We’ve all seen a number of webcomics and work by various authors. Some are good, some are bad, and some are hidden gems. But how can you quickly find out which ones are must reads and which can be left for a later date (or avoided altogether?) Much like movies and books, webcomics also have their own critics who assess the quality of their work – art, writing, cohesiveness. Click here to continue…
Hey folks – here’s a bunch of webcomics that you should check out this month. Some are new, some are old and established, but all of them are worth a read. If you’re looking for some new reads, this is a good place to start. You can check back in the archives for other favorites that you may have missed. Click here to continue…
This month’s round-up features a variety of alternative webcomics for you to enjoy. Ranging from themes such as gay lifestyle to random humor, you’ll most certainly find something that piques your interest. Check out this month’s collection: Click here to continue…
I get asked this question quite a bit. There are a number of people who already know how to draw and don’t need basic pointers on how to physically draw a comic. They want to know how to get the ideas that are in their heads out there for all of the web to see. This week’s Tutorial Tuesday is going to focus on that. I’m going to show you the quickest way of getting your digital comics put together from planning and ideas right up to uploading to the Internet. I’ll use my own personal webcomic – El Cuervo - as the sample for this tutorial. Click here to continue…
If you’ve wondered why I’ve taken a few days off here and there, I suppose it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I have a webcomic project I’ve been working on entitled El Cuervo, and I’ve finally created the website and released the first 5-6 pages of the comic. It’s going to be an ongoing webcomic that updates twice a week – on Mondays and Wednesdays. So while you’re waiting for your updates on idrawdigital, you can check out El Cuervo on the off days. Click here to continue…
For those of you interested in the old school traditional printing techniques used for shading, idrawdigital has compiled a set of links containing a variety of screentones and halftones for your comics. Click here to continue…
It’s time for another idrawdigital webcomic round-up for y’all, so saddle up and check out some more of the great comics available for free on the Internet. There’s some absolutely amazing work out there that will keep you entertained for weeks to come (at least until the next update) so rummage through the artist’s archives and enjoy the stories. Here’s a list of comics that you can fill your bookmarks folders with. Click here to continue…
As a followup to my webcomics roundup for 2010, here is a list of comics bloggers that you should definitely follow this year. Some of these blogs contain valuable insights and commentary, some provide you with the latest and greatest in the world of comics, and others offer you straight up eye-candy and popular webcomic magic of their own.
Take a look and get acquainted with these blogs! They’ll definitely leave you inspired… Click here to continue…
Hey folks, I’ve been trying to put together a few tutorial posts and its been taking a bit longer than anticipated, so in order to tide you over and keep you occupied, I’ve compiled the latest set of webcomics links for you to check out. I recommend all of these finds, and even though they may not be your cup of tea, I’m sure you can probably find something of value (whether it is the art, dialogue or story) within the pages. Make sure you check out the archives on the listed sites where available. Click here to continue…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
