The advent of cheap or free font packs, some designed specifically for comic books, has made it a lot easier for comic artists and cartoonists to letter their work in a clean, professional-looking manner. It may therefore seem strange to suggest applying old hand lettering principles to a digital art format. It’s not as odd an idea as it might seem, however, and has some significant advantages over font lettering. It’s also a lot easier than you might think.
Posts By: Kevin Cullen
The Flow of a Page, Part 1
Breaking up the Page: Pencils And Rulers At The Ready
Is something not jiving right with the flow of your panels? Welcome! Here is the first in a series of articles enumerating tips and pitfalls to avoid when constructing an effective page layout. You’re standing at the ground level; your layout is the first and most essential consideration when it comes to creating your compositions, so it shouldn’t be overlooked. Crafting well-made pages is the initial step toward effectively transmitting your story to the reader: many battles are won and lost right here.
How To Write Dialogue For Comics
Possibly one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in comic creation is writing dialogue. It’s one thing to set a scene and drop characters into it, but it’s another thing to give each character their own unique voice and do it in such a way that sounds natural and not forced. OMG RLY? (Rule #1: NEVER use TXT speak in dialogue. Show some intelligence and s p e l l o u t the words people.) In this article, I will be going over the basics on how to write dialogue for your comic as well as a recipe for great lentil soup. (connect every other letter and you’ll find it….maybe.) (more…)
Is Your Comic A Purple Cow?
I used to read an all-ages webcomic that featured two talking dogs who made humorous observations. With pleasant characters, entertaining writing, and colorful artwork, it was a decent comic (more or less). It would have fit with other comics in the newspaper. Except it had been running for five years and had only attracted about 300 “likes” on Facebook. Also, it wasn’t lucrative enough for the creator to reach her goal of being a full-time cartoonist. After missing several new posts, I felt no compulsion to return and ultimately stopped reading it.
How To Write An Outline For Your Comic
You have a stack of character reference sheets, lots of motivation, and five finished cans of generic diet cola sitting on your desk. The problem is you’re stuck and don’t know how to start your story, much less end it. Sound familiar? Then let’s talk outlines!
*insert semi-enthusiastic trumpets here* (more…)
Dialogue That Writes Itself!
Dialogue can, in essence, make or break a comic. To graciously sidestep the pitfalls of comic speech, it’s a good idea to heed these pieces of advice:
Keep genre in mind
Where is your story set? How, realistically, would your characters interact with one another? Let’s say that you’re writing a period piece set in 1800s England. Quite obviously, you would like to avoid any anachronistic words such as “derp”, or “bro”, or “hashtag.” Unless, of course, your protagonist is a time traveler. (“Hashtags! Bloody hashtags everywhere, bro!”)
Drafting Work Towards Completion
One of the central truisms of being an artist is this:
You will have to do many drafts of your work.
It’s unavoidable. There is this myth among artists about how the masters of the craft were gifted from the beginning — that they went into their studios and produced works of greatness in a matter of hours. This is exacerbated by videos like this one, where it’s possible to watch a master like John Romita Sr. as he quickly busts out perfect drawings of Spider-man with a felt tip marker. Amazing, right? And deservedly so! John Romita Sr. has created comics since 1949 and has been drawing Spider-man since 1966. He’s had a lifetime of practice in order to reach a place where he can draw something amazing with minimal revisions. (more…)
How To Write A Story For Your Comic
In this article, I will explain the basics on how to write a story for your comic. There’s no ‘one right way’ to do this, so feel free to take what works for you and discard the rest. First things first, we need to lay down some foundation work… (more…)
Scriptwriting Software (That Won’t Break The Bank)
When it comes to writing comic scripts, there’s no “one program fits all” answer. The reason for this is because scriptwriting software tends to cater to the stage or the big screen. Times are changing, however. Recently, there was a Kickstarter (successfully funded!) that promised to produce a program designed for comic book writers. It’s called ComiXwriter, and it’s slated for release in April/May of this year. Exciting news for comic writers everywhere!
Anatomy Of A Storyboard Part 2: Continuity
Part one of this article discusses the ways in which storyboarding relates to comics as a visual, storytelling medium. Check it out for an explanation of storyboard frame dimensions, shot terminology, and camera movement.
Not everything about storyboarding translates perfectly to making comics. All movement is implied in comics. Although storyboards are technically just as static, film literally captures movement.
Actually, scratch that. Comic panels may not observably move, but in the mind’s eye, they do.
Think about it. Through the composition of the panel, the viewer is forced to move their eye in the direction the artist wants. This may or may not coincide with the implied path that the character will follow out of frame. The size, shape, and sequence of panels determines the pacing of the story for the reader. You can control movement, of a sort. (more…)