I've got an idea for a comic (mostly for my own amusement and hopefully my son's when he's old enough to read) thats based on my little family with my 1.8yr old as the main character. I know what the stories will be etc but mostly have no idea where to start with the actual art work itself. They type of styles that i enjoy are Calvin n Hobes, Far Side, Junior, pretty much styles that look 'uncomplicated' i spose you could call it . . . definately not Manga tho, dont mind the flicks (Evangelion, Ninja Scroll etc) but not the comics.

 

Any of you designers/artists out there have any tips/info/links etc that would give someone a place to start when it comes to drawing a comic?

Speak to CHUC

 

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=4676&highlight=comic

Edited April 29, 200916 yr by chambersAUS

Yeah, Chuc knows his stuff. Otherwise there's hundreds of books out there that help with drawing skills and comic strips. Next time you're in the city go to the bottom level of that big Borders book store on one of the central malls. They have heaps of stuff in there.

 

I usually manage to find a art book or two to buy whenever I go. Also, grab a copy of Robert Hamburgers "The Guide To Ultimate Power" from the humour section. It's life changing stuff.

Sure thing buddy, however one thing you gotta establish first -

 

How do you want your comic to read?

 

By mentioning stuff like Calvin & Hobbes, you're trying to go for a pretty simplistic and readable look. So to begin, you need to draw your panels, that is the boxes that divide up the narrative. Generally by this stage you have some idea as to how you want it to read, and thus determining stuff like panel sizes. To start off its best to work with a small narrative, something short that can be captured in like 4 panels.

 

The 4 panel structure is no doubt probably the most succinct you can develop a narrative into comic form. Generally it flows like -

 

Introduction

 

Development

 

Turning Point/Climax

 

Conclusion

 

Pretty standard stuff of any narrative right? Well using just 4 panels, you can contain each stage within one panel nicely.

 

http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/calvin_and_hobbes_off_ritalin.gif

 

Take for example this -

The first panel is the top left, then 2nd is the top right, 3rd is bottom left and last is bottom right.

 

The first panel introduces the situation, you have Calvin doing his work and Hobbes lying there in doll form. 2nd panel develops the narrative, to which Hobbes coaxes Calvin to stop working and play with him. 3rd panel is the climax where Hobbes turns into his animated self and Calvin snaps into his dreamland. The last panel is the conclusion where you see the result of Calvin's decision to stop working and play with Hobbes.

 

This kind of structure obviously is expanded when you're dealing with stuff like multiple pages and other more dynamic layouts, but this is where it all begins.

 

All this might seem a bit complicated, but its the barebones of comic making Any troubles just feel free to ask. Also please put up any works in progress, so we all can bounce ideas and give feedback.

 

As for drawing style.. its what you make of it. As a beginner there's no crime in trying to copy someone else.

Edited April 30, 200916 yr by SneekyShadow

As for drawing style.. its what you make of it. As a beginner there's no crime in trying to copy someone else.

 

Almost all of the most talented artists start off by first copying another's work. In fact its more unlikely for someone to have a completely original creative style/idea especially today with world being so small thanks to mass media. So don't be afraid to base your work off someone else's as long as you give credit to there inspiration. :hi:

cheers Chuc, will definitely post what i can (no matter how . . . umm . . . interesting the drawings turn out). mostly it's just stuff my boy gets up to that amuse the wife n myself so it prolly wont make much sense to anyone else . . . but hey i did say for my amusement (o;

 

[edit] - rog Vis (o;

well 1st attempt at it (bout 12:30 last night!), couldn't sleep as it just kept playin over n over in my head so thought i'd better put the idea down.

 

artwork is a bit crap but i still have to work out how i want to draw it up properly. so what it is atm is the basic layout of what i want it to look like or how i want it setup . . .

 

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq306/McDethWivFries/pc1.jpg

 

when i originally thought of it, where the window with the pot is was where the wife n i would be sitting an last frame would be us looking down at him from the opposite angle . . . but as i dont know how i want to draw 'us' yet thought i'd replace it with something to give the idea of up n down movement.

 

critic pls (o:

 

[edit] - oh yeah, did it in pen as my drafting pencil is at work. will do up another rough draft when i get a chance, wife has me doing chores this weekend /o:

Edited May 1, 200915 yr by Heat-seeker

that looks good McDethWivFries

Thats actually really good...very clever..well done

I like the idea of not showing either you (McDeth) or your wife, and just have speech bubbles coming from outside the frame. Quite good structure and you seem to have a good idea about what to do in a comic The art style, with a little refinement and finalisation would do great. Might need to consider trying your best handwriting or else people can't read it.

Or you could always edit the script in later using photoshop or something to that like. Also don't be afraid to try your hand at inking or digital finalisation. Plenty of tutorials on the net on how to use image editors to create and finish drawings and you don't necessarily need to pay big money for the programs or even need a tablet. Example: digital inking tutorial

Edited May 2, 200915 yr by chambersAUS

Sorry to bump such an old topic but Aldi have a A4 Graphical Tablet for $79

 

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Reviews/Home_Office/T5Q5N2H4

 

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1227815&p

 

I'll be picking one up for drafting