Art Mastery app.
What if it's not for me?
You're covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied, email within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
Directed by
You
Coached by
Mike Van Orden
- Based on
- The Pattern-Based Drawing System
- Featuring
- Simplified Superhero Anatomy
Gestures & Dynamic Poses
Drawing Comic-Style Females
Drawing Expressive Faces - Special endorsement
- Rob Liefeld
- Student dailies
- Brian
- Reviews
- Jordan R.
Marco L. - Pencils
- Mike Van Orden, by hand
- Credits include
- Marvel · Upper Deck · Aspen Comics
- Inspired by the work of
- Michael Turner
Jim Lee
Todd McFarlane
Marc Silvestri
Rob Liefeld
John Buscema
J. Scott Campbell - Cast of thousands
- 4,000+ students
- On location
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Still photography
- Rob Liefeld at MultiCon 2025 by Kevin Paul
Rob Liefeld at WonderCon 2022 by Gage Skidmore - Running time
- 25+ hours · 65+ lessons
No AI was used in the making of this film.
Every line on this page was drawn by hand.
The end is a beginning
Your next character starts with your next drawing.
Admit one · $79Lifetime access · 30-day money-back guarantee