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work to live

On Creating Comics...

When I was inbetween jobs in the summer of 2002, I created the first 25 Suburban Tribe strips and submitted them to Newpaper Syndicates, all 5 of whom rejected it in record time. I wanted to try my hand at a comic strip again but I did not believe that Suburban Tribe as a concept was flawed and therefore did not want to abandon the characters and storylines I had created. Newspaper comics are about as funny as rectal surgery, and I thought Suburban Tribe was original, funny and suitable for newspaper publication despite the lack of talking animals and a white family with 2.5 children.

About this time, I heard a great deal about the rise of comics on the web. These comics were supposed to be fresh, original, bold, insightful and act as a voice for intelligent, independent authors and illustrators who could say and publish whatever they wished without the editorial influence of a corporation or other publishing institution.

Imagine my disbelief when I went looking for these comics only to find oceans of webpages featuring comics with unreadable scripts, incomprehensible graphic storytelling and art that was crude to the point of looking unfinished. After days (yes, DAYS) of searching, I finally found a select few webcomics whose authors had a clue about their craft. I felt that I could contribute something to online comics, and started publishing Suburban Tribe on the web in January of 2003.

I recieve a lot of eMail from aspiring cartoonists about the hows and whys of creating Comics in general and Suburban Tribe in particular. This page should answer many of your questions, and I will add to its content in the future. Let me warn you right now: This page offers instruction in creating comics, but it is also a bit of a rant. I encourage you to eMail me or post in the forums if you have a question or differing opinion about something I write here.

The Old Bastard's Manifesto
This comics creation mission statement was written by Warren Ellis and posted online some time ago. I am republishing it here because I believe in it. It does contain harsh language, so be forewarned.

• 1. Creating the Concept for a Comic
  2. Writing
  3. Drawing
  4. Coloring and Lettering
  5. Publishing
  6. A Word About Publishing Comics Online...

1. Creating the Concept for a Comic

Here are some things I would consider when creating a comic.

The lion's share of the subject matter of most comics on the web seems (to me) confined to three topics. Unless you have an exciting, or incredibly dazzling perspective about one of these three topics, avoid them. We don't need any more comics like these:

1) Comics about 2 or 3 guys who talk about Video Games - In my opinion, the only thing more boring than watching someone play a video game is reading a comic about someone else playing a video game.
2) Comics about movies and other comics - Do I need to explain how inbred this concept is? Didn't think so.
3) Biographical/"Journal"comics - mostly about 20-30 year-old males who play video games, take naps, and obsess about their insecurities as well as girlfriends they can't seem to obtain or retain. But maybe they wouldn't have that problem if they weren't taking so many naps or playing so many video games.

The problem with numbers 1 and 2 is that you are relying on someone else's product to build your ideas, and therefore, your comics upon. You may not be ripping them off, but at the very least you are still taking years of someone else's hard work and using it to drive a 3-4 panel strip to a punchline that says "This game/game company/movie RAWKS!" or "This game/game company/movie SUX!" Enough already. If you want to see how a video game/pop culture comic should be done, go read PVP, Penny Arcade, and Extralife. I'm not going to tell you what makes these strips different-- you need to figure that out for yourself.

The problem with number 3 is that too many people are documenting their lives when they don't have one to document. There are some poignant, beautiful comics about life in America and other countries. These strips about how " the world sucks when you're 25 and you can't find a girl/guy or a job, so you just sleep all day and play PS2" aren't them! Journal/Bio comics must have an author who leads a life and has something to say about that life. Go rent or buy the movie American Splendor, then go buy one of the American Splendor collected trade paperbacks. Read the whole thing. Read between the lines, between the panels, and ask yourself "What is Harvey Pekar trying to say about his life?" until you find the answer. If at any point, you think "American Splendor sucks", do us all a favor and don't create a Journal/Bio comic. Also worth reading: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

Whatever you decide your comic is to be about, make sure that it is about PEOPLE. So many creators make fantasy comics and try to recapture what George Lucas and J.R.R. Tolkein have done, only to end up with a confusing, hideous mess of a background setting and no story. The original Star Wars Trilogy is not about what materials a Jedi uses to build a lightsaber or how the Empire trains and domesticates Dewbacks; it is about Han, Luke and Leia. Be as fanciful or as down to earth with your concept as you like, but make sure at the end of the day it deals with the characters and their internal/external obstacles. If you focus on that, the world of the characters will fill in around them.

One final word about creating a concept. The most common and invalid "criticism" I receive about Suburban Tribe is the accusation that it is a rip-off of Friends/Seinfeld/PVP/You-name-it. If you hold this opinion, I have a hot news flash for you: There Are No Original Ideas. People have been telling stories since they could speak, and the human race ran out of unique story concepts thousands of years ago. What makes a story or movie or comic original is your unique perception of an incident or situation that everyone is familiar with. The comics that I have seen fail in the worst way were the ones that went so far out of their way to create an "original" concept that they were completely unreadable.

 

2. Writing

"I took a 'History of Film' class once and the professor started out by saying that he didn't want to hear that we didn't like any of the movies he was going to show. 'These movies are all great,' he said. 'If you don't like them, you are wrong. Quite frankly, if you think that the "Mona Lisa" is a bad painting, it says more about you than it does about Da Vinci's skill as a painter.' "

-Anonymous

Writing your strip is the most important part of the creative process. A comic with good writing and bad art will go ten times as far as a comic with bad writing and good art. Writing is about ideas and without a good idea, you don't have a good comic.

Let me tell you straight up: I don't know a damn thing about writing. All I can tell you is how I write Suburban Tribe and list the Reference Books I turn to when I need guidance. If this section doesn't help you enough and you are still interested in writing, I highly recommend that you enroll in a Creative Writing course at your local Community College or University. Formal instruction from a good and experienced teacher can not fail to benefit someone who wants to learn.

 

The Writing Process

When I begin a story arc, I start by creating a simple outline with pencil and paper that consists of a list of numbered sentences. One sentence in the outline represents one strip. When I have the outline finished, I type it up in Microsoft Word and print it out. The outline stays tacked up next to my computer monitor for reference until the story arc is done.

I then write out scripts for each number in the outline in Adobe Illustrator. By writing dialogue in empty panel boxes in Illustrator, I know when I'm writing too much dialogue. Which brings me to an impotant point: Use the art to tell as much of the story as possible. Exposition of a story through dialogue should be avoided at all costs! Don't fall in love with the false notion that people will read whatever you write. An overabundance of dialogue is oppressive in a comic. Remember: "Brevity is the soul of wit."

The most important thing I can emphasize about writing is that you must be a brutal editor. Do not be afraid to scratch an idea that doesn't work. You don't need to transcribe every notion and word that pops into your head. If you have to axe an idea that you were really fond of, write it down or record it and save it for another story or strip. And don't forget to run a Spell Check every time you finish a script.

 

Writing Tools

Paper and Pencil - The best thing about writing is that it can be done anywhere at anytime if you have these two simple items with you. I have access to either a small sketch pad and pencil at all times. Ideas can come to you at any time and you never know when you are going to overhear a comment that will give you an idea for a punchline or a whole story arc. I also keep pencil and paper by the bed; I'll think of many ideas while falling asleep.

Microsoft Word (or some other kind of word processing program) - Always type your plot outlines and scripts into Word for archiving and reference. It's also handy for running a spell and grammar check before committing your writing to word balloons.

Small Personal Tape Recorder (OPTIONAL) - Many writers use this in favor of the Paper and Pencil mentioned above. Whether you do so is entirely up to you. I prefer the Paper and Pencil because it's cheaper and it also allows me to sketch visual ideas, which the tape recorder does not do.

 

Writing Reference

Story by Robert McKee - Brian Michael Bendis lauds this book openly on his own website and his forums, and it's easy to understand why. McKee has written a rich and in-depth book about the hows, whys and wherefores of creating stories and characters that are unique and expressive without resorting to cliches.

On Writing by Stephen King - There are countless books about the craft of writing, but this is generally thought to be one of the best and most inspiring. It is quite a fast and entertaining read, even if you are no fan of King or have no interest in becoming a writer.

Total Sell Out by Brian Michael Bendis - This collection of single strips and short stories illustrates just how much raw material is all around to inspire you. Bendis fills this book with short strips about biographical anecdotes, brief tales of crime fiction, social commentary and satire as well as documented interviews with people off the street who have a story to tell. All of which show that if you ever need an idea... go outside and talk to people!

 

3. Drawing

A Student from the School of Visual Arts(SVA) art college in NYC speaks about his cirriculum and the current state of flux that comics are in.
This was posted on the Penny Arcade forums some time ago, but I saved it to repost here. I love super heroes as much as anyone else, but this author's professors may help save comics from themselves.

The ability to draw is highly coveted among comic fans, but it is only attainable through some small amount of inborn talent (or predesposition, if you will) combined with hours upon countless hours of practice. If you were to read the entire comics section of your daily newspaper, you might conclude that drawing ability is an optional element of a successful comic strip. But I can promise you that if a comic is well-drawn it will attract and retain readers much more easily than one that is not. You will also find your work more satisfying if you can see your drawing skills grow richer along with your comics.

Despite drawing since I could hold a crayon, I cannot teach you how to draw from this webpage. If you are serious about learning this skill, I can only tell you to find a good teacher at a local art class and do everything he tells you. Drawing is something is best learned by drawing FROM LIFE under the eye of a knowledgeable instructor. For a more in-depth Drawing and Art "Primer", read this excellent instructional post I duplicated from the Eatpoo.com forums. (Opens in a new window.)

 

The Drawing Process

With a script for a single strip in front of me, I simply draw the strip with a mechanical pencil as "loose" and as fast as I can. I always listen intently to upbeat classical or jazz music while I draw. By focusing on the musical notes and lyrics, my brain is kept from worrying about getting caught up on a particular detail or character pose that I may be uptight about rendering.

When the pencils are finished, usually in about an hour, I ink the strip using Pigma Mircron pens and brushes. After allowing about 30 seconds for the ink to dry, I erase all the pencil marks with a kneaded eraser. The strip is then scanned into Photoshop and prepped for grayscale coloring and lettering.

Note that there are no digital tools or software involved in my drawing process. I think that it is best to learn and practice drawing using traditional materials. It makes your finished art unique, valuable and interesting.

 

Drawing Tools

9" x 12" Bristol Board - Available at any art store, Bristol Board is preferable to paper because it holds ink well and will archive better than most papers. It is the defacto medium of choice for cartoonsts everywhere.

Mechanical Pencil - I use a mechanical pencil with a medium-sized soft lead. I prefer these over wood pencils because the lead stays sharp and I don't have to stop drawing to sharpen a shrinking wooden pencil every five minutes.

Pigma Micron Pens - Specifically, a number 02, 05 and 08 point-size pens, along with a Pigma Micron Brush tip. The main reason I use these pens is the deadline constraint. If you have the time and inclination, I highly recommend that you learn to use a sable brush and crowquill with a pot of India ink. It's a little more trouble, but the results are worth it.

Kneaded Eraser - This is an eraser that can be molded and shaped like Play-Doh. The cool thing about it is that it erases pencil marks without leaving eraser shavings all over your desk and floor.

T-Square, Triangle and Cork-Backed Steel Ruler - These are required to rule your pages and draw straight lines. They are indispensible.

 

Drawing Reference

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - This book is nearly 25 years old and has sold more than 2,500,000 copies. Dr. Edwards has written a book that teaches people how to see -- which is what drawing is all about -- and transcribe what they see on to paper. This book has taken many people who previously had no drawing skill and turned them into professional artists. I always keep an edition of this book handy and refer to it when I have to draw subject matter that I am unfamiliar with - such as cars, for example.

Comics and Sequential Art by Wil Eisner - If you are a young comics fan, please do not make the mistake of dismissing this book out of hand once you look at it. Wil Eisner has been creating comics for more than 70 years, and in this book he talks about how to tell a story in pictures. It is not an instructional volume on how to draw, but it is indespinsible for learning the techniques of Comic book storytelling.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud - This is basically a giant comic book that is about comic books. McCloud dissects exactly how comics are structred and created, thereby showing the reader how the brain reads and interprets visual art and the written word and combines them to create a story. A must-have book for any comics fan or enthusiast.

The Art of Comic Book Inking by Gary Martin - You know that scene in the beginning of the Kevin Smith movie "Chasing Amy?" The scene where Jason Lee's character gets into an argument with a convention-goer about whether or not an inker is a "tracer?" If you think inking is just tracing, this book is for you. One afternoon with this book will give you the proper respect for the masters of this tedious, under-appreciated craft- like it did for me.

 

4. Coloring and Lettering

Coloring and Lettering are the final steps in completing your comic. Due to time constraints, Suburban Tribe is "colored" in black, white and grays. The first time I applied color to a strip, I had no idea what I was doing. It looked like a dog ate a bunch of Colorforms and barfed them back up. The second color strip came out better.

Coloring and Lettering the strip is an electrionic process. I use Adobe Photoshop to apply grays and get the strip web-ready, and I use Adobe Illustrator to letter it. If I color a strip or another piece of artwork, I use Corel Painter. If you are unfamiliar with these programs and want to use them to help create your work, there are literally hundreds of books at your local bookstore that will teach you how to use them.

I don't have a whole lot to say about these two subjects. I'm still learning how to use color, and since I don't use it that often, I can't really instruct you about it. Since lettering is done entirely on computers, it is almost as technical a subject as it is artistic. Refer to one of the books I list below or ask an Art Teacher if you need more guidance in these areas.

 

The Coloring & Lettering Process

Taking the inked strip, I scan into Adobe Photoshop at 300dpi in Grayscale mode. Even though the strip will be published online at 72dpi, I like to work with a print-resolution version because it makes retouching easier and I won't have to rescan it when I publish the strip on paper.

Once the strip is scanned into Photoshop, I add a new layer in Multiply mode and use the Paint Bucket tool to dump blacks and grays into open areas. When that is done, I save the file and then shrink it down to a screen-resolution size (72dpi) document and save that as a separate TIFF file. I then open the 72dpi file in Illustrator and place dialogue on a separate layer, then draw word balloons on a layer underneath the dialogue. Once this is done, the strip is ready to publish. I take the Illustrator file back to Photoshop where I convert it to a GIF and then upload it to the database.

If you are unfamiliar with Photoshop and Illustrator, I realize that those last two paragraphs may seem like Latin to you. Even if you are familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator, I realize that I did not go into the details or specifics. It would take me forever to detail what specific tools to use and how. For in-depth step-by-step tutorials on Lettering with Adobe Illustrator and Coloring with Adobe Photoshop, follow this link to Comicraft.com's excellent Tips page.

 

Coloring & Lettering Tools

Adobe Photoshop - This piece of software is the industry's foremost graphic arts tool. Not just for creating comics by any means, if you want to make a living in the commercial and graphic arts, you need this program.

Adobe Illustrator - Photoshop's much overlooked stepsister, Illustrator is an object-based drawing prorgram. Many graphic design students make the mistake of assuming that knowledge of Photoshop is all they need for an art career. But I promise that if you can learn Illustrator and make it sing, you will have a leg up on half the digital artists and designers out there.

Corel Painter - Many artists use Photoshop to color their line art. Painter, however, is a program that allows you create art with the look and feel of real-world media. Imagine if your comic looked as if it were painted with watercolors... or oil paints... or even pastel chalks. It is strictly a matter of preference between coloring with Painter and coloring with Photoshop. But I prefer Painter.

Blambot.com Fonts - Independent comics artist and letterer Nate Piekos provides a cheap and free selection of comic book fonts for web and small-press cartoonists. May God bless him and keep him, because if it were not for Nate, we would all be lettering with Microsoft Comic Sans. Be sure to check out his "Creating Comics" section as well.

 

Coloring & Lettering Reference

Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way by Richard Starkings & John Roshell
- Written by the founder of ComicCraft, this book will teach you the art of lettering as well as give you in-depth instruction on the technical knowledge of Adobe Illustrator that is required. As far as I know, you can only order it from the link above.

Digital Character Design and Painting by Don Seegmiller - This excellent book teaches you not only how to design a unique character, it also shows you how to paint and color using Corel Painter. Note that it does not teach you how to use Corel Painter! Seegmiller instead concentrates on showing you how to apply real-world painting techniques using digital media. One of my favorite books.

 

5. Publishing

If you are unfamiliar with HTML and web prgrammig/scripting languages, the quickest and easiest way to get your comics online would be Blogger. Blogger will give you a variety of professional-looking templates and will also provide you with a dated archive, as well as a custom URL, all for free. As for where to host your actual image files, I highly recommend opening a minimal hosting account with GoDaddy.com for less than $5 per month.

The archives for Suburban Tribe are programmed using Active Server Pages (.asp) technology. It allows me to create a strip, upload it into a database, assign it a publishing date, and archive itself automatically when the "live" date passes.

Unfortunately, I can't offer you any instruction in this. The archiving technology was programmed by a friend of mine who owed me a favor or two. My web programming knowledge stops with graphics, HTML and some Javascript. If you are not inclined to learn ASP and write the code yourself (and I would not blame you in the least), I'd suggest that you go looking for a friend (or advertise for a computer major on the web or local college campus) who can help you out and do some work-exchange. (You do some art or design for him in exchange for him writing your code.) He will also be able to show your site as an example of his programming skills to future employers.

 

6. A Word About Publishing Comics Online...

Laziness is a huge problem in the comics industry. Not just web comics, but all comics.

I'm not sure why that is. I meet the daily deadline for Suburban Tribe because I want to be as professional as I can about this, even if I am not being paid for it. Why? Because I want to be paid for creating comics someday. How is it that so many print comic professionals have so much trouble meeting deadlines? I wish I knew. Lord knows that if my paycheck depended on drawing and writing editorially assigned comics work, I would be thrilled to meet the deadline.

If you want your web comics to take you somewhere, either online or in print, the best thing you can do is meet the deadline. Whatever your announced publishing schedule is, stick to it. If you say you publish your comics on Thursdays, then by God, publish your comics on Thursdays.

I have a full-time job and I publish Suburban Tribe 3 days a week. How do I do it and still have time for family, friends and downtime?

I don't sleep more than 7 hours a day. I watch about 3 hours of TV a week. I don't play video games. I don't surf the web without knowing where I'm going and what I'm looking for. I don't hang out on Web Forums telling everybody that I've got a great comic and I'm gonna be huge someday. I don't post blogs instead of comic strips telling people why they haven't seen a new comic for 10 days. Drawing and writing Suburban Tribe is 100 times more fulfilling than all that stuff.

See you all in the funny papers.

 

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