Going back through the archives, you’ve seen and read about ways to develop your own comics. In this post, I will be showing a group of videos on how other artists create their print and webcomics. Some have commentaries, others are tutorials. Many of the techniques I have mentioned in earlier posts apply, with the artists personal workflow methods injected into the core process.

Here are a few examples:

This first video is done by EXTRA LIFE webcomic creator Scott Johnson. He talks about how he developed this particular webcomic strip about the joys of late Christmas shopping. Scott offers a number of time-saving tips while he discusses certain aspects of his process during this time-lapse video.

In this three-part video series, Brett Lamb from LessonBucket decribes the process used in creating a Frank Miller “Sin City” noir-styled comic book. The process is very easy and effective for creating a comic book, using mainly photo reference and Photoshop techniques. There is no actual drawing involved, but this style works if you are looking to create something hand drawn and are wondering about the effects of light and shadows.

This quick tutorial by master illustrator Jay French shows you how to plan out a panel layout and sketch simple blocked in characters prior to creating a full blown comic.

The tutorial by Xia Taptara of idrawgirls is an advanced tutorial which requires a bit of drawing skill. This is more of a commentary while drawing rather than a step-by-step tutorial. Xia shows you some techniques using construction lines and poses.

From the DVD based on the best selling book “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” Stan Lee and artist Jim Lee explain how to draw individual parts for characters in comics – foreshortening, perspective, musculature and process are all explained.

I hope you learn something new from this series of videos. I’ll be back with some written tutorials later on in the week to add to your knowledge base. Until then, check out some of these other tutorials from the archive.

In this previous post about drawing backgrounds, I wrote about their importance and how to apply them to your comics in order to add further detail to your stories. Without some kind of defining background (whether its a colour, abstract linework, or a beautifully rendered scene) your foreground characters will just appear like they are floating in dead space with no purpose. This quick tutorial will give you a few more advanced techniques for backgrounds, and how to keep a nice big library for use at a moments notice.

Establish your Settings

If your comic is set in the city, amass a folder filled with reference shots in the city. Skylines, high and low angle views, rooftops, sidewalks, interesting buildings, street scenes, traffic, etc. The more reference photos you have, the better. If your comic is set in the wilderness, you’ll want trees, mountains, lakes, rivers and all sorts of natural vegetation. Separate these files into folders based on location.

Make a Composite Image

You may find yourself seaming two or three photos together in order to get the right look for your scene. Using photo editing software like Photoshop allows you to alter your images in order to create the basic background you are looking for. Here’s some basic tips on how to do this:

Using the transform tools to warp, skew and twist your photos to fit can save you a lot of time trying to figure out what the structures would look like on an angle. Save time and use photo reference where necessary.

Render your Image

Once you’ve set up your photo reference, merge your layers together.

Reduce the opacity of that layer to 40-50% so you can see what you are drawing over.

Your work area should be somewhat transparent.

Now, proceed to trace out your background on a separate layer. Use a variety of different brushes for increasing line weight and creating depth.

I prefer to use a bright colour such as a lime green or a bright red. This shows me where I have traced – using flat black can lead to some problems if the photo below has a lot of dark patches (like the night scene in this example.)

Once your background has been traced out, use the black and white filter to convert your colored line to black.

The Black and White adjustment has a number of options to convert the color on your layer to black and white – choose ‘Maximum Black‘ in the settings.

Adjust the sliders in the dialog box until you have found a dark black that does not lose any of its edge fidelity (gets jagged or too blurry) and click OK. You have converted your background line art into solid black.

Creating the Library

With all of these background files for use in specific situations, you will have an easier time keeping a consistent look to your setting, as well as saving time. I most of your story takes place in a certain area, reusing and modifying the line work is much easier than redrawing it all by hand. This helpful set of shortcuts will make you comics process way more efficient.

Tune in next time for another how to draw comics tutorial from idrawdigital. Check back through some of the previous articles for tips on color, inking and pencils.

So you think you’re ready to jump into your comic/webcomic, right? You have a script, you have a schedule, you have drive, ambition and motivation. Now you need to put pen to paper, or in a digital sense, stylus to tablet. If you’re wondering what tools artists use to master their craft, look no further – idrawdigital is going to give you the run-down on the must have items a comic book artist should have in his / her arsenal.

Drawing Pads

I know I preach a lot about doing everything digitally – but there may come a time when you don’t have access to a computer or have the itch to kick it old school and draw using pencil, pen and paper. There’s nothing quite like the feel of sketching on a natural surface, and it will also keep your skills sharp, your planning in composition and proportion exact, and force you to analyze your subjects more carefully. There is no UNDO feature when you draw by hand – unless you count your eraser, and that can be quite time consuming and sometimes messy.

Go to your local art store or stationery supply store and stock up on a few sketchpads of various sizes. Amazon offers various brands as well if you’re interested in purchasing online for dirt cheap (click the image.)  Keep all your random scribbles and concepts – they make great conversation pieces and journals for the projects you’ve worked on – and they also make great reference material as well, where you can go back and skim for hidden gold you may have forgotten about.

Pencils and Inks

If you’re planning on going the hand drawn route at different stages of your production (you could start with pencils and scan them in, or do your roughs digitally and ink by hand, etc) you’ll need these tools at your disposal. Make sure you buy a graphite pencil set with varying degrees of hardness, there are also non-repro versions as well (the blue line pencils that don’t appear when photocopied). For inking, you can use the traditional quill with ink for supreme control, or mimic that elegant line weight result with technical pens with varying point sizes (from millimeters to brush width!)

A Digital Drawing Tablet (WACOM)

The weapon of choice for digital comic artists – this is the keystone for all digitally created artwork. There are other cheaper brands, but for the purpose of this list, I will be referring to the WACOM brand of tablets. With a plethora of touch sensitive options, advanced cursor control and key mapping functions, the digital tablet is as close to drawing naturally as you’re going to get in the digital realm. There are a number of tablet products ranging from the small and simple, to the expensive and complex. The higher-end versions allow you to draw directly on screen (the Cintiq by WACOM doubles as a touch sensitive monitor) and simulate the feeling of drawing. If you master the use of a tablet, you are well on your way to a fully digital workflow. For more information on using your WACOM tablet, check out this post.

A Flatbed Scanner

If you insist on doing your artwork by hand using traditional means, you’ll definitely want to scan it into your computer in order to complete the job. Sending electronic proofs, cleaning up inks and pencil work, or just tightening up the artwork and converting it to digital format requires the use of a reliable scanner. Scanners come in a number of sizes that can accommodate oversized sheets (especially bristol pages) and have a range of resolution (dpi) depths dependent on your need (large format printing or just high quality). Having a scanner in your arsenal is essential if you’re planning to draw comics.

Software

The final tool you need when you’re learning how to draw comics is the purchase of licensed software. There are a number of drawing programs available – whether you’re following the fully digital workflow, or traditional means, drawing software is absolutely necessary for building your work, or preparing your scanned image for final output on press or online.

I’ve given brief reviews in another post on the different drawing software that is available – there are free options, and expensive high-quality versions. All of the software has a try before you buy option – so you don’t have to commit to an expensive purchase if you’re uncomfortable using the programs.

There you have it – get these tools in your possession, and you’ll be ready to tackle any of your comics projects. Go forth and create!

Hey folks!

Today we’re going to jump into a lesson on lettering in comics. Often seen as an afterthought by many rookie artists, the lettering component of comics can be the deal breaker that makes your comic look professional and well crafted, or poorly planned. If you are just learning how to draw comics, the very first step you should take is to carefully plan out where your dialogue and sound effects will be placed on the panel in relation to your artwork. Essentially, the speech bubbles and sound effects are artwork in their own right and should work alongside the figures and backgrounds to create a complete composition. Here’s a brief tutorial on proper lettering techniques, and how to use them to your advantage.

Expression and Tone

Lettering is more than placing word bubbles on a page and attempting to avoid characters heads or important focal points in the artwork. Lettering serves as an additional method of advancing the story, through direct eye movement and through narrative/dialogue. As you draw comics, there may be a message you are trying to convey within a panel – the formatting of the lettering can play an important part in expression. For example -

The example on the left is fine – the exclamation is there, and the tone appears serious. If you were to use the example on the right, it has tremendous impact – it is perceived to be a loud yell, a bold statement, an exclamation and an order coming from someone who is clearly showing force and authority. Now, if THAT is the message you’re trying to get across, the example on the right is how you should render your lettering. If the statement is subdued and serious in tone, the rendering on the left can be used to express a different type of emotion in speech.

Placement and Direction

Another important item in effective lettering is placement. Since speech and narrative balloons take up space on your panels, they should also lead your reader through your panels alongside the direction of your artwork. Visually leading a reader through the panels is vital in maintaining a comfortable storytelling pace. If the flow is broken up and the reader has to figure out which panel they should go to next, you have disrupted their concentration and pulled them away from the experience. The key is to keep the reader immersed in the story. The composition, the pencils, inks and colors can only do so much in leading the eye – if the viewer has to read dialogue, it MUST be placed in a logical area to limit confusion and distraction.

Here’s an example featuring Marvel’s ‘Deadpool‘ – take note of the direction of your eye…

If you managed to read the dialogue, your eye should have traveled in this path (more or less) -

Did you notice how the speech bubbles and thoughts propelled you in the right direction, in conjunction with the rendered artwork? If the lettering was merely ‘slapped on’ you could potentially be led off of the page, or lost in details that are unimportant to the story. In this example, the story is advanced through the actual dialogue and through the placement of the lettering. Also, note the various tones in Deadpool’s speech – he goes from being calm, to surprised, to angry, and then to evil – if the lettering was rendered in the same fashion throughout the page, the emotions would not be as clear.

Font Selection and Examples

The last lettering tip I’m going to share today deals with font selection. Back in the day, lettering was all done by hand, so the majority of the rendered words in comics were unique from issue to issue. A person used to letter a comic title was often used for an extended run, in order to keep the look consistent. With the advent of computers and technology, hand rendered lettering is slowly becoming obsolete. Custom lettering is still widely used, but the hand drawn letters are now scanned and converted into fonts that can be used over and over again. By applying the right font style, weight and color, you can add more impact and meaning to the spoken dialogue, thought or narrative. Here are some examples of hand rendered lettering from comics of years past:

Note the artistic nature of the lettering – it doesn’t have to be plain words on a page. By giving them life and dynamic action, you can heighten the intensity of the mood of your comic page. Remember, the lettering is also part of your artwork – so make sure it interacts well with the drawn images on your page! Determine where you’ll need emphasis in your lettering, and decide what style of font will express the emotion effectively.

Comic Book Font Downloads

If you run a search online for comic book lettering and fonts, there is a wide array of free examples to download and use as you learn how to draw comics.  One of the best resources for comic book lettering comes from BlamBot. Check out these font examples from the site:

In addition to fonts, BlamBot also features an array of speech bubble styles and sound-effects in a vector format for scalability.

There’s the lesson for the day – there will be a future lesson on more advanced lettering techniques in the next little while. For now, these basic tips should push you forward in your quest to learn how to draw comics effectively. Don’t just slap your words on the page – integrate them into your artwork, and make them an important component in your composition. See you next time!

Mainstream comics are brilliant displays of finely crafted artwork – with the relative costs of ink colors on press dropping significantly, comics publishers have taken advantage of full colour in order to grab the attention of readers. However, color is not just limited to eye-candy and attraction – great comics use color to capture the mood of a moment or to help with the pacing of a story. Here are a number of tips on how to draw comics more effectively through the use of color theory.

I’ve written a short step by step tutorial on applying color to your inked comics, and I have also posted a number of links to various tutorials on the basics of color theory. Have a look at those previous posts for additional information, in order to help you with some of the terminology and concepts explained in this post.

Color Combinations

Color combinations are used to create a pleasing arrangement to the reader’s eye, and to attempt to elicit a certain mood. Most of the time, this is done at a subconscious level, and when done correctly, will advance the story in a proper manner. There are a number of rules when using color that can be explained in full detail in the Color Theory post.

In comics, complementary colors are used to produce tension and also to produce harmony, depending on the response you are attempting to create. I have included this colour wheel by Don Jusko – his Real Color Wheel theory teaches the idea that darkened, shadowed colors achieve a neutral dark tone rather than a flat black devoid of any hue. This wheel was created for print/paint in order to take advantage of realistic color created under certain light conditions found in nature, and eliminates the use of black to create shadows (which makes your colors muddy and dull.)

For the greatest vibrancy of colour, use its direct complement (the pure colour directly across from it on the wheel). Note: Jusko’s wheel is quite different from the traditional color wheels you have seen. His complements are direct optical inverses of one another. If you are uncomfortable with this method, use the traditional wheel which relies on black to create shades.

Another method of effective color combination comes from the use of analogous colors. These colours are found beside one another on the colour wheel, and when used together, help to amplify moods. For example – using a combination of BLUE/BLUE GREEN/GREEN could create a feeling of doubt, mystery or an eerie, creepy effect – this is why it is commonly used in horror films and images.

There are also discordant color combinations, monochromatic (single-color), triadic (triangular equidistant on wheel) and more which you can use to add emphasis to your panels.

Temperature

We’ve all heard of cool and warm colors – but how do they work within comics? Well, similar to painting and color composition in drawing and photography, a cool colour palette within a comic panel will evoke a feeling of despair, sadness, melancholy, etc. At the same time, these tones will also slow down the pace of the story in that particular scene.

In these panels, Peter Parker reflects on some memories of Gwen Stacy while he’s cleaning out some stuff in his attic and coming across her picture.

To the untrained eye, you may have sensed a feeling of regret and reflection, coldness and emptiness – and it wasn’t merely the dialogue that evoked that feeling. The shades of blue and dramatic shadows helped intensify that feeling. Color is used to play upon the subconscious of readers. We associate colors with feelings – and feelings are also associated with temperature. Anger, excitement, intensity, love, and happiness are associated with warmth and heat. Sadness, anguish, lonliness, despair, regret and misery are associated with cooler temperatures.

This temperature effect helps the colorist control the mood of the reader – if it is a tense action moment, perhaps the scene will have more reds and oranges to heighten the urgency. But a dramatic, sad scene like the one illustrated above will make use of subdued, cooler hues like blues and purples.

Determine the mood within the panel, and choose the right color to amplify it. Being subtle in pencils, inks and dialogue works some of the time – but effective color can really drive home the point.

Focal Points

We touched on creating focal points when you’re learning how to draw comics in this post about composition and layout. Now I’ll show you how color can enhance this direction. Look at this panel from Skaar: Son of Hulk, and see where the focal points of each panel are.

The huge yellow blast behind Skaar in the first panel draws emphasis to that particular area on the panel. It is an intense scene with a number of active elements on the page – a chasm opening up, rocks being smashed and flying about, all from Skaar pounding the ground. You could easily emphasize one of the wrong elements and have the scene be interpreted differently. In this example, the emphasis is on the power of Skaar’s impact. By using a fiery yellow blast, it also elevates the feeling of action and strength.

If you look at the last panel, you see the emphasis is on the red figures in the background. Their anger and rage is intensified with the red and yellow fiery tones. If you couldn’t tell they were pissed from the line drawings, you can sure figure it out now.

Another effect used on this page is saturated colors – in the second panel, the figures in the background are of lesser importance, so their colors are muted and desaturated. Meanwhile, in the foreground, Skaar’s leg appears much more prominent, partially because of the stronger line weight, but also because of the deeper, saturated color. The same effect is seen in the third panel – except this time, the background figures are prominent, and the foreground figures are subdued.

Subconscious Themes

As I mentioned earlier, color can be used to evoke feelings at a subconscious level through temperature and experiences from past associations. Another method of playing upon subconscious thought is through the use of polarization and dominance. Visually, the boldest color scheme is the primary color triad of RED-YELLOW-BLUE. Secondary to that is GREEN-ORANGE-VIOLET, and beyond that is the tertiary scheme of the in-between colors (YELLOW-GREEN, BLUE-VIOLET, RED-ORANGE etc)

Here’s an interesting observation you may not have noticed. Check every major superhero you know, and look at their color palette.

Captain America – Red and Blue
Spiderman – Red and Blue
Iron Man – Red and Yellow
Superman – Red, Yellow and Blue
Shazam – Red and Yellow

Now compare that to typical villains:
Doctor Octopus - Green
Dr. Doom – Green
The Hobgoblin – Green and Orange
The Green Goblin – Purple and Green
Parallax – Orange and Green

Notice a pattern? The heroes are often outfitted in the dominant primaries, while their evil counterparts are in secondary colors. This subconscious color scheme forces you to believe that the hero is the most dominant. I’ll bet some of you didn’t notice that. Now, this isn’t a cemented rule, but you can try that effect out in order to accentuate the main character in your next story.

Overall Effects

Smaller details such as warm glows, refracted light, mists and hazes, and environmental effects can also increase the dramatic effects in your panels. For example,

this image of Batman standing amongst the shadows shows the city of Gotham in a brooding, mysterious blue-grey haze. There is additional contrast to the focal point (Batman) where a cool bluish-white glow surrounds the hero. This intensifies the dark background and makes the city look even more sinister.

In this image, the warm glow of the sun casts a number of warm colors this sullen warrior. The front of the character has been washed with cooler tones, perhaps to bring out an evil side, but the colored highlights from the light source in the rear create contrast through some subdued complementary juxtaposition (red-oranges-yellows / blue-green-purples). In addition to the glow of the scorching sun, there are some wisps of mist in the chasm behind the main character, creating depth and separation of the foreground and background elements.

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That concludes our lesson for today – I hope you’re able to take some of these tips on using color effectively to help you learn how to draw comics that are vibrant and inspiring. If you’re looking for some color ideas and themes, check out Kuler – an Adobe project showcasing designers and artist’s color palettes to inspire and evoke moods for your next project. See you next time!

If you trace back the history of inking in comics, its sole purpose was to enhance the initial drawn lines by the penciller so they would reproduce properly when printed. Now, inking is an art form in itself – much more than simply tracing a penciller’s work. Inkers are required to take drawn panels and make them come to life with the use of dynamic lighting, depth with linework and shading, and add texture which may be lacking in the pencils. This important facet of comics is often overlooked and taken for granted.

The best inkers have the ability to determine how to make the important elements on the page ‘pop‘ and improve the linework. Inkers determine light sources, create convincing contrasts with shadow and light, and help separate visual planes to create a sense of depth. Without this step, comics may appear flat and lifeless – the right combination of ink can change the atmosphere of the story. Here are some examples of inked panels:

With the dark contrast areas in this Batman-Spiderman pinup, you can see the musculature and definition of both heroes, the folds and dynamic shape Batman’s cape takes on, and the rugged texture of the rooftops. The silhouettes of the city skyline also add to the dramatic nature of this panel. You wouldn’t achieve the same effect with pencils alone – therefore, inking serves as a key tool in developing scenes and defining shapes in your artwork. Even though they have been clearly laid out within the pencils, the ink gives the image a deeper, moodier appearance.

In order to be a successful inker, you must have a good working relationship with your penciller – as you are drawing overtop of their work and their vision. Make sure you’re on the same page (pardon the pun) when you’re working on a project together. There have been many documented occasions where a penciller will refuse to work with an inker over ruined work.

Secondly, make sure you know how to draw comics just as well as your penciller – if not, better. Understanding the physics and properties of light and shadow, anatomy and mastering the techniques of brush + ink, marker rendering, or pen work is abslutely vital in becoming a successful inker. You may also be called upon to fill in for a penciller who is behind on his work – where you are filling in details, adding texture and in some cases drawing complete panels from roughed in sketches. Trying to maintain a consistent style with your penciller is extremely important.

Here’s a few techniques to improve your inking when you’re learning how to draw comics:

1) Variable Line Width
This is the method of establishing form and creating some depth in your work.

Objects in the foreground should have thicker, darker outlines than ones in the distance. Your natural inclination is to look at the boldest, darkest item on the panel – so if your most important element is in the foreground, make sure it is outlined and detailed better than something behind it. A thicker line creates the perception of heavier weight and fuller form, whereas a thinner line recedes into the background.

2) Determine Light Source
Take a few seconds and create a point of reference for your light source.

It could be a simple symbol or a dot on your page (in the margin) to indicate where your light will be coming from. This will help you figure out which portions of your inked work will be cast in shadow. Remember to be consistent with your shadow placement in your panel, and from panel to panel as well.

3) Adding Washes and Hatching

A wash is a thin, diluted application of ink which creates a grey tone in the background. By building layers of wash, you can create different levels of contrasting greys, which do not detract from the solid black linework put into place.

Some artists use cross hatching as a method of creating shadows. A loose hatch appears more like a grey tone when viewed from afar, and also adds texture to your drawn elements. The downside of cross hatching is a rougher appearance – this may not be suitable for some artwork (superhero comics especially – which rely on clean, solid form). As you learn to draw comics, you’ll develop a signature style over time. Make sure your style works for your penciler.

4) Scratches, Dabs, and Erasing
To create some textural effects in your inked work, you can use an ex-acto knife or a dried out pen nib to scratch away and some of your solid pools of black to create some interesting scratchy textures, stone, masonry or woodgrains.

Using a molded putty style eraser creates soft, leathery textures by picking up dabs of ink and leaving behind some grey spatters. If you apply the eraser and different points by dabbing, you will create a blotchy, blobby texture that is an interesting effect for backgrounds or softer elements in your work. The dab technique also works with washes as well – use a brush with some watered down ink, and try blotting on the panel at different stages of wetness/dryness. You will create some cool looking patterns.

Once you’ve rendered your panels in pencil, try out some of these inking techniques (most of these can all be applied to digital work as well). Experiment and develop an inking style that suits your pencil work. Will it be slick and clean like the major houses (Marvel, DC, Image) or feature loose, scratchy effects with more grit, found in indie comics? If you’re working with a partner, make sure your styles complement one another, but don’t be afraid to offer your input – inking is not just tracing! For more tips, check out this previous post on simple digital inking techniques.

This concludes our latest installment on how to draw comics – stay tuned for more tips from idrawdigital.

Webcomics can be the easiest and most cost effective method of spreading your stories to a large audience. The benefits are quite extensive – you have extremely low costs for operation, you have instant publishing features and a broader reach for potential readers. Producing comics online can prove to be a very successful endeavor, which pays off in nice dividends once you have established yourself as an artist/writer with a catalog of work in your portfolio.

But you have to start from somewhere, right? Here are a few tips to get you started on how to make a webcomic.

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Step One: Translate your ideas into a story, character, place or theme

You’ve come up with a great idea for a webcomic. Your first order of business should be to fire up your word processing software or grab a pen and a notepad and start jotting down al the scenes that are playing out in your head. It doesn’t matter if the scenes are out of sequence or brief flashes or if it is just an idea for some attire a character is wearing – make a note of it. If you spend too much time trying to establish the image and committing it to memory, you may lose the thought.

Once you have taken down the idea, you can arrange it into categories – scenes, characters, plot, theme. From there, you can mix and match components to create a bigger story or add depth to your current story idea. The most important thing to note is you MUST get it down on paper or in a file for reference.

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Step Two: Organize your elements and add details

Now that you have established a setting, some characters and a rough story or theme, organize your material to fill in the blanks. You should have a main character (or characters), a main setting, and a main theme established. You can develop more as you go along – but to begin, you should have all of your details worked out for your main elements first before you move on to the next step to make a webcomic.

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Step Three: Character Sketches

Before you jump into drawing your webcomic, you should familiarize yourself with your main character(s). Create numerous character sketches from all sorts of angles and actions. If you consistently draw your character numerous times, your character drawings will develop into repetitive action and you will draw your characters in the same consistent manner.

Many webcomic artists often struggle with a consistent look to their characters due to the lack of practice sketching and development of repetitive action. Of course, you can draw your figures and continue refining them, but the key is to make sure they are always consistent when drawn.

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Step Four: Write a script

A number of artists tend to jump right into their pages/strips without having a clear idea of where their comic may be headed. This works fine if you are simply doing random webcomics here and there, but it is difficult to establish any continuity for the future. You should have a plan.

The easiest and most efficient method of developing a script is through the use of point form. You don’t need an elaborate movie style script to develop your webcomics, but it does help. If you’re a one-man show, you may want to stick to 15-20 brief point form notes for each page as your guide. If you are anxious to get into drawing your webcomics, make sure that point form plan is in place.

If you have more time, consider extending the details in your script, and include dialog, pacing, and various visual cues/effects. A detailed script will help the artist visualize and render the artwork for the story properly.

Another tip – try to hammer out a script for at least 20 pages worth of your story. Once you have that many pages established, you can make edits ahead of time, rather than writing one page, drawing one page then repeating the process and trying to make it flow. You spend more time figuring out problems than producing the webcomic. Plan ahead, and you can modify things if they do not work to your satisfaction.

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Step Five:  Render your pages.

Another pitfall most webcomic artists encounter is a lack of updates once their site is up and running. If you have already generated a script for a story arc, try and render as many pages as you can prior to launching your website. Once the site is live and operational, you will already give yourself a bit of a head start if some unforeseen circumstance appears and you are unable to do your regular update.

My suggestion is to render a complete issue (roughly 20 pages) prior to launching your site. If you plan on doing weekly updates, this gives you 20 weeks of leeway and ample opportunity for script and drawing refinements. By having your pages in a ready-to-go status, you will also create the illusion of being dedicated (which you are) and a prolific artist (which you will become!)

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Step Six: Set up your website.

If you do not have a website or domain name, you should decide on creating a site that is easy to navigate and memorable for your readers. This step requires an yearly investment, but now that hosting packages and domain names are abundant, the prices are a mere fraction of what they were years ago.

For domain names, visit NameCheap: http://www.namecheap.com – You can obtain a domain name for less than $9 a year. With coupon codes, it could be even less.

For hosting, you can’t beat Host Gator: http://www.hostgator.com – Hosting packages start as low as $4.95 a month, and they offer great technical support and loads of features.

If you can afford a yearly investment of $70 to $100, you will have full control over your site and its development. There are a number of options you can pursue in building your site – WordPress allows for blog styled setups, or you could create a Flash-enhanced site, or a simple HTML setup. The possibilities are endless.

For those on a tighter budget, you can try free alternatives for webcomics hosting such as:

SmackJeeves

Comic Fury

The Webcomic List

Drunk Duck

Comic Genesis (KeenSpot)

Comic Dish

Some of these hosting services require memberships and linkbacks to the main site, and ad banners placed in prominent areas of your pages. The upside is the support you receive from other contributors, as well as some pre-made templates to get you up and running quickly.

Your site can also double as your portfolio!

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John Giang

Step Seven: Launch and Promote

Many artists worry about readers and statistics right off the bat. With any new website that appears, it takes time before the masses stumble upon it and pass it on to their friends. Therefore, it is very important during your quest to make a webcomic to continually update and provide new content to your readers. Over time the content you have produced will continue to draw in newer visitors passively.

In order to get readers interested in your site, you will need to do some active promotion.  The easiest way is to make allies and friends within like-minded communities on the web. If you are producing a sci-fi webcomic, then target the fans of sci-fi webcomics. Seek out communities and online forums, and contribute in their discussions and be a part of their community – once they see that you have valuable input and commentary to add, you can ask for their feedback on your project and have them visit your site.

A large portion of startup traffic comes from the cultivation of relationships with groups. If you do not have the benefit of a group to get you started, you will have to do some work in order to gain the respect of your peers. Be engaged in your targets interests and discussions. Support their projects and in time, they will reciprocate. Comment on blogs, give positive encouragement, jump into discussions and make friends – its the equivalent of networking in the first person. This activity is absolutely vital to expanding your reader base when you are just starting out.

Once people come to your site and experience what you have to offer, their word of mouth advertising will work for you and offer huge returns.

The key is to be patient, and not rush headlong into it. Avoid the common mistakes when you’re learning how to make webcomics, and you will become successful and ‘internet famous.’ Popular webcomics such as Penny Arcade, the Order of the Stick, xkcd, Applegeeks and countless others all started with a handful of readers. As the years passed, and based on the creators involvement with their readers, the comics and the site grew in popularity and referrals. Some of the artists have been able to make an honest living through their site, as well as additional side projects related to the webcomic.

You too can achieve that success with some careful planning and passion. Don’t ever quit when you feel it is hopeless – it’s a labour of love that pays off with perseverance. During your journey to become a successful webcomic artist, always remember this phrase: Those who quit following their dreams will never know how close they came to success.

Good luck!

In my previous tutorial on Digital Inking, I demonstrated the simplest method to inking your comics after they have been scanned into your computer and ways of developing your page layout for print or on screen. The next step is to begin coloring our work with a few simple steps.

This tutorial was created using Adobe Photoshop. You can use the program of your choice, but in order to achieve the same result(or as close as possible to the tutorial,) make sure your software supports layers, as it is extremely important in maintaining an organized file.

There are several tutorials out there on coloring comics, but in this method I will show you the quickest and easiest way that works for most software.

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1. Establish your Color Mode

Color mode selection is important because it will affect your color swatch selections and viewing application. If you are planning on creating your artwork for use online or displayed on a monitor / screen, work within the RGB color mode. If you are creating comics for print, your file should be set up in the CMYK color mode. Professional printers output files using the CMYK model because it is the most common method for achieving all printed colors using blends of 4 colors of ink – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

Start off in one of the color modes dependent on your application. There are some ranges of colors that can not be physically printed in the CMYK model but are visible in the RGB model. This is known as a color gamut. You can learn more about it here. If your comics are  in RGB and you convert them to CMYK afterwards, many of your subtle shades and tints will disappear and your colors will become dull because they are not reproducible in 4 color printing.

* There is a method used by Pantone called Hexachrome which offers 6 color printing by adding Green and Orange ink to the CMYK mix to expand the printed gamut. This extra set of inks becomes more expensive to print and requires the use of a specific color profile native to Hexachrome printing.

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2. You should have Four (4) Layers in your file

Linework – this is your previously inked work
Flats – This is for the use flat colors and for building up your tones and values
Highlights – This layer is for the use of shine/ light effects etc
Effects – This layer is for other environmental effects – fog, mist, light rays, snow, rain, darkness etc.

The order should be Effects as the top layer, followed by Linework, Highlights and Flats at the bottom.

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3. Working on your Flats Layer(s)

The Flats layer is for exactly that – flat colors. Use a paintbrush or lasso + paint bucket/fill tool for filling in your areas with the colors you want. After you have laid down your first level of flats, on each section, use a slightly darker tone of the same color, and using your brush, paint in areas that would have some subtle shadows.

Do the same thing with a slightly lighter tone of your base flat color in order to create subtle highlights. You can repeat these steps as many times as you like in order to build levels of depth within your flat colors. If you want to smooth out the lines between each layered tone, you can do so with a blur tool or a smudge type tool to blend all the tones for a softer, smoother effect.

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As you can see in this comparison between Cyclops of the X-Men and Archie from the newsprint based comic books, traditional comics coloring does not have blending, so it is acceptable to have hard lines in between each color tone. You still achieve the same element of depth, just on a flatter scale.

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4. Creating your Highlights

Once your foreground and background coloring has been done, it is time to add additional highlights for extra depth. Start with a small brush, and then paint blots of white in the ‘hottest’ areas of the lighter tones you’ve painted in the flat layer. Do not overdo the highlights, otherwise your figures will appear metallic or glossy (unless they ARE metallic or glossy – then its absolutely fine!)

Once the blots are done, blur the white patches and blend those into your colors underneath by feathering the edges. You could also leave the painted blots with harder edges if you wish to have a flatter appearance. For additional control, create a few more highlight layers and adjust the opacity of each layer (if your software allows it) for more dynamic effects on each panel.

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5. Details through Effects

For additional depth and detail, use your effects layer to really make your images ‘pop’. Perhaps your character has energy spheres that glow brightly or there is an eerie mist in the surrounding environment.

.This layer(s) is where you would place these rendered effects to provide more visual impact, refine and put the finishing touches on your colored work. The reason the Effects layer sits above the Linework layer is to create more of a sense of form and shape. If these effects are oulined in heavy black, the effect is flattened and will lack the depth and shape you want to establish. Only pure black and white comics use outlined effects in order to create a visual idea, since color isn’t an option.

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6. Final Touches and Refinements

Once your colors have been laid down, your highlights added, and your effects finalized, you can do your tweaks and adjustments to all of these layers if you’re not completely satisfied with your rendering. Sometimes its worth taking a few hours off and coming back to the page to see if there are any changes you’ll want to make – or if its fine just the way it is.

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7. Save your Layered working file

ALWAYS make sure you save a working version of your layered file. You may have to make further adjustments later, and without the original working file you’ll have to start over from scratch to mimic the work you’ve already done. That is not efficient.

You have passed the Digital Coloring tutorial. Now that the color work is done, we’ll move on to rendering your type and dialogue if you haven’t done so already. Check out different styles of comics and study how each colorist renders their effects, builds their flat colors and create shape and form. Keep trying new coloring techniques until you find one you are comfortable with.  There are plenty of samples on the internet to learn from. Practice and develop your style, and eventually you’ll be making stunning masterpieces of comic book art.

If you can draw figures and forms easily, the next step in creating a complete composition is to draw/paint an engaging, interesting and believable background for your subject(s). One of the most common ways to do this is through the use of a landscape. I’ve gathered a few tutorials together on how to create stunning landscapes with beautiful colours, details, dramatic lighting and depth. You can apply these techniques to your process to enhance your landscape work and increase the visual interest and quality of your work.

Skyships

Patrick Keith shows us his workflow method for creating a landscape for this commissioned piece. This tutorial is great since it contains techniques that are not software specific.

Depth by colour – Ground Rocks

Mahesh Bhat over at KalaaLog has a variety of interesting tutorials on digital painting techniques. Here is a tutorial on creating a simple landscape with rock formations – there are some basic color theory tips and light/shadow techniques as well.

Cloudy Sky Tutorial

Dan LuVisi (commonly known as Adonihs) has created a cloudy sky landscape tutorial for an article in 2D Magazine – his use of painting techniques, blending and muted colour palettes produce a soft painterly effect for his concept work.

Painting a Landscape

Alain Descamps beautiful concept renderings have earned him some huge accolades in the Digital Art world. This tutorial is a simple landscape that can be rendered with such precision and ease. The results are astonishingly realistic. His portfolio can be found at www.adesconcept.com If you can read French, check out his tutorials (tutoriaux) section for some excellent methods on creating visually stunning landscapes and backgrounds.

Matte Painting Tutorial

Shantanu Jahagirdar creates a mystic landscape scene with moody, dramatic lighting using a mixture of painted and photographic pieces. The finished piece is srtiking and intense. Here’s a tutorial on the full process.

Desirable Thirst

Niklas Forsberg has created a painterly waterscape with rich vibrant colors and thick brushstrokes. He has produced a step-by-step walkthrough on his method. This tutorial also includes some efficient workflow techniques (shortcuts, controls) to help you speed up your own work.

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And there you have it – a number of tutorials on creating interesting landscape/backgrounds which should help you maximize your compositions. Try a few of them out and then develop your own techniques in your own style!

We’ve focused on some drawing techniques and tutorials - now we’re going to have a look at some digital painting tutorials so you can simulate the feeling of live painting with your tablet. Here’s some online & video tutorials that show you different methods used to achieve some wonderful looking works of art.

Ron Lemen’s Skin Tones Tutorial

This tutorial shows you how to layer your colours and build up your forms and create realistic looking skin tones from a reference portrait. Its one of the easiest tutorials I’ve seen, and its very effective with a some practice.

Painting a Monster Cutie

Jami Noguchi of Angry Zen Master and Monster Cutie fame delivers a video tutorial on the process involved in creating a fat little monster (but he’s so cute!)

Jim Zubkavich’s Pin-Up Tutorial

Jim Zubkavich goes through a step-by-step process from loose line art to a finished digitally painted piece.

The Red Assassin

Here’s another tutorial on how to draw a lovely Asian assassin – from rodnymella.com courtesy of Pixel2Life.

How to Paint a Portrait From Reference

Here’s a handy potrait painting tutorial from TutorialQuest.com. Pay close attention to the tips given, as they are key fundamental things you should know when venturing out into the world of portraiture (Digital or other media).

Digital Landscape Painting Tutorial

Alain DesCamps explains the process involved in creating a landscape using a digital painting method. Courtesy of CGArena.com.

Illustration Workflow using Sketchbook Pro

A majority of tutorials on the ‘net are usually focused on the Adobe suite of products (Photoshop and Illustrator mainly) so here is a lovely walkthrough of Nick Harris’ process for creating a digital painting of a Steampunk Watch-mender Mender (Once you see the image, you’ll know what I’m talking about) using Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro software.

In a later post, I’ll be showcasing a number of speed-painting videos so you can marvel at the artistry of some of the best digital artists out there. Perhaps you could learn a few new techniques on how to layer and build your digital artworks!