How to Make Comics - Fun!

Starting some pages for a new graphic novel, so I thought I'd take the time to document the process.

First, my supplies:

cardstock,

a blue pencil (non-photo blue, or pthalo blue light some art supply stores call it),

a kneaded eraser so I don't leave crumbs,

a lapboard (I got Cool Dog in CHina years ago and he's still hanging in there),

and last, but certainly no least,

a comfy chair. :-D

I start by blocking out the story. It's a sort of push and pull between the words I'll be using and their placement on the page and the action/shots/moments I just *have* to show. A lot of this happens in my head. A lot changes here, so the drawing at this point is raw scribbles, circles and squares, stick figures.

Now, here we are at the end of this stage. My page is blocked out and the scribbles developed into roughs. This took about two hours for all four pages, but that's a heckuva lot to upload with a dial-up modem, so I just loaded two...

Now, here I am another couple hours later, with the pencils I'll be inking over. Some would consider these still pretty loose, others quite tight. For me, the big question is, 'can I look at them and see what I'm supposed to do with the inks?' That's it.

Note that the guy's head (his name is Sam) changes a LOT on that one page. I felt Sam needed more anger and confrontation, less resignation. After all, it's conflict that drives stories...

I'll post more as the inks come in...