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Description
click to enlarge the tutorial goodness

So I got a couple requests on how I do my comics, color, placement, etc. So I thought I could show you a four part step on my most recent comic.

1.) Just sketch it all out! Don't try to be all exact with your lines (whether you are drawing on the computer or a drawing book). Waaay to many artists try to get their lines perfect at this stage...save the nit-pickery for stage two, this is just getting your ideas down to see if it works or not. I use Corel for this stage and use the "Pencil" tool set to a blue color (like a drafting pencil).

2.) This next part you can either do in Photoshop or Corel Painter. For me it depends on different factors such as the resolution I'm working at, what kind of lines I want, etc. If I want lines that will be wider or thinner depending on how hard I press on my tablet, I go with Photoshop and typically set my hard brush to a 5. If I want exact lines then I go with Corel Painter and use the "Pen" tool set to 3. And if you want you can go back and forth between the two programs seeing that Corel Painter rocks and will work off of a Photoshop file!

BTW: At this point you should have three layers; one that has your rough sketch, another that has your penned lines, and the 3rd should be for your color.

3.) After all the base color is in this is where I get my Oil painting on! (ok...that sounded cooler in my head) I choose a dark and a light color based off of the base color I'm going to be painting on. I typically start in with the dark and then add the light. Personally this tool is amazing and the blending is perfect. This is the most time consuming stage, so be patient!

4.) Nearly finished! Next you might want to take it into Photoshop (I just find using the box select tool for the borders, the filters, the layer effects, are all just really helpful for this final stage) to do all the finishing touches. This is where (if I haven't already ) add the dialog, the borders, and the background. Photoshop has some very easy and helpful tools to make this go quickly!

Ok, well there it is...this is how I pretty much make my comics! I have left the DOWNLOAD option open if you need to see it in a bigger format. If you have any specfic questions feel free to ask my friends...Have a fun time creating!

*Link to finished comic==> Run Vader Run

Description
click to enlarge the tutorial goodness

So I got a couple requests on how I do my comics, color, placement, etc. So I thought I could show you a four part step on my most recent comic.

1.) Just sketch it all out! Don't try to be all exact with your lines (whether you are drawing on the computer or a drawing book). Waaay to many artists try to get their lines perfect at this stage...save the nit-pickery for stage two, this is just getting your ideas down to see if it works or not. I use Corel for this stage and use the "Pencil" tool set to a blue color (like a drafting pencil).

2.) This next part you can either do in Photoshop or Corel Painter. For me it depends on different factors such as the resolution I'm working at, what kind of lines I want, etc. If I want lines that will be wider or thinner depending on how hard I press on my tablet, I go with Photoshop and typically set my hard brush to a 5. If I want exact lines then I go with Corel Painter and use the "Pen" tool set to 3. And if you want you can go back and forth between the two programs seeing that Corel Painter rocks and will work off of a Photoshop file!

BTW: At this point you should have three layers; one that has your rough sketch, another that has your penned lines, and the 3rd should be for your color.

3.) After all the base color is in this is where I get my Oil painting on! (ok...that sounded cooler in my head) I choose a dark and a light color based off of the base color I'm going to be painting on. I typically start in with the dark and then add the light. Personally this tool is amazing and the blending is perfect. This is the most time consuming stage, so be patient!

4.) Nearly finished! Next you might want to take it into Photoshop (I just find using the box select tool for the borders, the filters, the layer effects, are all just really helpful for this final stage) to do all the finishing touches. This is where (if I haven't already ) add the dialog, the borders, and the background. Photoshop has some very easy and helpful tools to make this go quickly!

Ok, well there it is...this is how I pretty much make my comics! I have left the DOWNLOAD option open if you need to see it in a bigger format. If you have any specfic questions feel free to ask my friends...Have a fun time creating!

*Link to finished comic==> Run Vader Run