![]() Today, software handles a lot of these complex tasks. Likewise, the inked drawings would need to be colored and any final touches to add depth, shading, and definition added to get the panels looking pristine. Historically, a hand drawn comic or graphic novel would require an ‘inker’ to highlight the drawings with detailed ink work ( it’s not tracing). This part of the process differs from years past. Alternatives like the open source Inkscape or Affinity Designer are powerful, lower cost options. Today, many artists will use computer assisted design like Adobe Illustrator or similar tools to create the comic book art. DrawingĪfter you establish the storyboard and have a visual guide to the layout and design of the comic, it’s time for your artist (or you, if you’re taking both roles) to go to work. This is why the storyboard is so important. Very rough, but you can kind of see how I imagine the action flowing. And relatively easy to imagine as images. Simple exchange (sort of) between two characters. You’re trying to imagine the sequential art and story.Ĭharacter #2: “We’re going to jump in my spaceship and fly out of here.”Ĭh#2: “Maybe, but it’s what we’re doing. It could even be stick-figures and directions. The actual art on the storyboards can be rough. Whatever method you choose, the goal is to lay out the panels you’ll include in the comic. Or you can go old school and storyboard on paper. I will say that their top pick, Storyboarder, is one I’ve used and enjoyed working with. ![]() HubSpot compiled a respectable list, so I won’t try to reinvent the wheel. There are lots of tools out there for online storyboarding. ![]() In my own (limited) experience working on comic book projects, I have to say that the storyboarding part was far and away the most fun and exciting part. These pieces fit together similarly to laying out a novel: if you don’t do them in the right order, you’ll be making more work for yourself. This phase of the game comes in four segments storyboarding, drawing, ink & color, and lettering. Just like the dialog has to flow naturally, each panel in your comic book must work with those before and after it. And for some books, it might even be a down the middle split.īecause the artist has the challenging job of not only interpreting and understanding the story, but then bringing it to life on the page through sequential art. The roles take a 60/40 split on responsibility for the book’s success. Even if you thought up the idea and drafted the outline and script, your artist will play a huge role in creating this story. Are you a writer/artist or just a writer? If you don’t plan to illustrate the comic yourself, now is the time to find and start working with an artist.įinding the right artist to work with is a major turning point for your story. With the first rough draft done, consider your comic book design. Still, most of your comic book pages will be filled with action (artwork) and dialog. Consider Rachel Gluckstern’s comment on using captions:Įssentially, the more you rely on captions, the more you’re telling, not showing.Ī masterful storyteller like Frank Miller can break the rules and make it work. Just look at this panel from Frank Miller’s famous graphic novel 300: Source: PinterestĪ full spread with no dialog and a lot of narration. That’s not a rule set in stone by any means. You’ll be following the common act structure used in scripts and the writing will primarily be dialog. Keep in mind that comic books are visual stories and you’ll need to think like a visual storyteller. Once you have that outline established, you can start writing the rough draft script for your comic. Then bullet out or write in full sentences the major points of the story. Maybe draft a statement or two with some backstory. Almost like a short story version of your story. How you plan your story is up to you, but one tried and true method is to do a short overview of the entire story. Just like writing any other book, you’ll start with an outline or brief snippets to frame the story. Creating a comic book is a harmony of writing and art that demands a ton of work. The most obvious difference is the incorporation of artwork with the story. Writing a comic book or graphic novel script is not the same as writing a novel.
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