Identify the relationship and feelings between characters in the scene. This will dictate how the characters treats each other. It’ll also create dialogue and set the tone. Tweaking your dialogue and narrative text to make it concise and to the point. Too much dialogue and text can distract or overwhelm the reader. Your sketched images should centralize around some kind of action or interaction. You’ll write the text of the comic around these major events in the form of narration and dialogue. [1] X Research source
If your single, one-off comic ends up deeper or more interesting than you first imagined, you can always develop it into a longer comic.
Do some rough practice sketches to the flow of your chosen style, such as manga, noir, cartoon, western, or basic. Draw thumbnails to determine the most effective layout of your panels. Start by drawing a rectangle to indicate one page, then divide that up into smaller squares and rectangles. Your simple comic should only be a page or two long. [2] X Research source [3] X Research source
Give your character a specific style or costume. Don’t worry too much about expressions just yet, as those will change with your character’s moods. Develop the narrative of the character. Write their name, job, physical details, and notes on personal history. [4] X Research source [5] X Research source
Use shading to loosely define the depth and perspective of your setting. These can be composed of filled-in shapes or crosshatching. Use organic, connected strokes to create natural shapes, like trees or shrubs; you can also use it for aliens and monsters. The shapes are usually more smooth and fluid. [6] X Research source
Choose the major plot points for your simple comic. You can refer to them throughout the comic, or save them for the surprise reveal at the end. Consider how the plot will affect the characters. They might support the driving force of your story, or they might resist it. This is where your story begins taking shape. Write down key words and phrases that are central to your comic’s idea. You could pull these ideas from phrases you’ve heard before that stand out to you. [7] X Research source
Make the more important panels larger, and the less important panels smaller. For example, the punchline could take up the bottom half of a page, while the other panels could take up the top half. For beginners, you might want to start with the classic four panel approach. Simply divide your paper into four quarters, creating four scenes for each page. Use thick lines when sectioning off the panels of your pages. You don’t want these lines to be confused for the sketch work you add when you put character-shapes and background images in your panels. You can use different shapes or outlines to convey emotion or sensation in your panel. For example, a character getting shocked might have his panel bordered with a zig-zag line. [8] X Research source [9] X Research source
Remember to draw important tools or features that are part of the setting. For example, instead of suddenly drawing King Arthur holding his sword, draw the sword in the stone in the background of the previous panel. Include local features to set the tone. For example, if your comic takes place on an alien planet, you might draw three moons in the night sky to give the reader that impression. Use layers to give the impression of distance. You want to have a background, middle ground, and foreground. [10] X Research source
Your characters might interact with each other directly, or they might set off a chain of events that influence each other. The distribution of the characters in your panels will depend upon the plot you have decided and how the characters taking part in the action. Remember to refer to your character sheet when drawing to understand how their bodies and costumes may interact with the environment. [11] X Research source
If you can’t convey something through dialogue, put it into narrative text. For example, you could write “Jack Smith had a chip on his shoulder all his life. And now it’s time to settle that score. ” above the image of Jack saying “I’ll show them all!” Keep distance in mind. Make the speech bubbles for the characters who are closer bigger, and the bubbles for the more distant characters smaller. Trim your text down to the bare necessities. Limit the space allowed for the text of each panel to a third. [12] X Research source
If you really like the idea you’ve been developing, you could write “To be continued” and turn your comic into a series.
Clean up your linework Ink your drawings Colorize your panels Add it to your portfolio or get it published
