Comic Art Help

[celebrateart]

OK, bit of a newbs here, and also am trying to get a site here as well, but the main reason I'm here is I need your help on something I lack in and want to start doing.

Well, yes I draw but never before comics in depth...it's something new to me and I have been trying to do this on my own but find myself frustrated so I just take a break from it.

I see a lot of good web art and comics here and I'm blown away.
but how do you, start off with a comic I know so basic general ideas but something to get me motivated to sit down and just work ideas.

any help would be honored!

[sagebrush]

Write a script.  Draw each scene with stick people.  If you have more than one scene, number all the scenes and draw little boxes around them.  Figure out where you want your boxes (panels) to go on your page.  Sketch the panel scenes again on your page, but draw them "for real" this time.  Leave space for the word balloons.  Finish the pencils, ink, and color.

Making Comics by Scott McCloud is a good reference book.

[Azraelle]

I will second the mention of Making Comics.  It's an invaluable book to read for anyone wanting to get into creating comics.  If making comics was a course in school, this book would be the required text.

[celebrateart]

this sounds good so far. Thanks sagebrush & Azraelle! I really appreciate it!

[celebrateart]

Write a script.  Draw each scene with stick people.  If you have more than one scene, number all the scenes and draw little boxes around them.  Figure out where you want your boxes (panels) to go on your page.  Sketch the panel scenes again on your page, but draw them "for real" this time.  Leave space for the word balloons.  Finish the pencils, ink, and color.

Making Comics by Scott McCloud is a good reference book.

I've been reading Scott's book. I thank you for the source, it is actually helping to understand the comic art.

[Miluette]

I should get a hold of that book. It would have helped to before I started trying to seriously make a comic, lol.

I've only been taking the "take aspects of what you like in other comics and put them in your own" approach. Not styles or premises or anything - for instance, how prominent expression are, fluidity of motion, inking methods, like that.

[3eoclock]

/I love diving into old threads on this site.


ALSO.  I enjoy the book Drawing Words and Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel and Mat Madden.

It's an entire course divided into 15 lessons on the making of graphic novels.  Very nice.  I own it, it's a really good one.

[celebrateart]

heh, well i've been working on the comics from bunch of help you guys and other friends here, it's all about getting the right kinda of style art I want to make for the comic I'm thinking of.

just one question:
when making comics you rough draft the comic in pencil and when all done you take a marker or nice fine point marker? when I do it, really doesn't look as good as I wanted. If I take time on them maybe they will be a tad better, though I don't rush the drawings themselves just take more time then what i'm doing.

[Onikuro]

this is what i do


1: draft  pencil
2: scan
3: use pen  tool in photoshop  to ink lines
4. color  in layers
5. add  other stuff like text and misc
6  put it all toghter

[3eoclock]

This is my process:

1. Write out an outline so you have a basis for a beginning, middle, and end.
2. Write out one chapter.
3. Do storyboards for each comic page.
4. Do a full scale pencil sketch of a page (in sequence of course)
5. Use a lightbox to ink on a separate piece of paper using Staedler inking pens.
6. Scan into Photoshop (600dpi) and do page cleaning.
7. SAVE AS A BITMAP.  Anything else other than bitmap will look so bad later on.
8. Open in  Deleter Comicworks
9. Do all toning you need, each tone on separate layer.
10.  Save both as a Comicworks file and for web.
11. Open web version of page in photoshop and add all text you need.
12. FINALLY~   Publish to web. : >


And of course if you don't have comicworks just do all your toning and other work on photoshop : D!  You also do not need to save in bitmap for that so yeaaa : D

[sagebrush]

It takes YEARS of practice to make really good looking comics.  If you're just starting, then just experiment with a lot of different things until you find the tools and methods you like.

[celebrateart]

ok, i'll try these methods