Creating your own comic book used to be a complicated process but today it’s easier than ever before. With the current technology advancement and the increased use of social media, comic publishing is within any creative comic artist. In this guide, we are going to have a brief look at the process behind creating a good comic book. We will put most of our efforts on how to break the ideas of your comic and how you can make it fun to read and lastly on how to self-publish your book.
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Creating a story
Knowing how to write a storyline, the plot, and the script is very imperative in creating your comic. When you have your character and the ideas of what you will tell, it is tempting to start drawing, but doing this will put you into a dead end. So, long before you begin anything, note down a series of event, organize them appropriately and now turn them into a visual story. This is in fact, the hardest part because it requires a lot of imagination and creativity in between. Focus on the character more than other elements, because a comic book will only reach success when it has a memorable character.
Different stories have different pacing, but it’s good, to begin with, a strong hook then slows down as you move one and try to arrange the events with the pacing of your story. Remember that the tone is the vibe of the comic, so combine comedy with drama, or make it dark or maybe light-hearted.
Choosing a panel
Comic books come in wide range of formats, but the most common are single frame and strip. It would be a good idea to experiment with different formats and see how it goes, however, as a general guide, a single frame format is better on comedy. This is typically because they do not require much set up and probably rely on one or just two lines of dialogue. Strips are very popular for man diary funnies or web comic, as they allow narrative development. The shape of the panel can make a huge difference, and can change the atmosphere of the comic. Whatever panel you decide to use, remember that clarity is the key, so use your best judgment to determine what will suit your comic best.
Lettering
This is often an overlooked task when creating a comic book, but it determines how successful your book will be; if your lettering is messed, chances of people reading your story is subtle, possibly zero. Lettering is a broad topic, far beyond the scope of this guide, but as a general guide; plan your dialogue or sound on the panel appropriately and use figures and background to create a form of complete composition.
Penciling
Whether you are drawing traditionally or digitally, penciling is difficult as your artwork has to be perfect. But the most important thing is to draw the comic first, and then you can perfect it with time. Penciling works best when it’s done by the writer who created the scene or the story. Make sure you choose the right pencil, of course with the right paper, and most importantly ensure that the images are consistent but with different facial expressions to show different emotions.
Time for inking and coloring
Now it’s time to perfect your work with ink and colors, but it would be a good idea to do both task separately and let someone else so any of the task. Consistency in colors is the key; you don’t want your character to appear green on this page and yellow on the other.
Publishing
It’s always good to start with a print publication, but publishing online puts you in a better position depending on your audience. If you decide to publish in print, some options will allow you to sell your print at minimal cost, for instance, the PoD Printers, however, if you have your market already, use the offset printers. If you decide to publish online, pick a site or create your own. If you choose to self-publish never do it, until you figure out how you will market or sell your book; luckily, social Medias makes marketing relatively easy.
Creating your comic book requires a lot of hard work and determination, but as long as you have the knowledge, the skills and the time to tackle the task on your own; it very easy and worth it.
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