Behind The Scenes (Rough Sketch to Finished Page)
I
don’t know about you, but I am always fascinated with the “Behind
the scenes” or “inside look” information provided by
creators; be it for movies, toys, model making, or comics. Whenever
creators provide for you an insight into their creative process, in my
opinion, their imaginary world takes on a whole new meaning. I love
seeing all the steps necessary to bring their creation to life.
For many years, creators were reluctant to reveal their techniques regarding them as trade secrets. My feelings, the more people who know how to produce the work, the more work gets produced. The more work produced, the bigger the industry. The bigger the industry, the better we all do. Everybody wins. Competition is the backbone of a capitalist society. Besides, it’s well known the most successful people are more than willing to share their creative genius in hopes to influence the next generation. How do you think I learned? I learned from those who do.
Therefore, I felt it only appropriate to take you step by step through the process of creating a single page for The Miscellaneous Adventures of STYKMAN™.
Future additions of this column will include the steps of taking the entire comic to press. A process I can assure you is not for the weak stomached.
In the meantime, let’s focus on what it takes to create a single page.
For the record, each creator has his or her own steps they take to achieve the same goal. This is by no means the definitive procedure for producing a page of a comic book. In fact, I’m sure some of you might have a much more streamlined process. This is simply the way I produce my work.
At the end of each section I will provide a list of books that are fantastic reference material. If you have the means, I recommend making a small investment in them (Some you should be able to find at your local library.)
That said, let’s dive in, shall we?
Many people are unaware of just how many people there are involved in the production of any one comic. Quite often the job calls for:
Writer (i.e. words to paper)
Penciler (i.e. pencil to paper)
Inker (i.e. pen/brush to paper)
Colorist (i.e. scanned paper)
Letterer (i.e. readable paper)
Editor (i.e. approved paper)
(This list by no means includes everyone. We cannot forget: The printers and their staff, the marketing and Ad people and their staff, the ever so understanding and supportive spouses and families of each, and of course… the fans.)
As you can see, there are quite a few hats to be worn. To answer your question, yes I am wearing all of them on this project. And no, I am not crazy (Unless of course you ask my wife.)!
So let's dive in, shall we? Let's face it, you cannot have a comic without a story. You cannot have a story without a writer. Simple logic. However the writer tend to take a backseat to the penciler. But without the script to follow, the penciler wouldn't know what to out in panel 1, page 1. So let's talk about...
For Information on The Tools, Tips & Techniques
I recomend the follow books.
