How to create comics for beginners
So I just finished reading a graphic novel/comic book lately. it's a series and it's called, "Scott Pilgrim ". And while I was reading it, I kind of got inspired by it because it was such an awesome comic. It has great story, awesome characters, awesome fight scenes and has a comedic atmosphere in it. And so, I got inspired to make a comic book of my own. And as the title of this blog says, I will teach you how to create a comic book for beginners.
Steps:
1. Start with an idea
- All things start with an idea; and your comic book or graphic novel is no different.
As a storyteller, your best tool is a notebook (whether it be electronic or paper). My advice: keep it with you at all times. That way, when an idea pops into your head, you can jot it down.
Don't worry if your idea isn't fully realized yet. Go with it. You never know where it'll take you.
2. Make your story
- One of the most common mistakes in making comic books is start drawing it when you don't have your story. I, personally, were victimized by this method. I started my comic book without even writing my story first. So the outcome is I ended getting stuck and got bored in doing it.
So, first you need to write a script. If you don't know hot to write a script, an example of a movie script can be your guide. Or if you want, you can make your own format in making your script (whatever suits you well).
When it's time to write your script, there are four main points to keep in mind:
- Know your genre
- Understand your main character's goals/challenges
- Create a believable setting(or if your story takes place in some magical place, then create a fictional one)
- Include a beginning, a middle, and an end
3. Plan the layout
Once your script is complete, it's time to start drawing. Well... it's almost time to start drawing.
When working on the layout, your goal is to keep the reader interested. One way to do this is to end each page (maybe not all, but some) with a cliffhanger. Draw the reader in! Let them know something interesting is about to happen, but don't reveal what that is until they turn the page.
I find the most efficient way to 'work out a layout' is by using thumbnails. Thumbnails, which are similar to storyboards, help work out any composition problems before you invest time into inking and coloring your drawings. Think of them as a very (VERY!) rough draft of your drawings, and of course, your layout.
Note: Don't forget to leave room for the dialogue!
4. Draw the comic
- Whether you're working traditionally or digitally, drawing the comic can feel like a daunting task. But at this stage of the process, your work doesn't need to be perfect.Focus on getting your comic drawn; you can work on perfecting it later during the inking stage.
5. Time for inking and coloring
- Now that you have drawn your comic, time for inking and coloring.
- Inking - It is at this stage where you clean-up your drawings and add depth to your illustrations. You can use brush pens in this part, but if you are out of budget you can use sign pens and markers.
- Coloring - Well, coloring can actually be optional. Some comics, like Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, is a black-and-white format(as you can see above). But of course, if you want you can color your comic book. Choosing the colors can make or break a scene. In addition to proper color selection, not keeping your colors consistent can break things too.Imagine how confusing it would have been to see Superman's cape colored red in one page and green in another. While this silly example is just that – silly – the point is, keep things consistent or your readers may be confused.
6. Writing the dialogues inside the balloons
- After you ink your comics, you can now write the dialogues inside the balloon. It can be hand-written or computerized. But since you're a beginner, you can hand-write it but make sure your hand-writing is legible. You don't want your readers to be confused what were the characters are saying in a certain scene.
7. Compile your work
- You're almost done. You just have to compile it. Whether you want to book bind it, staple it, or whatever, it's your choice, it's your comic book.
AND YOU'RE DONE!
icon on the button bar across the top of the screen. (Getting to know these buttons can save lots of time in using any program.) Once again you see the "New Slide" palette. You may try any of these slide templates. In fact, why not take a few minutes to click on each one to see what they are. Remember that the name of each template will show up at the bottom left corner of the window. If you use any of the slides with clip art, you will be prompted to click on an area in the slide to select the clip art that you want placed there. Create all of the slides you want in your presentation before going on to the next step.
icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. This will allow you to see all of your slides at once. Click once on the first slide to select it. (Double-clicking on a slide will open that slide.) From the Slide Show menu, select "Slide Transition." On this window you may select from the many transitions that show up directly under the picture. The words "No Transition" are part of a pop-up menu. Click on those words and slide the mouse to the transition you would like to try. A sample of that transition shows up on the sample picture. You may want to change the speed of the transitions. You can also select a sound for the transition here, but remember that sounds can be distracting if you are using this presentation to teach a lesson. If you are using this for a self-running presentation you can adjust the settings in the Advance box. (If you leave the "On mouse click" box checked, the presentation won't run by itself. When setting up a self-running presentation, be sure to leave enough time for viewers to read what is on the screens.) When you have the settings the way you want them, click on the "Apply to all" button. This will set the same transitions for all of the slides in your presentation. (You can set transitions for individual slides, but for consistency and time�s sake, make them the same for now.)
