Whether you’re writing a comic book for fun or to make money, you should know a few things. The first is that comic books can be a great way to get your creative juices flowing and develop a story you love. The second is that comics can be profitable if you produce and market them correctly.
1. Create a Character Design
Before you start drawing your comic, it’s important to design the characters. This means thinking about their faces, clothes, hairstyles, and even their expressions. It also means making sure their actions are consistent throughout your comic.
2. Pick Your Format
There are many different types of comics, but they typically fall into three categories: single frame, strip, and page length (comic book). Select the one that best fits your story, characters, and setting.
3. Choose Your Background
Choosing a background is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a comic artist. It can make or break your comic, so it’s a good idea to pick something that makes your comic stand out from the crowd.
4. Establishing Shots
It’s common for comics to take place in various locations, so make it easy for your readers to figure out where your characters are by using a single establishing shot for each new location.
5. Plan Your Panel Layouts
A clear idea of what each panel will look like is essential to creating your comic. This can be done by laying out your panels on paper or using storyboard software. It’s also a good idea to have a few pages already drawn out before you start the actual art process so that you can see how your comic will flow from page to page.
6. Storyboard your comic
Every author needs to get someone else’s feedback before they publish their work, and storyboards are a good place to do that. They’ll help you plan the plot, decide on the flow of your comic, and see what panels will work well together.
7. Draw your rough sketches
Before you start inking or coloring your comic, you should have some basic drawings of the different scenes and characters. Keeping these sketches on hand will give you an idea of how each panel will be laid out and give you room to fix mistakes in the future.
8. Identify Your Theme
Finding your theme before you start creating your comic is important because this will determine how you tell your story. You can choose to create a comedy, a romance, or anything in between.
9. Identify Your Tone
This will determine the style of your comic and will affect how you write, design, and draw it. It will also determine the audience that will read your comic, so it’s a crucial part of the process.
10. Use the storyboard
Once you have a theme and tone for your comic, it’s time to start drafting! A storyboard can be a valuable tool for this step and is often the best way to ensure you’re on track with your comic.