Making comics
3yr
Wiktor Budzinski
Hi,
I would really like to start making comics, but it feels very intimidating, as it requires multiple different skills, such as drawing, cinematography, writing etc. I think my skills are getting better with respect to drawing, but I did not practice much other aspects that may be needed.
So my questions is: how to ease into making comics? I tried to come up with some story ideas, but they end up being very big ideas, more for a novel than a short comic. And I dont think that starting making a 200 page comic would be a good start :D At the same time, I have hard time coming up with a story ideas for like a 5-10 page comic...
Do you recommend any exercises that would help someone who has some grasp on fundamentals of drawing, but would like to start using these fundamentals for comics?
Thanks! :)
Hey dude! If you like the form and you feel like you really want to do it, just give it a go, and along the way you will learn all the things you needed to make a page look really nice. It's the way of learning. Or maybe in the end you would find some other form you like instead of comic, then it's this project that pushed you through.
Just start and see what you come up with :D
There are a lot of different ways to approach the work. When figuring out what process is going to work for you, I would suggest short comics. The shorter the better.
If you're having a hard time coming up with scripts to draw, try illustrating a favorite quote that you like. It can be an excerpt from a speech. If you can get a few quotes that would fit on one page, that will give you the material you need to experiment a bit with process and style.
The other big thing to keep in mind when doing comics is that it is difficult to go straight to a final piece. Plan to work in drafts. When doing your first draft, just try to get some ideas down on paper as best you can without worrying too much if it's good. You can improve it in your second draft. I find that doing drafts small on the back of 3" x 5" cards puts me in the right frame of mind to start. I can then scan the card and blow it up for a second draft if I like where it's headed. It's easier to fill (or abandon if it's not working) a 3" x 5" card than it is to fill an 11" x 17" sheet of Bristol board. So much of getting started is finding ways to make the first steps less daunting.
Another thing you can do is team up with a writer if you aren't comfortable with scripting short stories.
Doing comics will force you to be a better illustrator. You have to figure out how to draw everything that a script requires. I've seen artists do hundreds of random sketches and not improve in critical areas because they avoid them. They lean into their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. Comics have a way of forcing you to grapple with your weaknesses. If a comic book panel calls for a hero on a motorcycle chasing a villain on a horse through a dystopian city ruins, you have to figure it out. It's in seeking out the answers to-- and solving--those kinds of problems that will force you to level up.
I reckon just have a play around! Don't feel you need to show anyone if you're not proud of it. The more you practice, the more you'll relax and figure out which direction to go. Maybe even make a short comic of your favourite scene from a show of you're struggling with plot?
I'm not sure what type of comics you'd like to ultimately make, but have you thought about creating one page comics, like 4 panels or so? I think it would force you to condense your ideas into a really short span, while also not making you put forth a ton of effort -- you could easily throw away the end product if you didn't like it.