Inspired and impressed by your favorite comic novel? Here's how to make your own!
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Preparation
Step 1. Learn to draw
US manga and comic styles are popular, but you can also draw humorous or original cartoons. The resources to learn are many. You can borrow books from the library or buy them from the bookstore, but the best way to become good is to practice. To speed up the process, take lessons from a teacher or friend or ask them to look at your boards. Often just observing an artist at work is enough to open your mind to techniques and possibilities. Don't be afraid to experiment. Finding your own unique style is more valuable than drawing like everyone else.
Step 2. Create the characters:
appearance, personality and history. If you have a plot in mind, it will help you make it happen. Draw them in different versions to practice and understand them better. Use their look to develop their personality, and vice versa.
Step 3. Put down your ideas for the story, which may be vague or precise
The plot can be developed in different ways: you can make sketches, write a fiction story, fill a page with ideas or sketches or write a screenplay. Remember that graphic novels require more space than a regular novel, so the plot shouldn't be very long. Use the characters and settings to create it.
Method 2 of 2: From the Sketch to the Final Story
Step 1. Sketch your ideas on scrap paper
This is generally done by means of miniatures. Imagine the size of the final page and draw small vignettes proportionate to those dimensions. For example, if the finished page will be 20 x 25 cm, then draw 4 x 5 cm vignettes. You will use them to plan the entire book, and although many artists believe this step should be skipped, the design is usually better when thought through. Thumbnails are also a valuable tool for organizing book production, as they can be changed more easily than finished pages. Consider them your map. If you collaborate with other artists or have an agreement with a printer, providing a photocopy of the miniatures will allow everyone to understand what you expect.
Step 2. Create the finished pages
There are numerous ways to work and they depend on many factors. If you are going to publish the graphic novel yourself, then you will need to consider how it will be printed, how it will be cut, how it will be bound, how it will be transported and how it will be distributed. If you work with a publisher, they will be the one to help you with all of this. If you create just one book for yourself and your friends, you will have much more freedom. Broadly speaking, the questions are: will you use colors or will you leave it black and white? Will you allow full bleed printing, which ensures a more professional look, or not? The binding is also important. There are different types, all characterized by pros and cons. The general rule is to keep the contents approximately 1.30 cm from the edges. Most comic novels involve three or four steps per page: pencil drawing, letter insertion, ink swiping, and color.
Step 3. Choose your card
If you plan on coloring or erasing a lot, use a medium thick one.
Step 4. Start by pencil drawing the entire page
Try to have a light hand and use a good eraser. You can sketch or be precise. Also insert the text in the cartoons.
Step 5. When you are satisfied, move on to the ink phase
Use a quality one. Get several tips for the different lines. An alternative method is that of the brush and ink, but it is much more complicated. A good use of ink gives dimension and character to the drawings.
Step 6. Write the letters in ink
If you can't do this, contact someone capable or use a computer.
Step 7. Clear the errors
The ink can be corrected with white paint or white-out. Remember that if you are going to color the original work directly, white touch-ups may disturb the colors. Perhaps, color a photocopy of the work with ink (you will find more information in the "Tips").
Step 8. Color your work as you wish:
watercolors, acrylic paint, pastels, etc. More and more artists use computers to color. Get professional software and hardware and practice.
Step 9. Print, bind and distribute
Advice
- To get started, use your friends and "enemies" to create the characters and the first illustrations.
- Graphic novels are often original and dramatic. Don't be afraid to experiment with cartoons as you draw your own.
- Many comic artists prefer to rehearse the larger sheets, but make sure they are proportionate to the final ones. Remember that you will need to reduce the work before printing it.
- Choose the age range and general target of your graphic novel.
- Photocopiers have been used for years by artists and cartoonists to save time. If you have used light-handed pencil or a blue pencil, which is not read by the copier, then your ink work can be photocopied to erase all lines. Copiers can be used to enlarge or reduce elements. If you used white paint or white-out to touch up the ink job, copy the page to get a corrected version, without the lumps or sheen of the corrective fluid.
- If you like to work in a group, create a project with your friends.
- Computers have now taken over many stages of production. In fact, you can complete the whole process on your PC and distribute it online.
- Try sketching the images separately and merging them using a scanner and Photoshop.
- Most of the coloring, ink swiping, and shading can be done with software like Manga Studio after scanning the sketches. In fact, you can write the whole comic novel on your computer if you use a pen and a graphics tablet.
