Behind the scenes
by Jonnie Allan
(pg 2)

...Worksapce is a key. Make sure you have ample light and a compfortable chair. You're going to be here awhile. I also have plenty of reference material within reach. Surrounding yourself with inspiration (toys) doesn't hurt either.

The first thing I do after reviewing the script is to create a thumbnail or two of the page to be drawn. A thumbnail is a small sketch just a couple of inches in size. This gives me a general idea of how the page is going to be laid out keeping in mind eye flow and design. Quite often the first thumbnail I do ends up becoming the finished page (Or close to it.). I know of many artists who will “thumbnail” the entire issue before they start. I prefer to lay them out just before I begin the actual page. Comics are very fluid as they develop and so am I.

The next step is to prepare the page for pencilling. Since this is a single page, the dimensions for the art-board are 11”X17”. Although there are many good pre-lined boards out there, which I have used on several occasions, most of the time I prefer to use Strathmore brand Bristol Board and rule the paper myself. Unfortunately this type of does not come in tabloid size (11”x17”) so you will have to use a paprer trimmer to cut it down to the appropriate size..

The page is taped to the drawing board using a T-square to ensure proper alignment. I then rule off the boarders of the page as well as a general idea for the panels.

On this particular page, I began laying out the page using a non-photo eraseable blue pencil by Faber-Castille. This allows me to lay out general shapes and structures quickly without the risk of smearing. Plus, the blue lines do not show up on the scan cutting down on the “cleanup” phase of the artwork.

A word of caution: Some non-photo blue pencils prevent ink from adhering to the page creating additional work after the “cleanup” phase.

After this, I begin pencilling using a regular drawing pencil (2H) to layout the actual drawing. I tend to use mechanical drafting pencils for really fine detail due to the ability to achieve such a fine point. For erasing, I use a combination of Kneaded erasers, plastic erasers, and the time saving electric eraser (Be sure and use an eraser shield while using this to prevent disturbing the fine detail.).

For straight lines and various shapes I use a variety of rulers, triangles, T-Square and elipse-guides.

Sometimes a light-box will come in handy for various reasons.

While drawing your page, be sure to “draw through” your panel lines. What do I mean by “draw through?” Say you have a character that is obscured by panel borders or objects in the panel. Instead of attempting to draw just the portion showing, draw most, if not all, of the character to ensure proper proportions. This way you don’t end up with freakish anatomy. Unless of course you character has freakish anatomy. In that case, you’re on your own. Just kidding, the same suggestion applies.

It might come in handy to tape additional sheets of paper along the edges of the actual comic board. More than likely you will already have these in place if you plan on having any perspective shots in your panels (A topic that fills entire books.).

On average, a page will take me from 8-10 hours to complete. Some pages come off the table a lot quicker than others. Some pages, sad to say, take a little longer. It is a very frustrating time when you are using more eraser than graphite. I believe the expression goes something like, “AARRRRRGGGHH!”

One question I seem to be asked a lot is, “What do you find the most difficult to draw?” The typical response is, the other eye. If you do not know what I mean, just try drawing 2 eyes on a human (or non-human) face that match on the first attempt. See what I mean?

But how about the page we are reviewing? What was the most difficult, or gave me the most trouble, for this particular page? One would think the predominant figure of theJolly Roger with all of his detail. Unfortunately, one would be wrong. Believe it or not, the most troubling was the rendition of STYKMAN’s boot from behind in the lower right hand panel. Getting the proportion and angle right drove me crazy! I think that simple looking thing took more time than the entire layout. Sheesh!

After the penciled page is completed, it’s off to the inker. Since, in this case, that’s me, it’s time to get back to work.

A word of caution: When inking your own work, it’s very easy to cut corners during the penciling phase knowing you can fix it later. I personally have found this not only takes longer to complete the page, it also takes away from the finished work. As you can see by the page below, the pencils are very “tight” and clean- just as if I were handing this drawing over to someone else to finish.

Books I recomend for Pencilling
available @ amazon.com

Next step... INKING!