Comics easily evoke emotions in people. Whether it is joy, laughter, sadness or sadness, these stories in pictures hurt the living. It is because of this impact that creating comics can be an interesting experience for everyone. Comics are a leverage on people's feelings. And if you have an idea, creating a comic is not so difficult.
Comics: meaning of the word
There are many definitions of the word. Most of them come down to the fact that comics are a story told in pictures. Let us turn to their origin. The word "comics" is a borrowing from English. Comic means funny, funny. Thus, before, these were just entertaining pictures. But now, comics are a genre of literature. It created many works that have already become classics.
But in general, the comics, the definition of which we are considering, contain a combination of two types of art: fine and literature. They became very popular in the last century. Therefore, now finding interesting comics in Russian is no longer a problem.
Where to start creating story in pictures
You should always start with preparation. And the preparation in this case will be that you write down the main provisions of your story. After all, a comic is first of all a story about something, and it must have a beginning, middle and end, which must be thought out in advance.
So, prescribing the beginning, we must not forget about the background on which the plot will develop. It is the environment that will set the tone of the story, its pace, and sometimes determine the actions of the characters. After all, comics are stories that should be developed at all levels of storytelling.
Characters are the actors of your comic book, and they must be selected with special care. Their images must be integral, and their character and actions logical, because they are precisely the link between the narrator and the reader. It is the heroes that attract all attention, and the story of their life should develop sequentially and gradually. This point is especially important if you are counting on a long-playing narrative, and not on a five-minute tale.
The plot turns into a script
No matter how strange it may sound, the plot and script are two different things. And if the plot is just the arrangement of character relationships, determining the direction of the course of events, then the script is a detailed analysis of each piece of your story. Here will be all the replicas and all the actions that your heroes perform.
For example, consider an excerpt from the plot description: "There was a sunset. Lydia stood on the edge of the cliff, but her thoughts carried her far, far beyond this piece of land. After standing there for about 5 minutes, she turned and went back to the camp." So, at this moment, each of us imagined a picture of what was happening, but each of us did it his own way, using his imagination.
In the scenario, it should look clearer and more definite. Let's try to shift this passage of text to the scenario plan. Here's what we should get roughly:
- Frame 1. The sun sets, half hiding behind the edge of the sea.
- Frame 2. View of Lydia from the bottom of the cliff. Her gaze is fixed on the reader, as it were.
- Frame 3. View of Lydia from the back. Her thought bubble: "Yes, you will not wish to fly upside down from here to the enemy either."
- Frame 4. View of the outgoing Lydia in a half-turn. Thought bubble: "You should hurry. I’m probably all already waiting for me."
I hope that after this short example, the difference between the script and the plot is obvious to everyone.
What is a storyboard and what does it eat
So, a storyboard is an arrangement, the embodiment of our prescribed script on paper, in pictures. It is in the storyboard that we schematically draw our "frame 1", "frame 2" and so on. Usually this procedure is referred to as animating techniques, but it also brings many benefits to comic draftsmen.
There are no pitfalls and special tricks available only to pros in storyboards, but there are a couple of little things that are better to remember. For example, it is worth making a set of angles, portraits, views as diverse as possible so that your reader’s eyes are not blurred or tired. The easiest way for any artist will be sketchy sketches, which are subsequently easier to assemble and replace, without wasting a lot of time and effort.
We distribute words and text bubbles
So, after we came up with the plot, prescribed the script and made the storyboards, we can start drawing! Many think so, but no matter how! Before the most interesting stage in the creation of our comic, there is still a lot of boring, even routine work associated with thinking through and placing the text in our picture.
In general, there is an unwritten rule for drawing comics, which states that it is not the text that fits into the bubble, but the bubble is drawn around the text. Therefore, a small life hack: since the bubbles usually take up a lot of space in the frame and often overlap part of the background, and sometimes some characters, by first depicting the bubbles, you can save yourself from unnecessary work without drawing in vain that all the same will not be visible!
Total drawing, or a nightmare of any artist
At this stage, it is already possible to release your remarkable talent into the wild and let it take a walk. Now is the time to get carried away with drawing so much that sleepless nights become a lifestyle, because right now you need to think through every detail, bringing it to aesthetic perfection!
And all these words are not an empty intimidation of beginners. Everything will be so until you fill your hand, until you get used to drawing your characters the first time, until they become like family to you. And then, when with each new drawing, a new page it will be easier and easier to draw, then this work will begin to bring you real pleasure!
Comics as a gift: you need to pack it well
By the arrangement of frames, the artist sets the dynamics of the narrative. So, large, vibrant shots attract attention, make the story dynamic. A similar composition is suitable for fast, decisive scenes of history. A large number of small frames, on the contrary, slows down the narrative; this technique can be used to convey the tension of the moment. More information about all these tricks can be found in the book by Scott McCloud, "Theory of comics." It contains a lot of information that will be interesting and useful to anyone working in this genre.
It is also worth considering the inherent elements that should be present in the design of the comic, but this is a boring and boring thing. The main thing to remember about the main points:
- The name of the comic and its logo.
- The name of the page, issue or chapter.
- The page, issue, or chapter number.
- Name or nickname of the author.
- Production year.
The final stage: a platform for publication
The drawings are finished, the dialogs are written, the frames are put together, and now this moment has come! It's time to choose your place under the sun on the main beach of free artists - on the Internet.
The choice of site should be taken with due seriousness, because this is the future home of your creation. And you need to maintain good relations with this resource house, because it is the door through which your work will be released. The main thing is to choose what will be right for you.
That's all, perhaps! But to consolidate and summarize all the information, we recall all the stages of creating a comic strip:
- Workspace preparation.
- Developing an idea, identifying the main conflict of characters.
- Prescribing the plot from beginning to end.
- Thinking over the characters to the smallest detail.
- Drawing of the main characters, their facial expressions and paraphernalia.
- Translation of the plot into the script.
- Storyboard.
- Place text in a storyboard, overlay effects.
- Drawing frames.
- The location of the frames in the page.
- Submission of the page (design).
- Putting the pages in a book.
Publish!
Get inspired by examples
Great examples in which you can trace everything described above are “Lady Bug and Super Cat” - comics with a rich, fascinating plot. Thanks to well-thought-out characters and a vibrantly written narrative universe, this story has gained great popularity around the world.
The find for the famous animators was the "The Simpsons" comics, in which famous heroes get an additional platform for the development of their history. These comics, unlike the previous ones, are drawn by world-class professionals, so a great picture, perfect humor and an interesting plot will not leave anyone indifferent. You need to learn from the best, go for it!