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This section briefly describes how we go about making comics.
Let's start off by saying that there is no one 'right' way to create good comics. Creative processes differ from person to person,and to further exacerbate things each publisher will want projects done for them presented in their preferred format. For an inter-studio book we still practice a loose version of what is considered by many editors as the proper way to format comics work.
First, we brainstorm about what type of project we would like to present. This usually gets out creative juices flowing...really helping the creative team get psyched up for doing their best work. Ideas and premises are batted around and hypothetical situations are developed to see what will work for a project and what should be stuffed back in our heads for later use.
Secondly, we develop a story, with characters, notes, and a plot. This is the most important part of the process...this is where ideas are strung together and the tone for the story begins to take shape. Without a good story, the drawings could be the best the printed page has ever seen, but it will fall short in the end. The plot starts out as a loose string of events which is eventually whittled down to a one or two page synopsis called a springboard. By the time we reach the springboard stage we have a good idea about how many pages in length the story will be. Due to processes in printing comics, it is advised that stories be presented with a page count that is a multiple of eight (8, 16, 24, etc.).
Next the springboard is processed into a rough draft script. The script is then passed around and revisions and refinements are made. These revisions usually consist of variant ways to do scenes and dialog. While the revisions are made, the artist and writer usually sit down and do thumbnail sketches and page layouts of the whole story, just to ensure the words and pictures jibe with the type of story they are telling. Details such as the format of the project (minicomic or regular comic, color or black and white art), the cover art imagery, and the layout of the cover sheet, (front and back covers, both inside and out) are decided. The artist also begins gathering reference material and making loose sketches that pertain to the story.
The final script is written and handed to the artist, who begins drawing the actual pictures for each page of story.
Our comics are drawn on 11X17 inch sheets of high quality drawing stock called Bristol board. On the Bristol board is 10X15 rectangular area printed in a non-photo blue ink (which means copiers won't 'read' the blue lines). The rectangle represents the actual image face as it will appear on the printed page. The art image will set in the middle of printed page. Some pages also allow a second line to show you where the actual printer's page will end. This is called a trim line.
Pages are broken down into panels. Panels progress the story from one point to the next.
As a general rule we try to keep our panel count to between three to eight panels per page, although a page with a single image, called a splash page is sometimes used, especially when changing the pace or narrative point of view of the story.
On a comics page the area between one panel and the next (and the page border to the trim of the page)is called a gutter. Some comics pages are designed for art that extends beyond the gutters all the way out to the trim, these pages are called full bleed. Pages can also be butted together and affixed so that the two pages become one 21 1/8X15 image face called a double page spread.
The pages are drawn in pencil. Usually several times during the penciling process the writer will look over the pages and either make notes about word layouts and such, or on rare occasion has the artist redraw certain parts of the story that doesn't fit as well into the mesh of the story as it could.
A note about the cover. We try to get the cover out of the way first. Usually the cover sheet is more technically challenging due to the multimedia combination that goes on the sheet (hand done artwork, computer logos and lettering, whatever text, or ads we can scrounge) all have to be set for the printer. The faster you get the cover art done the better off you'll be in the end.
After everyone is satisfied with look of the pencil art, the pages are redrawn in ink. Most of the time we reach out of studio for inking services, in the name of expediency. After having the pages redrawn in ink, someone sits down with an eraser and makes sure all traces of pencil line are gone from the pages of art. Pencil lines can be caught by reproduction machines and make to art look sloppy and unprofessional.
The pages are then Xeroxed at 64% to best simulate the trim size of the average comic. These copies are set aside, while the art pages are lettered. Lettering is where another artist takes all the information from the script and marries the words and pictures together. There is no wrong way to letter a comics page as long as the words and pictures jibe. Some letterers print by hand on sheets of self-adhesive paper and then cut and paste the lettering on the page. Some people use computers and fancy image editing equipment to letter their comics. We have used both in the past, and as long as the words are legible and don't disrupt the flow of the art, then we have no one solid preference.
After the art is lettered, the pages are Xeroxed again and proofed.
We begin working on the finishing touches to the cover sheet. If no further work is needed we go straight to the printer with the book.
If the comic is to be colored then both sets of copies (with and without lettering) are sent to the colorist, along with whatever color guides we have made along the way. Either by hand or computer, the colorist blocks in color on either Xeroxes or computer scans to show the printing company's staff what to areas to color and what color to make those areas by using a special gradient that expresses all colors as a series of letters and numbers. These letters and numbers tell the printers what combination of magenta, cyan, and cadmium yellow films to use with films photographed or scanned from the original art. After the art is finished we are ready for the project's print run.
For minicomics projects, it's off to the local print shop. First we have to assemble the pages as they will appear in the book. For this we use the technique called a printer's spread, where we butt together pages and affix them together with scotch tape. The huge 22X17 printer's spread pages are then ran through a blueprint machine, which reduces the size of the art to 50%, making the whole thing fit horizontally on a single sheet of 8 1/2X11 paper. This is now our master copy. We arrange the master copies in order of the printer's spread again and get two sided copies, so that four pages of art now appear on one sheet of paper. We then pay for a collate and fold and staple, and viola, we have minicomics.
For full-size comics we must send the art off to the printer. Be sure to have all the pages labeled as to what title, issue number, and page number each page is. DO NOT send your pages in a printer's spread. Also put your name address, and contact information on the back of every page that leaves your office. Sometimes problems arise that require serious attention. The printer shoots the black and white art onto transparent film, and then colored film is added according to the colorist's specs. The films are run through the press at slides of eight at a time and the printed pages are cut, collated, stapled and boxed, ready to go wherever you need them to.
That is how we do it.
A few notes about storytelling and script writing.
Comics is a visual medium. So a writer must learn how to tell a visual story with words....the biggest thing is understanding how a visual story is told, including the difference between shot types, how and when to use tilts and panoramas, aspect storytelling, and what you can do and not do successfully with motion in a static medium like comics. Here is how we do it.
We set up all our scripts using what we call the "3S" system: 'Subject, Setting and Shot'.
Subject is what is the center of interest of the panel or what needs done to progress the story.
Setting is where the scene takes place and how it will effect the subject.
Shot is how you want to represent the subject in the setting for maximum impact.
There are two things that affect the shot used; the distance between the subject and the viewer, and what emotion are you trying to convey to the reader with camera angles.
To establish distance there are several really easy types of shots.
Extreme Long Shots: any shot where the full center of interest in fully seen and its size is less than one-third of the image size.
Medium Long Shot: any shot where the center of interest is fully seen and its size is more than one-third of the image size and less than two-thirds of the image size.
Long Shot: any shot where the center of interest can be fully seen and takes up almost all the allotted image size...also called a Full Shot, when dealing with figures and such.
Medium Shot: any shot where one-half to three-quarters of the center of interest can be seen, taking up all the allotted image size: also called Medium Close Up.
Close Up: Any shot where no more than half the subject is seen in the full image size. Close Ups are usually used to pick out one major section of the subject (the face of a woman, for example).
Extreme Close-Up: Any shot where just one aspect of the subject can be seen in great detail, including abstraction. A single tear drop on the face of the woman would be an example.
To establish emotion an artist should have many tricks up his or her sleeve to give their work emotional imapct...below is a short list.
Up shot: a shot where the subject is seen above the pictures horizon...like looking up at the Statue of Liberty.
Down shot: a shot where the subject can be seen below the horizon...like looking down at an ant on the sidewalk.
Tilt: tilting a shot adds just enough confusion to the eye to add emotional impact, be it whatever emotion you want to convey.
Subjective motion: those crazy line Japanese animators made famous to show a single subject is in motion.
Two-Shot: a shot where two people are speaking and the reader is able to see both conservationists faces.
Truck-Ins: when to pull in the distance between the subject and reader from one panel to the next to add emotional impact.
Splash page: a splash page is a page with a single picture on it. Splash pages are used to change the pace of a story. For example, how many time have you seen Spiderman swinging around NYC in a four panel page ruminating about his problems when you turn the page to find a huge picture of him getting jacked up from behind by Green Goblin? The splash alerted the reader to the change of action from passive to aggressive.
Forced perspective: this makes the artist put the vanishing point of perspective drawing in the panel to add dynamics and impact.
Insets: Smaller panel or panels set inside a larger panel. Insets are generally used to show aspects of the story instead of the main action.
A note here to writers...don't give too many directions...artist's need their creative space when drawing a page. We only use directives like the tilt and such when you are iron-clad certain the writer wants the shot to look that way. Your artist will know better what will work for a sequence, so let him do the work for you.
Specific rules for writing scripts:
Each Psychoholic Studios member has script samples posted so you can see what a comics script looks like. Just click on over to the BIOS SECTION and click on a personal profile to get to the sample scripts. Below is a list of things writers should look out for while writing scripted material:
1. All characters names in the script should be in ALL CAPS, as well as all text that will appear on the actual page of art. If a character is appearing for the first time, their name should be BOLD AND UNDERLINED as well.
2. One page of story should be presented on one page of script, although always make sure your format is easily accessible to every member of the team you're working with. Never try to save space, just carry over on to a new page, never send your script as a continual list of script pages.
3. There are four major types of text icons that go on the comic page. They are word balloons, thought balloons, captions, and sound effects.
Word Balloons: These are the standard for regular dialogue. Keep the content under 30 words per balloon, and don't have a hero engaging in actions like fighting or jumping out of helicopter while being accompanied by four or five balloons of dialog. Word Balloons can be directed into the panel from off-camera (the implied position of the character who is speaking but not in the panel). Word Balloons can also originate from non-characters as well...an announcement over a loudspeaker, for example.
Thought Balloons (abbr-THOT): These are the puffy clouds that distinguish the text as character thoughts. Same rules apply as Word Balloons.
Captions (abbr-CAP): These are the boxes which can be used for just about anything. Regular captions show time and place, they usually establish mood. There is also a Narrative Caption that acts the same as Word or Thought Balloons...and generally are used when quoting works (like diary pages) or when the text is an aspect of another part of the story (for example, in the opening scene of a story a ninja scales a wall in the middle of the night...and Narrative Captions reveal the discussion that sent him on his mission).
Sound Effects (abbr-SFX): Your good old Adam West-as-Batman BIFFS, POWS, and BAMS!
4. Always have the name of the project, whatever volume or issue you are working on, what page number, your name and phone number on every script and art page. We usually put ours on the header and footer...pages do tend to get lost, especially if your co-creators have children, or are working on several books in a given time period. The title of the story itself is optional.
5. If you are wanting to do a double page spread, make sure you paginate the story page numbers together (i.e.. Pages 4 and 5). Also make sure the first page of the spread begins on an even-numbered page.
6. Also, give some thought to where you want to give credits (listing of the title and creative team for the book). Do you want it in the story, represented as art, or do you want it in its own box? Do you want it on an inside cover of the book, at the beginning of the actual story? Do you want a foreword? All of these things need to go in the script as well.
If you decide to use a credit box, you have to script it as well...and make sure you leave space in the art for it, and whatever fonts or designs you'd like in it.
7. Be mindful of visual continuity. If a character changes costume, write it in the script several times....and if you need a prop later in a scene...include it in the initial description of the scene...mentioning its importance as a prop.
This page has been a very quick look into making comics. We'd suggest you research further into the craft and experiment with format and style to find out what works for you.
FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS SECTION, INCLUDING ANY SUGGESTIONS.
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