What tools do I need to make my comics look more professional??
I draw and write comics as a hobby and I am planning to take to the next level. I want to publish a couple of my comics myself, but my problem is that they still look like I drew them in my basement. I was wondering what pens, paper, and software I could get to make my comics look more professional.
There’s nothing wrong with a simpler, or cruder style as long as it fits or aids the story you’re writing. There are plenty of comic artists who draw in more naive styles to match the intimacy of their stories or themes they’re dealing with. However, if you do want to try to improve the look or style of your comics, or just improve your own visual vocabulary, Here are some things you can look at:
If you’re really interested in making a comic, you should definitely buy or take a trip to the library to take out Scott McCloud’s "Making Comics." It’s a great book and sequel to his "Understanding Comics" which not only goes over some of the tools and techniques of making comics, but deconstructs the concepts, theories, standards and practices of visual storytelling.
Best part is, the book about comics is a comic book itself!
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001441.php
Also, any Digital imaging suite like Adobe Photoshop can be used to make comics. Some free alternatives are Paint.NET and Gimp or Gimpshop.
http://www.getpaint.net/
http://www.gimpshop.com/
Kazu Kibuishi has a step-by-step tutorial on how he makes his webcomic, "Copper," on this site:
http://www.boltcity.com/workshop/copper_tutorial/
There are also some programs you can use that try to help making comics easier. Manga Studio is a popular choice for black and white comics. However, it’s pretty pricey.
There’s also TokyoPop’s Manga Creator:
It’s much much cheaper than Manga Studio, and easier to use. The dowside is that it has less features. It’s up to you what you’d want to spring for.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/tokyopop-manga-creator-2
There’s also Comic Book Creator 2, which is fairly cheap. Which usually means, easy to use but low on advanced features:
http://www.myplanetwide.com/products/detail/description.html?id=41
It’s up to you to find out exactly what these programs can do and decide whether it’s worth paying for that extra functionality.
If you’re on a Mac, there’s Comics Life. It should already be on your Mac, I think. If it’s not, you can download a demo here:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/comiclife.html
comic life is a software
Theres a book called Cartoonists and illustrators Trade secrets by Robin Hall which a is good help. The drawings are a bit ‘cartoon comic strip’ looking, but the information is quite good.
You could draw and ink them by hand on Bristol board and scan them and do the colour & page layout in Photoshop, or you could use a wacom tablet to draw them straight into your computer. Good luck!
You can blow them up using scan or photocopy and then trace the lines using ink and brush. Next xerox them down to the normal size or the size you want them I think the ink and the smoothness of the brush stroke can enhance them. Also, experiment with drawing larger and then shrink them down later that allows for greater precision and a neater look of the lines.
The almighty drafting ruler… If it were legal, I’d marry mine! Hey! I found a pic with my ruler in it! xD Ignore the half-finished art. >.> http://roy-fan-33.deviantart.com/art/Dragon-WIP-93217225