For characters even your grandmother will love you can’t go wrong with kids and dogs.

If
somebody told me half of all comic strips ever made featured kids | wouldn't be surprised
But you have to smile when you stop to think about it. Grown men and women are paid
to remember their childhood and laugh. It's the opposite of psychoanalysis. There's a lesson
in there for us somewhere.

| find that drawing strips about kids always puts me in a good mood. It lifts my spirit to let
my mind flip to a simpler filter focused on a smaller world. Try it sometime

2 THAT been at?

&|
w
i

but ugly dogs are even funnier

MoRRIS HAP To
Face THE TATH .,.
HE WAS NEVER GOINGTo
BE A SYNDICATED CARTOON DOG,

Or take a road less, traveled, like a polar bear in the arctic. Lots going on up there.
FL HAD ACAR 10 BE Wi HELLO...HE? JOE |[ ENSIGN ,| DO BELIEVE
A FRIENDLY DRIVER SUZ7,.H, JENNIFER ||THAT BEAR IS MAKING
I'D WAVE HELLO TO ALL [2] ANISTON, NICE To SEE RUDE GESTURES AT GONE BERSERK! GO To,
THE PEOPLE | PASSED. YOU, SWEETHEART. THE U.S.NAVY! OPERATION" SCREW YOU!

FIRE IN
WE Hove!
If your tastes run toward the macabre, consider finding the humor in some of history's
rich characters. | always thought the 19th century double axe-murders of Lizzie Borden's
parents was too gruesome for humor (she stood trial and was acquitted). Then | realized it
might just be a delightful twist on the family sitcom. Fun for the whole family.
YOUR PAAND 1 GO OUTSIDE AND FIND
INE
ALONEAN AXE
ben HME. WITH SOMETHING To Do!
You'Re CREEPIN'US ovTl

LIZZIE.,. DON'T You ‘You WERE THE | REMEMBER

REMEMBER ME 2/ }° FLOWER GIRL A BRIDE AT
> S| [|AT MY? WEDDING? MY FLOWER
CEREMONY,
BUT SHE WAS.
MUCH THINNER,

WAAT DID 1 TELL

“fov BBOUT.
KNOCKING FIRST?!

Honestly, though, all that is tame compared to growing old together Remember Jules and
Frieda, the cranky old couple in bed... with the air horn? If you think living with an axe mur
derer is funny, then you'll love old folks in therapy.
90, JULES... FRIEDA.. SHE HAS ALoT \Mouadt
TELL ME, WAAT OF PROBLEMS.
SEEMS TO BE IM PERFECT, \ou'p GROW
THE TROUBLE ? OUT OF IT?

99
To me, cartooning and drawing funny pictures means satirizing the truth. You build a con-
cept and a visual from the truth and create your own version. |compare it to hearing the
words of a song incorrectly. Later you learn what the words really are but you prefer your
own version. So it is with the cartoonist and his world view.
ARCHIE PUT OUR OW GYLV)
Hoste Down | EADS a
ANIMAL/

Your point of view is the most power

ful tool you have. It influences everything
in your life. A lot of people can draw.
What distinguishes one from the other is
the style and point of view each person
brings to the drawing. In the end that's
what you're offering the world.

OKAY.,, BEAUTIFUL
DAY... IF YOU'RE
INTO THAT CRAP.
Sometim: es your point of view is just
looking at the other people in line.

IM FEELING VERO
SUSPICIOUS TODAY. FR, |AHAY
KIXIE.LA

Now You 1™ UST

BREAK DOWN) GONNA GET
WITH QUILT.
Above is Lizzie, forced to take a break
from social media she finds herself out- NG
side. OUT! SIDE! omg. ey

To our right, sometimes the funniest

point ofview is suspicion. Especially sus-
picion combined with the evil eye.

100

Read more FREE co

The funny thing about a point of view is even though we're looking out at the world, we're
looking for ourselves. That isn't really going to work out so the search is endless. This is great
for cartoonists. Write and draw the people around you and you will never run out ofideas.

Caesar Augustus said that our life is before us and that is why our faces are on the front;
not on the back or side. Silly Roman logic. But it’s good advice for cartoonists today. Look
forward with your work, Pay attention and draw what you see, or what you think you see,
or what you wish you could see. There's more material than you can get to in a lifetime.
And, obviously, the more you draw the better you will get. Truth is, the only way to get bet-
ter with your art is to draw your way there.

Haan Mee
aial a
Agi meme
Ne MeNe ME
Ne Yon You. Yoo ou eee ese OTHERS
STNERS, OTMERS omen
You. You. You. You. “
a Nou You. You.
(eo NG

CRIME, PAIN, L035,

LeaneRemP, Poumics,
RELIGION HumaNITY,
Farr, LOVE HOPE,
G * fi
i
Sus? 5.
4

VIEIMEIME! ME!
MEIME/ MEME!
Me! Me! Mele?
AL Mele Ime Ne7
1G 7 i

The sequence above is in the style ofJules Feiffer who defined the smart school of car
tooning in the 1950's and ‘60's. Another cartoonist in that style was Shel Silverstein. | think
they were spawned by the intellectual beatnik movement of the ‘50's and made a career
out of being wise observers of society, one subject at a time. In your research of the funny
men in cartooning you must check out these two giants in the field.

There is so much more |want to tell you but let me

just say that drawing funny pictures and stories is a
fantastic way to spend your days. Few endeavors
are more rewarding than finishing the day with a
delightful page of art that didn't exist that morn-
ing. Like flowers, cartoons brighten up your day
and make life more enjoyable. (If you're not really a
flower person, replace the word “flower” with your
word of choice like Porsche, or hot sauce, or base-
ball games or clean underwear) The moment God decided He needed
to find a proper mate for Adam.

101
They say that people who laugh a lot live longer If that's the case, the fellow above is going
to live to a ripe old age. When times are rough people need to laugh now and then and
cartoons are one ofthe places they will turn. When times are easy everybody's in a good
mood and cartoons are part of the party. Either way, if you're a cartoonist drawing funny
pictures, you're welcome any time, anywhere.

| hope the things I’ve shared in this chapter will help you get past the wall, or any mental
obstacles, that may be keeping you from your best work. Now go, draw something funny.
We need the laugh.

102
 HOW TO DRAW BODY LANGUAGE

“MATS A NASTY
SLICE You GoT
THERE pee

Tah

Body language and the spoken word are two different streams of information
coming from the same person. Body language is the subtext we look for in
every conversation. Sometimes the two languages are in sync, sometimes they
are not. Body language often says what words alone cannot express. A simple
statement such as, "Nasty slice you got there, Roy.’ takes on a special irony
when the man saying it is casually looking down at a felled victim of Roy's er
rant golf swing. Note that no one is more surprised than Roy that the 400 yard
drive he just hit with all his might sliced 90 degrees off the tee and knocked out
the man standing three feet in front of him. Roy is frozen, wishing it wasn't so.
How do we know the victim is out like a light? His feet. Notice how | started
the drawing with his feet more upright? That looked too much like concious-
ness. When no one's home the body strings go lax and everything flops, hangs
and spreads. You know that. You may not have thought about it but you know
it when you see it and that's the secret of body language. Get it right in your
drawing and your message is clear to everyone. So let's take a look at some-
thing you already know as a human being but may need help with as an artist.

103
 The script reads,''She sat.”

But how did she sit? Was she upright or slumped?

Are they safe, dangerous, comfortable, inhibited?
How someone sits says a lot about who they
are and how they're doing. Just as the gait of
your walk is distinctive so is the way you sit and
why you sat down in the first place.

It's no surprise we humans have be-

come adept at reading the signals we
send each other with our stance and
posture; it's a subtext we rely on in
complicated situations when there is
more to the story than what is being
said, or is allowed to be said.

If She" is bored, in control, or despon-

dent, we will know the moment we see
her This is the power of visual story-
. telling. The artist only needs one good
drawing to say what a novelist might
need pages oftext to describe. So even
the simple act of sitting still says more
about the character than you might like
to tell.

104
If Jill says to Jack,“Idon't think we should see each other anymore,” you know Jack will be
attempting to see ‘Why’ in Jill's facial expressions and body language before the question
even leaves his lips. Jill'sreason can be anywhere in the range of "Because | love you too
much’to “Because | despise everything about you”. Not only are those two very different
dialogues, they also come with two very different body language sequences.

Drawing relationships requires that the artist pay attention to not just what people say to
each other but also how they act and behave. If the artist can capture these postures and
gestures accurately the drawings will reflect life as we all see it.Then art becomes truth.

105
 Here we have two couples on a first date. Can you tell which date
is going well and which date is not—just by what you see?

Couple #1

Couple #2

If you said Couple #1 are enjoying themselves you are correct. Couple #2... oh look, it’s the
computer date from the previous chapter.. Mr Wiggly's still talking, | see. He's so passionate
about his collection of hotel pens. And we know Cheryl passed out 30 minutes ago from
sheer boredom.We know this by Cheryl's body slumped deadweight in the chair, her arms
hanging limp by her side. Too bad Mr.Wiggly doesn't notice.

106
As we discussed in an earlier chapter that cartooning is the fast track to learning expres-
sions, the same holds true for body language. Cartooning and animation rely heavily on
body language and expressions. You might argue the scripts are simple but the messaging in
the art and the spot-on portrayal of emotions is very sophisticated. You can literally jump
for joy in a cartoon or melt into a puddle of embarrassment. Your imagination is the limit
but it's all based on the truth about people and how we handle situations.

Consider the man below. Does he look par

ticularly proud of himself at the moment?
Does he look threatening, like he’s about to
attack? Does he look domineering? Does he
even look like he's willing to volunteer for..
anything? Nope. His body language says con-
trite, humble, shy, passive, nonthreatening,
This guy is just waiting for us to stop looking
at him, so let's move on.

A dog in a suit is a mildly amusing sight

gag. The man leaning back, checks to see
that his eyes haven't betrayed him and his
fellow commuter really is dog in a suit,
with a briefcase... that's funny. The dog
is amusing, the man is funny. And what
makes him funny is his reaction which
begins with leaning back, the universal,
non-verbal code for “Whaaaaaa...?”

107
 True or False: The boy at left is having a
great day.

No words are needed to give you the an-

swer to this question. Body language tells
us this kid is having a rotten day. Stooped
shoulders, chin in hand, downturned mouth,
eyebrows up in dismay... even his right hand
is hanging from the wrist like it's lost the zest
for life.

As a cartoonist, you really sort of think that

way as you draw; even his hand has lost the
will to go on. His HAND | tell you! It’s given
up. It's just hanging there waiting for dooms-
day... or bedtime, whichever comes first. The
way this day is going there's notelling. Don't
worry, tomorrow the comic he ordered will
finally arrive and life will be awesome again.

108
Children are fluent in body language. Their
emotions are pure and strong which makes
them almost impossible to contain and kids
act out what they feel. They can be captain
of the ship one minute and griping about
the ride the next. Whatever they’re feeling,
you will see it in their posture, gestures and
stance.

Joy, embarrassment, willpower, the nagging

suspicion that you may not be one of life's
winners. It's all there before your character
even opens their mouth to speak. Which is
why the good comics are popular around the
globe in hundreds of languages. Because ev-
erybody speaks body language.

109
 Suppose you're watching this movie with the sound off. In the first panel you're
watching a pleasant moment as Rachel helps Natalie with a necklace, Rachel
says something with a frown. Natalie's reaction is to lean away aka reject what
Rachel has said chel continues the thought. When she touches Natalie's
shoulder you know this is about Natalie who isn't liking it at all. Rachel finishes
what she has to say keeping her physical connection/bridge to Natalie. In the fi-
nal panel, what Rachel sent across the bridge is unwanted bad news for Natalie.

110
 TMANK “ov. Ma Guike EXCDSE ME?
Is AY FIANCE JUST GAVE be NESE
BEAUTIFUL IT To ME, WERE
NECKLACE, GETTING MARRIED 1-1/M SORRY, | DON'T
ON SUNDAY. . KNOW WHY | SAID THAT
f IT JUST AIT ME,

HEY! GeT YOUR

HAND OFF ME!

ov"! YOUR WEDDING BED SOMETHING OLD WILL

Bei cia WILL BE A SHALLOW VIOLATE YoU AND vou
GRAVE... YOUR LUNGS WILE FEEL IT...IN MAKING
You
FULL OF MUP. ITS HOME

Now let's watch the scene again with the sound on. Does the dialogue match
what you speculated from before? | think so. In fact, it's worse than you might
imag} because this is a scene from a horror story. In normal life y uld
rewrite the dialogue to be two friends confessing romantic feelings or the
growing complication of covering up a murder the two committed in college
that furthered their careers. Just any number of fun things we humans find to
do with our time.What we do know for certain is they have a problem.

Hd
 —
Open arms mean so many things at once. To list just a few of the obvious:
Look at me
I'm not a threat (not armed)
You are welcome to approach
Come here
In this scene, the welcoming gesture also comes with a smile to reinforce
the message. And not just any smile but the “'slightly turned head and
raised eyebrows smile” that signals feelings a moment of shared delight,
and in this case, affection. Combine all these physicals signals and the
unspoken message is clear:'‘Come here and give me a hug you adorable
child’ And the child responds in kind with arm out. | believe children begin
learning body language before they can handle spoken language. Scientists
might speculate this has to do with developing primal survival skills as fast
as possible because, you know: lions, tigers, and bears. Okay, fine. |just
think kids learn quickly that hugs from parents are good and hungry bears
smashing furniture in the house are bad. Not too complicated.

112
This scene from Strangers In Paradise XXV has no dialogue. There is nothing to say
when you see a nuclear explosion coming at you.

In the first panel Francine is pulling the children to her because her protective
instincts compell her to protect the children. |drew Koo looking back for Katchoo,
who has already taken her first step towards her.

In the second panel Francine’s expression shows the horror of the approaching
threat and her daughter Ashley shows the fear But Koo and Katchoo are focused
on each other. Now the body language is telling two stories, the approaching
threat and the connection between a mother and daughter

In the last panel, the threat has been relegated to the background as the visual
forces you to focus on Katchoo and daughter attempting one last connection. The
body language shown here says it all without dialog.

113
 > CUCIe = 2 Gro! cpus
Hh =chicks =CLICK= abet es GRor!

SCLICK = -cryck] We THEN BEL

FLARO
Te Jo REVEAL
ANS... THIS, Un)
C90E7 LOOKING,

PF Prarnings GRANEL SOREWG |/

tong to CAN Be DANGEROUS!

Relaxed on the couch, channel surfing with your head propped up in one hand, your other
clicking the remote, click, click, click, click. We all understand this pose. Sleepy eyes means
she is bored as well, not irritated, her blood pressure isn't going through the roof, she’s
bored. Suddenly she sees something disgusting on screen. We know it's disgusting by her
frowning disapproval, the downturned set of her mouth as she emits a primal how... and
she has bolted off the couch in the same way an antelope pops its head up when it thinks it
ears a predator In the last panel, our antelope has buried its head under the pillow to hide
from the disgusting invader, arm up to click the intruder away and feet stirring in discomfort.
Every human and antelope can relate to this moment.

Reading on the floor Left arm and left leg are relaxed, lying on the body, draped almost,
for support.The expression shows no sign of tension or discomfort. This is a safe moment.

114
Even jumping on the bed can be a display of body language. How you jump is an indicator
of why you jump. Are you jumping for joy or smashing a bug on the sheets? Are you trying
to jump off or have you been jumping on this mattress for 20 minutes? Are you jumping
safely up and down or are you brave enough to try your cheerleader competition moves
while in flight? From what we see here, the girls are clearly having fun and could care less
how much a new mattress costs.

Wardrobe malfunction. Is Francine mad? Concerned? Stoicly attempting to conceal the

problem? Mmm, nope. None of those things. We know by her expression and body lan-
guage she is laughing and playful. ls Katchoo upset and embarrassed for Francine? No. Is she
trying to help Francine with her problem? No. Is she happily making the WM worse? From
what we see... yes, definitely. Meanwhile, the woman at right sighs and relaxes, her quiet
smile tells us she is at peace, content. Four images, four unspoken messages.

WS
Cartooning relies heavily on body langugage. It's crucial to the humor and poignancy. Con-
sider the silent film comics like Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd. No sound, just a story told wit!
body language and expressions. Comics are very simliar. This sequence could have been
done as a silent film. |. The setup, the girl stands upright, eyes open because this poster
got her attention. She is clearly taken by the image. 2. The girl now owns a pair of those
advertised jeans and has assumed the pose of the poster. Now she is the poster girl. 3. Boy
passes by and laughs at her Girl's pose hasn't changed but her eyes show a subtle surprise.
This was not expected. 4. Girl has returned to original dress, now angrily paints the X of
rejection on the poster The scene shows a girl and pants. The story is about everything we
try on in life and, depending on how it goes, eventually accept or reject. This girl has taught
us an important life lesson without saying a word. She used that other language.

116
This is the third chin in hand we've seen in four pages, and all three are completely different.
There was bored, relaxed drapes and now sad sack. This fella is feeling down in the dumps
and I'm sure he has a story to tell about it. His head leans on the arm for support because
the burden is heavy. This guy is tired, burned out, worn out. |bet his back hurts, too.

I'm now going to stop asking you

trick questions like, are these two \
people having a picnic—how can
you tell? No, clearly someone has
fallen from the sky and slammed \
into the earth. What's interesting s) De
here is the reactions of the men. :
The man on the left is leaning over
to peer into the smoking hole, his
hands behind him for balance, his
feet splayed toes out to allow him
to stand closer to the rim of the
hole. The other man looks up,
searching for Point A in the jour
ney of the faller:| like how his arms-
hands hang limp at his side. This is
a non-threatening, non-action pose.
He isn’t a factor in the problem at
hand, he is merely an observer try- \
ing to make sense of it. Looking for ss
the source of the problem, staring
into the resulting abyss.

17

‘e FREE comics on ReadComicO

This How To Draw book is designed to not only help you draw better but help you draw
better comics. So let's look at a typical comic artist challenge. In the story of Strangers In
Paradise, David is a young man who once did violent things resulting in the death of young
man. After that, David dedicated his life to being a peaceful good guy. At one point in the
story David is tested to the breaking point and he lashes out in self-defense, killing his at-
tacker. David has broken his own vow and a seven year run of peaceful, penitent behavior
Draw the moment David realizes what he's done, when he erupts in a primal scream that
symbolizes all that pain and anguish. Show it with his body language. This is how | did it.

118
There is more than one way to yell. What a weird thing to say but it’s true! On the opposite
page David is yelling in pain. On this page Sam is barking at her companion, a gorilla named
ike, They are having a dispute, a loud one. Sam is no shrinking violet, she is an ex-marine,
She did three tours of duty in places where it's very hot and very dangerous. If a rhino
came charging at her Sam would not run, she would stand her ground and deal with the
threat. She feels a responsibility to protect the people who can’t protect themselves. Sam
is a bad ass. She also has strong convictions, one of which she is discussing now with her
buddy. People in Sam's life are telling her she needs to get the shrapnel out of her head
that's building pressure on her brain. She doesn't want to do that because she might lose
the ability to see and talk with Mike. He is an imaginary friend she is determined not to lose
because he symbolizes something that strikes at her very core. Draw her discussing that
with Mike. This is how | did it.

19
 Here is a grisly family portrait | sketched while working on my horror series, Rachel Rising.
Four very different people in four different states of mind as observed by the obvious dif-
ferences in age but also by their stances and body language. The boy is curious, leaning to
one side to better see you. The man is going to be your first problem in this scene.You can
tell by his grip on the pitchfork, one foot forward to advance, his head down like a boxer
with both eyes on you like a hawk. He holds his side as if he is hurting inside, so he's not
well, but clearly well enough to drive that fork through you within the next 60 seconds. The
little girl has her back to the drama, her focus is on you. She stands steady and still, holding
a rose. There is no sign of humor or fear in her face. She is a dark mystery. The woman
behind her is crying out, hands empty, blood on her apron as if she just turned away from
a bloody catastrophe. This is the body language of darkness, hopelessness and resignation.

120
Running away from the opposite page as fast as possible, we have this happy couple shar
ing a wonderful moment outdoors. The smiles let us know immediately everything is okay,
they are happy and consensual. The clasped hands are connections, bridges of friendship.
And the fact that Francine is on her back, unprotected and unguarded, says a lot about
her trust in Katchoo. That might seem like an odd thing to note about a couple's playfu
moment we've all seen. But, for any animal to lay on its back and expose its belly to you
is a sign of submission and/or trust. This position renders the animal helpless in an attack.
This basic fact of life applies even to human beings flirting in the park. Francine is showing
trust in Katchoo, Katchoo will bend over for a kiss when Francine lets her know it's okay
by lowering her hands. The body language reveals their trust and affection for each other
It took me a paragraph to explain it, it took one picture to show it. Never underestimate
the power of your art.

121
What can you tell me about this little girl just by looking at her She has very good posture.
She has a bright smile and sparkling eyes. She sits like a little lady on her best behavior And
she has a bloody axe on her lap.This is Zoe, from the book Rachel Rising. She has just killed
something or somebody and she doesn't seem to be at all upset about it. Quite the oppo-
site, her body langauge tells us that Zoe is quite pleased with herself. This is... not normal.
How do you draw body language that goes against the facts, against human nature? Zoe
isn't crying in post-traumatic horror, she isn't running for the nearest adult. Zoe is content
to wait right here, looking at you like you're next. Imagine a story where the small town
serial killer is al 0-year old girl. This is how | drew that character, body language and all.

122
 HOW 10 DRAW TIMING
WHAT? COME ON, U THINK I'M FALLING IN. }/ iSight THERE,
SPIT IT OUT! LOVE WITH You, ISAO IT!
sEEZ! f : 5!
SS
an
Sh S vs fj

$0, UI f
WHAT DO YOU

That moment when you say | love you and the other person... wait for it... wait for
it

Timing is everything in a story. Whether you're telling a quick joke or delivering a

historic speech timing delivers the message in a way that is unforgettable. It's the
same with visual storytelling. Whether on the screen or the page ofa comic book,
timing pulls the viewer/reader deeper and deeper into the story. In newspaper
comic strips, the four panel strips typically use a common timing pattern: |: Subject
2: Retort 3: Contemplate 4: Reply. It is a common trope but, to be honest, the car
toonists only have a tiny space in the paper to get it all done. In comic books you
have the entire 6 X 10 inch page to show a sequence, and 20-30 more pages like
it to fill the issue. So comic books is where the cartoonists can spread their stories
out and take the space needed to show time

E=MC2. Even in comics.

123

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 WELL? LIAAT SHALL WE Do TODAY, LUCAS, | 1's Your Fate,
Ea WITCH, OU DECIDE.

DAUGHTER,
GET IN TRE

‘qo ATE Too MUCH, YOU POOR MAN.

How's MY CORN AGREEING
WITH 400, LUCAS ? WOURE GOING To BE TERRIBLY ILL,

This is a scene from Rachel Rising. ilith, the lady with the pitchfork in her face, is an
extremely powerful witch. This man would be dust before he could twitch a muscle
to attack her Rachel is the daughter in the background, pleading for Lilith to have
mercy on her angry father: Lilith considers the request and for Rachel's sake, does
not kill the man. Instead she gives him a different, more uncomfortable punishment.

124
 The Confrontation

Plea for Mercy Considering

The Dlea

Delivering’) Redbived Consequence

Punishment

Now look at the scene in the simplest possible format, beginning with The Con-
frontation and Plea for Mercy. Then take a beat as Lilith considers Rachel's plea. At
this point it could go either way, maybe Lilith is out of patience with angry witch-
haters. Next she delivers her spell. In Received the punishment has been delivered
but note that Father does not drop immediately, there isanother beat while the
spell hits. Then, Consequence.
125
 IM TRYING!THE
| ures Hes TRUCK WON'T STARTS
JULIE, WHAT'S
HAPPENING ? GETTING CLOSER!
dULIE 7

Be0
AGAMA. -_
tif —=
s

This scene from Echo depends on the timing of the approaching threat, in this case
a man named Cain. Cain is approaching the couple who are stuck in a stalled pick-
up truck, Ivy is listening on the phone and like us, a helpless witness.
The timing of
this page is meant to impress upon you the danger, to make you feel the stress as
danger approaches and you cannot run.

126
 The
Our Avatar Approaching
Threat

Threat
Cocks Final
ine Warning
Gun

Attack

Here's how | made this scene: First lvy becom’ avatar, our link to the scene in
the desert. Cut to the scene ofthe attack, see pproaching, see Cain lock and
load his weapon (his nuclear powered hand). Julie screams a final warning to Dillon.
We must run but can't. Cut k to lvy who hears the attack then d air, Our
imagination finishes the story.
In this two page sequence from Motor Girl, we establish the setting from above
the UFO's point of view. Inside we take a beat to show it's calm and quiet. Then the
passing light. What was that? The close up on Sam's face is horizontal, between the
blinds, which helps us transition back outside.

128
 ARRAN
anh

NoT REAL
NoT REAL.
WAKE UP,

Outside is a hovering UFO with it’s searchlight moving back and forth. Sam watches
it move across the junkyard. She releases the blinds in mild shock, takes a moment
to come to her senses before the UFO makes that big horn sound we know so
well from Spielberg movies. How this scene plays depends on setting up the UFO
reveal (timing) and Sam's reactions.
129
Here are a couple of my early comics strips. Obviously the goal here was comedy
and for that you rely on the reader to follow everything implied by the briefest of
suggestions. You don't want to distract the audience with meandering dialogue, they
will forget the point and you need them to stay on point to get the punchline. Use
short lines of dialogue with every word chosen to be important to the message

Now that you have dialogue the timing of its delivery is crucial. How do you assure
the comedy is delivered to the reader with the timing you want? With the art of
course. Use the art to present the dialogue in the desired tempo. Each panel is a
moment in time. One person might speak while the other listens, or both might
be speaking at once, it’s whatever you want it to be. The following panel is the next
moment, same rules. Using these individual windows to grab a moment in time is
also the structure for comic books and graphic novels. A panel can represent the
blink ofan eye or an entire day. It all depends on what you see in the panel and that
is completely under the control of the cartoonist. You are the gatekeeper to your
illustrated world and the timing with which we move through it.With that in mind,
here is a simple conversation between two people.

MAS MALIZ BY |WHY ON. IFT TOLD HIM

EARTH WOULD bou BELIEVE ONCE, 1 TOLD
YOUR MISSING HUSBAND HIM A THOUSAND
FREDDIE HAS COME BACK TIMES... DONT
AS ADOG? I MEAN HOW SHOOT AT ‘EM,
00 YOU EXPLAIN IT? YOULL JUST
fo MAKE "EM MAD!
-
bh

WELL MRS. MALTBY,

IF FREDDIE HERE
IS YOUR EX-HUSBAND
HE MUST HAVE BEEN
AREAL ENO eu

In the first strip, the girl delivers the setup. In the second panel the conversation
stops while Aunt Libby looks around to see if anyone is listening. The physical act of
seeing and considering this panel, even for a brief moment, has enforced a pause in
the reading much like the pause in a sitcom on TV.When the last panels play out,
it's badda bing, badda boom.

The second strip is a sight gag. The dog is now her husband. Spanking her dog/hus-
band because he flirted with a poodle is not normal. Welcome to comics.
130
 HEY LIZZIE, WALK SIT BY ME NO QOURE PLAYING
HARD To GET,
WITH ME To CLASS 2 AT LUNCH 2

BUT
a(4
\\
ss t(AW

ow
(S|
Ue
si CALL ME
TONIGHT?

Here is an example of rushing and pausing in one strip. Panel one introduces our
characters and the subject. Panel two is a fast, nonstop exchange. Panel three is
pausing for a beat. In comedy the pause is usually a 3 count: one, two, three... then
you deliver the punchline. Hopefully, you also top that with a bonus punch line.

Comedy is comedy, whether you're writing for television, stand up, or comics. Let's
take a moment to feel sorry for Pulitzer prize winning novelists who have to de-
scribe their pauses: ..Awww.. Aren't you glad you're a cartoonist!?

Try looking at the next two strips through the lense of an editor What can be five
minutes on screen is just three panels in a strip. Nothing extra, just the key scenes
required and the reader dictates the length of the comedic beat.

LIZZIE. WANTS TO CARVE : AAO g| [Buy HER AN AXE, Yop SAID

THE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN,PA, . j THE EXERCISE WILL DO HER
. GOOD , YOU SAID,
TEENAGERS)

Introduce subject. 30 seconds of chopping. Perspective.

0
Lizzie? J oursipe > Pee ABOUT
BEATING ) CARPET?
THE RUGS ) ’
CLEAN

AwRy.
Introduce subject. Long panting pause. We have a problem.

131
Let's take a look at this page from SIP Kids where | use every trick in the book... this
book to be specific. The “villain” Darcy and her“enforcer” Bambi have a conversa-
tion with Katchoo.The delivery, the pause to eat more donut, a long answer in one
panel that takes awhile to deliver then the finale with a panel packed with quick
paced exchanges between all three characters. It sounds clinical to describe a comic
this way but this stuff doesn’t happen by accident. Raw talent helps you draw the
characters. Knowing what you're doing brings them to life.

i $0, 1 826 YOU HAVE Of, HI DARCY.

‘APROBLEM WITH 1 CAN HELP.
‘A TATTLETALE, You WITH THAT.
tp ALL IT TAKES IS
ONE LITTLE Pus
OFF THE JUNGLE
GHM, AND...

[7 AND, You know. MAYBE SRE 1 RAVE FRIENDS:

BREAKS AN ARM OR CHIPS AL IN Hight PLACES
TOOTH... THE MOM Goes NUTS
WORRYING AND FUSSING OVER A 1
HER, GeTtiNG HER ALL BETTER, x
AND TOTALLY FORGETTH fer ms tito, BAMBI?!
THAT YOU FLATTENED:
PRECIOVS DAUGHTER'S FACE stle's 50 DUMB.
WITH A Soccer BALL , SHE'S PROBABLY?
1 CAN ARRANGE THAT — STCUPTHERE

IM WET,
RESTING!

I'M NoT THE ONE STUCK UP

A TREE, 9A BIG DODO!

132
«is everything.

133
 This page is the most powerful use oftiming I've managed in a comic book. At the
door on
end of a long series, Francine gets up, walks to the 4th wall and cl loses the
us. The length oftime she took to do that is up to the reader. You timed it.
Ay

an
EE
Ba GR 7

ga c
Naile
EYA
a AAI
L

134
 TOOLS, TIPS & TEMPLATES

First, the obvious: drawing comics is a simple as you want it to be. The kids next
door may be drawing one on the sidewalk right now. During high school, Bic pens
and notebook paper were all | needed to draw underground style comics that
made my friends laugh. Years later, when | wanted to draw comics professionally, |
found that most “How To” books stopped short of the details that | needed every
day. Exactly what size should | draw? If |want to draw on good art paper how do |
make my own comic book page template? How big should lettering be on original
art? Why don’t all my vertical and horizontal lines line up when | scan my art into
Photoshop? What scanner settings should | use? Why can’t | scan large art in two
pieces on a small scanner? What happens between my file in Photoshop and the
final printed book? | used printer recommended resolutions, why does my comic
look bad? The questions were endless. Even years into my career | continued to
wish | had a book like this, explaining the answers in detail. Yes or no answers don't
make a problem go away; | always want to know why.

Again, the Why of things. It matters.

All my comics and work for other publishers was done using the settings, tricks and
shortcuts found in this chapter: Now they're yours.

135
Cools, GPS
ele] S5acs
A pencil and a piece of paper

That's the simplest, cheapest tool set | can think of and all you really need to make a draw-
ing. Draw a story on a few pages, fold the pages in two like a book and you have a comic.

If you want the drawing to have a dark line weight use a pen.

If you want the pen lines to look perfect without bleed use better paper

If you want straight horizontal and vertical lines use a T-square. But, if you're going to use
a [-square you're going to need a drawing board. You're not going to like the cheap ones,
they're rickety, so ante up.

If you want to erase pen & ink mistakes, use white-out with a brush. And as long as you
have that brush you might as well use it for inking thicker lines and large areas of black. You
need a good brush because the cheap ones won't hold a point.

If you're going to use good brushes, good paper and a drawing board you might as well
invest in a light box so you can transfer sketches to that good paper and not have to redraw
everything all the time. | mean you've come this fan right?

Now you've put all this time and money into the drawing so you're probably proud of it
and would like to post it online, maybe sell it. So you need a computer and a program that
will handle large files of art.

How are you going to get your drawing into the computer? That iPhone photo isn't going
to do it justice. You need a scanner—a big one—because the small ones (where you have
to scan half the drawing and piece it together in a program), yeah, that doesn’t really work.
That one-printer/scanner-does-all at Office Depot... umm, no.

So you've invested in all this computer gear and you have a comic on your computer but
how do you make a book with it, one you can send to a printer and get a professional
looking comic back? Well, you need another program, one that takes Photoshop files and
makes book and magazine layouts to printer specifications.

When that's done you have to send your final book files to the printer via FTRThat’s an-
other program.When they have proofs ready for you, they want you to view them as PDF
files. If you like the proofs they plug your files into a giant machine and hit go.A few short
minutes later, a lot of comic book pages spit out onto a rack to be covered, stapled and
folded. Then grown men and women use trucks and airplanes to bring the printed book to
your door. Finally, you can sit and read your comic book,

So, which pencils, which pens, which paper, which scanner, which computer? What settings
should you use for Photoshop? Which layout program? What settings and measurements
do the printers want? What if you want to make another comic and another and many
more—how can you keep from reinventing the wheel every time? Shortcuts? Templates?
Cheat sheets? Tips? Advice? What is timeless bookmaking knowledge and what is changing
month by month with technology? Well, I'll tell you...

137
 This is all | really need to make a comic book.

138
Every artist | know loves pens and art supplies. It goes with the personality required for
someone who wants to draw a lot. I've been on a shuttle bus full of artists when one pulls
out a new pen and everybody leans in to check it out, like a lab frog in science class. So,
yeah, we tend to buy more than we need and art supplies add up over the years. My fa-
vorite items have been with me for many years and I've become rather loyal to them. Not
surprisingly they are the tools | use every day to make my comics.

#6
Faper-C

| use two different lead size pencils to draw, 0.3 and 0.5. Most of my drawing is done with
the 0.5 but even that can be too bulky and inaccurate when it’s time to draw the small
images in a panel.

| bought the 0.5 pencil you see in 1997 at Sennelier in Paris for about $10. Degas bought
his art supplies there over a hundred years ago, across the Seine from the Louvre. I've used
this pencil to draw every comic since, so most of Strangers In Paradise, all of Echo, Rachel
Rising, Motor Girl, Five Years and everything in between. If it’s not in my drawer |stop work-
ing until | find it. It just feels right in my hand. But that’s just me. George Perez draws with a
0.3. He'd almost have to with all the fine detail work he adds to his art.

| use kneaded erasers for light erasing and white erasers for the heavy duty cleanup. There
are two kinds of white erasers. One is more translucent and smears; the other like the
FaberCastell above, is pure white and feels like a pink eraser. It does not smear lead on
the paper.

Notice | haven't mentioned wood pencils? That's all | ever used until |began drawing comic
books for a living. Then | discovered | was drawing larger and looser than | needed with
wood pencils. It has something to do with the lead point continually growing larger as it
wears down and needs sharpening. It was never a problem before but when | had to draw
smaller to squeeze my scenes into comic panels, | found details suffered. This was during
the early days of my first comic book series, Strangers In Paradise, and | was in a constant
struggle to improve the art. Having just come from the loose, anything-will-work world of
comic strips, | had to really improve my skills to make my art more accurate and detailed.
After trying harder leads with no success, | switched to the 0.5 and learned to make that
work. Today | still use wood pencils, but more for covers and pin-up work.

139
All my lettering is done by hand right on the art. This is the way your great, great grandfa-
ther used to do it.| prefer the old school way because the finished page of art has every-
thing on it-This will mean something to you if you want to frame the original art for yourself
or sell it to a collector.Inthe assembly line method of mainstream comics the artwork is left
bare and lettering is added by computer to a computer file. This is the fastest way to work,
but people will forever look at the original art and wonder what is being said. Without the
dialogue, a page of comic art is only half the story.

To rule the lines for lettering, | use blue lead in a mechanical pencil and an Ames Lettering
Guide. These things are famously confusing. So many holes and none of them seem to do
exactly what you want. The fold-out instructions are useless. Like many cartoonists, | had
one in the drawer for years, collecting dust, while | carefully measured and hand ruled every
line with a ruler Then one day | saw a photo ofthe setting somebody was using with their
Ames and the code was broken. | couldn't have been more pleased if I'd seen a UFO. I'll
happily share my settings with you later in this chapter

For the lettering itself, | use Micron pens. They don’t bleed on the paper like other pens.
Normal dialogue is done with the 03, bold words use the 08, and soft whispers are done
with the 01.The Graphic |,! use for ruling the panel boxes.
140
 My inking tools, from the $24 brush to the lowly Q-tip.

| prefer Pelikan Drawing ink. It has a strong rich black on the paper and doesn’t require
as many coats when going for thick black. For several years this brand was not sold in the
US. because it did not meet safety standards. But it's back and still the best as far as I'm
concerned. Larger sizes have been pulled from the shelves to discourage kids from using it
for homemade tattoos. Pelikan must think we're all nuts over here.

To cover inking mistakes, |use Dr Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White. Again, it’s all about being
easy to work with and offering good coverage in one coat.

For most of my story drawing, | use a Hunt 102 pen point This is a great drawing point,
firm enough for drawing quickly yet flexible enough to give a broad range in line. The 102
is a classic favorite among pen and ink geeks. It's common to use one pen point per page
‘then throw it away.The points lose their fine line after use. Mine tend to last an entire issue.
When it gets worn out—as in too fat-lined—| use it as second, fatter pen.

For larger figures and larger drawings | use a brush. For years | used a Winsor Newton
Series 7, All my cartooning heroes used this brush. When | began using them they were
great. Then the new ones wouldn't hold a point. After a few months of complaining to the
company with no improvement | gave up on them and switched to Raphael. It was a big
improvement. I've never had a bad Raphael brush and now | use my old Winsor Newtons
for white out.| use #1 and #2 size brushes.

And that Q-tip is no photo accident. Q-tips are perfect for covering large areas with ink.
I've seen Jim Lee use a tampon to draw Batman. | kid you not. And, it was one ofthe best
Batman drawings I've ever seen.

141
I've tried a lot of different papers but Strathmore Bristol is the best, in my opinion. Strath-
more papers come in series, from the 200 series of lightweight, economical sketch papers
to the much tougher 500 series.

| use the 400 series. It's a good working paper—much better than the yellow covered 300
series— that doesn't bleed and it stands up well to moderate reworking, In my opinion,
Strathmore 400 is better than the ready-made comic book sheets I've tried, including the
paper used by Marvel and DC. It’s all about how the paper takes ink, and the 400 series is
an affordable quality paper that's thick enough to be reworked numerous times yet light-
weight enough to use on a light box.| buy the |4 inch x |7 inch pad offifteen sheets. Paper
surface selections are Smooth or Vellum. |used Vellum for Strangers in Paradise because it
takes brush well and that was the primary inking tool for SiP Since then, I've been using the
pen more, so I've switched to Smooth.

The final measurement of the working page requires that |trim the Strathmore sheet This
is measured off with the template you see above. I've been using this particular template
since 2008. It includes marks for ruling the papertocomic book specs and other important
segments | use on every page.

The see-through ruler in the photo: that's a trick | learned from cartoonist Jerry Bittle. He
drew a syndicated comic strip titled Geech back in the 1980s and | was lucky enough to
watch him work. He used this ruler for everything and he made it look quick and easy to
line things up so I've been using it ever since. I've noticed the measurement isn’t as precise
as a quality metal ruler, maybe because of the effect of heating & cooling in forming the
ruler, but it’s close enough for comics!

142
So, now we have the tools at hand to deface and scribble on a blank sheet of bristol. Look-
ing at the 14 X 17 inch sheet, it's obviously the wrong ratio for a comic book. When | first
dealt with this dilemma | simply expanded a 6 5/8 in. X 10 1/8 in. (or 6.625 X 10.125 in
computer terms) comic book to a vertical height of 15 in. But then | was faced with the
problem oftrying to establish everything else: bleed, print-safe areas for dialogue, lettering
size and spacing, gutter space between pages, a different size for two-page splash pages,
how thin my lines could be and still show in the reduced size... the list went on. | didn't
know. |was basically trying to reinvent the wheel because | didn’t have access to the ready
made pages from Marvel or DC.

So, with a 10"X |5" art target placed in the middle of an | |" 17” sheet ofbristol, |began
producing my early comics with old school comic strip measurements such as lettering at
3/8” with 1/8" spacing, gutters between panels at 1/8" to 1/4", at least one inch from art to
edge of page, and so on. Then | would compare my printed comics to other comics on the
market, like Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and modify my settings. What |found was every-
body had a slightly different look. The lettering was smaller and more compact on Image
comics than on mine.The panels were closer on Marvel comics.The art had more space
to the edge of the page on DC comics. The lettering on Bone was bigger. And, everybody
was getting away with thinner art lines than | thought possible. Things like that were very
interesting to discover. I'd never noticed it until | did a side-by-side comparison with my
own comic. What | took from the experience was you can do whatever you like so long as
it fits on the page. Knowing | was safe and could do no harm, |modified my measurements
to get the look | wanted, made a template and got to work.As time went by and | evolved
further away from my cartooning roots, | continued to make changes and modifications to
my measurements for a tighter more polished look. |was never afraid to experiment ortry
something new. If something didn't work | fixed it for the next issue. And, when | finally got
my hands on Marvel/DC paper | wasn't far off after all. It's not rocket science.

Below is a sampling of SiP original art pages over the run ofthe series, from the first draft
prototype that proved to be completely wrong for the comic book format to the final
incarnation at the end ofthe series. By then | was using a carefully drafted template of my
own. Now it took only a couple of minutes to prep a blank page and | was ready to draw.

143
Okay, all this talk about a template... turn to the next page and you will find an original art
template laid out to my specs. I've put it in the center page spread so you can lay this book
on a copy machine and blow it up to size. Then placing a fresh page over the template—
preferably on a light box to see better— simply mark the corner intersections of each line.

Connect the dots with a blue line pencil and you have your comic page ready to go.

144
Honestly, the copy machine and your own hand ruled lines will result in losing the exact
accuracy of the dimensions but that's okay. The end result is forgiving. Again, not rocket
science. As | said, I've noticed the plastic ruler | use is not as exact as a metal ruler but
nobody can tell in my final work. The plastic see-through is much easier to use in so many
other ways so it's worth it to me. Wood and plastic T-squares, plastic triangles; none of
these are perfectly square. If you're anal about it, it will drive you crazy trying to measure
perfect ninety degree angles and boxes. You can use high quality architectural metal tools
or just chill. A lot of artists draw everything by hand without a ruler at all.You just want
your layout to be consistent, purposeful and professional. It's a comic book, it doesn’t have
to pass a laser test. BUT...

While we're talking about alignment, | should point out something that will make your
Photoshop life much easier The Strathmore pads are not perfectly square. Meaning if you
align one edge of the paper to a |-square, the other edges won't match at prefect ninety
degree angles. |assume this is because the paper has been on a cutter and paper moves a
bit when cut. So don't measure off the top of the paper AND the side, too. | did that in the
first few issues ofSiP (before | could scan art) and thought it was fine until | finally got my
pages into a computer and nothing squared up. ARGH! Oh the drama that day.

The solution: Treat the top edge ofthe Strathmore paper as your perfect baseline. Do not
cut it. Cut the other three sides as needed, if you have to, but leave that top edge alone.
Square the template and every line you make according to the top edge of your paper:
When you tape the page down to your drawing board do so by aligning the top edge with
a I-square. Measure all vertical lines down from the top, never from the sides or bottom.
This will insure your lines are all based off the top's “perfect” line. Every calculation needs a
constant to base upon; ours is the top of the paper

When the time comes to scan your art, lay the top of the page against the glass edge—dis-
regard how the sides are lining up, they will be slightly off—guaranteed—but now the page
will scan in to your computer nicely aligned by the top edge. This will save you the grief of
trying to realign your page in Photoshop. Any lines or boxes you add in Photoshop will line
up with the art. Lettering will be straight.You will look at your art in the Photoshop window,
perfectly matched to grid lines and smile. Life will be good.
145
 Lay this 2-page spread out on a copy machine. Enlarge
to fit safely within || X 17 inch paper. Use the copy
as your template guide to make new comic pages on
a lightbox. Reduce your final art page in Photoshop
to a bleed size of 6.875 X 10.5 and the art will fit
perfectly into a standard-sized comic book.

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Okay so, you have your tools laid out, paper cut, marked off and ready. Your chariot awaits.
Now the situation gets really dangerous—draw something!

Any ideas?

This is where cartoonists often get bogged down, stare at the paper for a few hours,
straighten up the studio, sharpen their pencils to nubs then finally give up and check their
‘Twitter account. Fortunately, |happen to have a script ready so all | have to do is draw what
is written for today's schedule: page |0 of Rachel Rising #10. begin by roughing out the
scripted panels and dialogue straight onto the page.

! do all my drawing straight

onto the page because I've
found it saves me time. Many
artists much more talented
than me think it’s faster to
draw your roughs onto loose
paper then transfer that to the
final page using a light box. This
does allow you to rework a
drawing as many times as you
like without worrying about
ruining the surface of your final
page. It also allows you to draw
complex scenes one object or
person at a time then place
them where you want, one at
a time, in the final drawing.

| know all that, but | have to

draw and finish a page a day
to stay on schedule. | can't af-
ford the time to draw on any-
thing but the final art. | find my
pages get made more quickly
‘this way.

148
With the art and dialogue in rough position, | prefer to get the lettering locked in and
borders ruled. Once this is done, | can erase the pencils for the lettering and borders and
have nothing but panel art cluttering the page. When I'm struggling to figure out the art and
make things gorgeous having any unnecessary clutter out of the way helps.

Using the T-square | align the top ofthe page as described earlier This gives me at least one
perfectly horizontal line to use like a true north. Every horizontal line | now rule with the
T-square, plus all my lettering, will align to the top edge of the paper This simple step will
save you a lot of grief later, trying to repair these problems in Photoshop.

Okay, here it comes... the dreaded Ames guide! Don't be afraid. The Ames guide is actually
your friend.

For cartoon and comic book lettering, all you need is one set of holes on this thing. The rest
you can ignore. You can see by looking at mine which holes I'm talking about, the bottom
row. Turn the wheel to make the line spacing larger or smaller and note the numbers at the
bottom. Find the size you want and the marks at the bottom give you a reference number
to remember for next time. All my comics have been lettered at about 3 1/2.

It's not easy photographing clear plastic, so | inked the numbers for you to see more clearly,
and I've inked the holes | use for lettering. Looking from right to left, you see 3 pairs of
holes. These make the top three lines of your dialogue with spaces in between. If you need
more, draw that 7th hole/line, then realign the guide so the top hole is now on the 7th line
and youre ready to rule 3 more pairs. Repeat as needed. Easy!

149
 | rule out the lines for all the lettering on
the page and the panel borders. Now
the page looks like this (left).
Notice I've changed my mind about
where to put the line "Careful what you
wish for’ | don't want any confusion on
the reader's part that this was the last
thing said, so moving it well below the
other dialogue helps insure the reading
order. Plus the extra room away from
the top dialogue will give it a natural
pause. It’s an old acting trick: wait three
beats then deliver your punch line. Use
every trick you know to make your sto-
ry work.

Quick Tip
Use the see-through ruler to make
ruling lines faster. The line pattern
on the ruler is 1/8 inch. That is the
same width | use for the gutter space
between panels. Rule the first line
with your t-square and triangle, then
quickly rule all the parallel lines by
hand with the ruler like so (right):

For lettering, |use a Micron 03. For balloons, |use the 05.To rule the panel borders, |use the
Graphic |. If 1make a mistake or decide to change the dialogue, | stick an Avery removable
label over the offending balloon, reletter and cut away the excess.

150
With the lettering and panel borders done it's easier for me to now focus all my attention
on the characters and the scene. Pencil in hand | tighten up my drawing. Now is when |
have to get the expressions and body language just right. Below is the tighter new and
improved drawing.

How | draw and what | strive for in a drawing has been discussed at length in the earlier
chapters so | won't go into it again. | will tell you that this (above) is as far as | pencil. This
is all | need to start inking because | know where the ink goes—| can see the finished
drawing in my head. However, this would not be an acceptable pencil drawing to send out
to a freelance inker. There isn't enough detail to work with and no suggestions for black
areas. If somebody inked only what is shown here the finished art would look very bare,
This is one of the perks of inking your own drawings. Another is,| often get 3/4 of the way
there in a pencil drawing —in terms of making it a ‘good’ drawing—and know| can get
the rest of it in the inks by adjusting where lines are and so forth.As Jeff Smith once said,
it's really like drawing the whole thing twice. You get as close as you can the first time, in
pencil. Then you do better the next time, in ink.

Speaking of which, time to ink the characters.

| begin by inking the heads with a Hunt 102 pen

point. If lam drawing larger figures—for example
a cover—| would skip the pen and use a brush.
But panels on a comic page are smaller targets, so
| draw a lot with pens in orderto get more detail.
My goal here is to get the outlines and details
inked. Large areas of blacks come next. Some art-
ists, like Frank Miller prefer to ink blacks first, then
details.

ISI

EE comics on ReadComicOn'
Once the pen lines are done, |
go back with a brush and "add
blacks”, which is the artist ex-
pression for inking in all the
solid areas and thickening lines
as needed to give the object life
and weight. Drawing the same
line width for everything gives
a coloring book effect. Making
lines thick or thin depending
on whether they are on top or
bottom, light side or shadow
side, on a lightweight object
or a heavy object... it’s all part
of what makes a dull drawing
come to life.

Inking with a brush is not like

inking with a pen. It takes awhile
to get used to, but once you
do, the benefits are liberating,
could never figure out how
to make precise lines with a
brush until a Disney animator
showed me. It’s all in how you
old it. See how upright | hold
the brush to ink the lines com-
pared to the top picture where
hold the brush flatter to mop
in blacks. The angle is the trick.

From the upright position the brush tip can go anywhere. How thick or thin the lines are
depends on pressure.With your hand resting firmly on your lower fingers, the fingers hold-
ing the brush are able to move freely and precisely in any direction: up, down, side to side,
front to back. It took me a few weeks to get the hang of it but once | did | never looked
back. It’s like learning to whistle: once you've got it, you've got it.

If you've ever read an art instruction book involving brushes you've seen the caution about
cheap brushes. They're not joking.Acheap brush is grief on a stick. The frustration ofusing
one may cause you to quit trying. At $20, the Raphael #2 brush | use is considered expen-
sive but it's worth the extra dollars.

My workhorse, the Raphael 8404 #1 and #2 brush.

152
 Quick Tip:
Only dip half the brush into the ink.
Never take a brush loaded with ink
straight to paper without first pulling
it across a scrap of paper with a roll-
ing motion to wipe off excess ink and
form a good tip. Without this step, the
brush will dump a fat line of ink on
the paper, not the serpentine line you
were looking for.
= n~
To keep the brush fresh, stir it in water ev-
ery few minutes and pull it down a rag or
paper towel. Never push up with a brush,
this will ruin the shape and point. When it
comes to cleaning, wiping, forming a point,
everything is pull.

This picture brings up a good point: where

to put your ink. If you're working in the back
of a cab, just dip your brush into the bottle
but in the studio you want to see the ink
so you won't overdip. I've never found a
good inkwell in an art store. On the advice
of a teacher | went to the kitchen section
of a store and found this dish. One hole is
just enough for a day's supply ofink. | think
it's an egg holder, but there is great debate
about that here in my house. Whatever it
is, get one.

HOW DID You DO 1 DON'T KNow. WHERE ARE

THAT? 1 DONT STAY HERE, OKAY¢ YoU GOING? KNOW WHERE TO
FEEL ANYTHING, CALL ME WHEN, FIND THE BLONDE.
SHG WAKES UP.

153
 When I've finished inking the page it
looks like this. (left)

Not quite the rich black image you're

used to seeing in a comic is it? Patience,
grasshopper. This is what the art looks
like with a single coat of ink and that's
all | need for scanning. The art you see
here was scanned in grayscale, which re-
veals every shade of gray. When | scan
this in bitmap mode, the pencil and blue
lines will disappear and the spotty blacks
will scan as pure black. If | want to sell
this page as original art I'll go back and
add another coat to the blacks plus fill in
blacks on the back wall.

We have just encountered a major dif-

ference between the amateur artist and
the working professional. When you
draw for yourself, you want the art per
fect. When you draw for print, especially
on a deadline, you draw only what you
need to make it work. More about that
in a minute because... it's time to scan!

Wait, |have bad news. Trying to scan | 1” X 17” pages on a small scanner is not good. The
routine with that is to scan the page in two halves, then put the halves together in Photo-
shop. Due to the physics of the camera lens, the two halves never align correctly, so sleight
of hand is required to make the joint the best you can. I've done it but it's not something
you want to do for every page of acomic, every day, comic after comic, year after year. If
you're making one comic book, fine, go for it If you're going to make comics professionally,
invest in a large format scanner that will take your art in one pass.

| use an Epson Expression |640XL. It

cost as much as my laptop but it proved
to be just as important as my computer
and today a good scanner is an indispens-
able tool for book making. My Epson is well
over ten years old and I'm happy to re-
port it has worked flawlessly every day, and
that's for, literally, thousands of hi-res scans.
So, yes, it’s a big investment. But I've gone
through four computers since | bought the
scanner. This thing has won my loyalty.

So now | lay my art face down on the glass.

Remember what | said about measuring all art lines from the top edge? Here's where it’s
about to pay off.
154
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The edge ofthe glass is perfectly horizontal to the scanner's camera, and the vertical edge
is perfectly vertical. If | turn the art over it's easy to see that the top edge of the paper,
when abutted to the glass edge, will dictate what perfect horizontal is for the entire page
of art. By making the paper's top edge our baseline when drafting up the page all we have
to do now is push the paper to the top edge ofthe glass and the entire page will scan in
perfectly aligned.

Notice that | will ignore the sides. |

don't even bother placing the paper |
to the side edge. That's because the
sides of the paper are not perfectly
90 degrees to the top edge. Unless
you have a laser cutter don't even
try. One perfect baseline edge is all
you need. So turn it over push it to
the top and close the lid.

| scan my art in bitmap mode

(called Black & White in the
menu) at 1200 dpi. The Expo-
sure Type is set to Document,
not Photo (which would look
for gray values). | leave the ex-
posure's Threshold at the default
110. Leave the document size
alone here. Scan it full size and
adjust later in Photoshop which
will make a better reduction. Set
the scan area “ant line” box to
include the whole page. Select
Scan and stand back.

155
 When the scan is finished, you're ready to work.
= Remember when we marked the various corners of
[| the page template on the light box? Now we need
! them. Using the box tool, | drag a box from the top
left pencil mark to the bottom right mark and select
crop (left). This trims off all the excess and instantly
gives me a comic book ratio page.

Select Image Size and set the height to 10.5 in. The
art is now 10.5 in. X something very close to 6.875
in. |always find | need to trim just a bit off the width, |
do so in Canvas Size, typing in the correct page width
This trims the edges without altering the height. Now
your page is the perfect size and perfectly aligned for
print. Make a new folder labeled Scans and save your
bitmap scans there.

But wait, you say, comic books are 6.625"X 10.25".Yes, you're correct, but the printer wants
an additional .125 inch bleed (1/8 inch) on every side. Add that up and your Photoshop
file needs to be 6.875" X 10.5". Forget this part and you'll get an email from your printer
asking if you want to fix it and resend or pay him to fix it.

Now | clean the borders outside the art.| drag a box gy

around the art then invert the box (Shift-Command-i)so jd
i's now wrapped around the borders. Making sure the 5
background color is white, | hit Delete. This deletes any ~3
dirt or pencil marks from the page outside the art area. 7
You can't use the magic wand for this because it will go
around the dirt and leave it.
tr
Y
Quick Tip
Speaking of background color (and fore-
ground), you can always quickly reset those
two boxes to black and white by hitting
Command-D.To swap them back and forth,
just hit X.When you keep your right hand
on the tablet and your left on the keyboard At this stage, the art is a 1200 dpi
hitting shortcuts, the work goes much faster bitmap at 6.875"X 10.5”

Now is the time to clean the artwork while it's still in bitmap. Every colorist on the planet
can explain this better than me, but the simple fact is lines made in bitmap have cleaner
edges than lines made in grayscale. It's not subtle—you can see the difference with your
own eyes when you compare the two. If you have to add any lines, now is the time, while
you're in bitmap. |zoom up on the art so one panel fills the page, set my brush to a hard-
edged 42 and touch up the art, switching the black and white boxes with my left hand
repeatedly, depending on whether I'm adding a touch of black, or white for erase. At this
stage | also make sure the lettering is centered. Something always needs adjusting.

156
When the art is cleaned and the lettering centered | have a finished page. Technically this
can go straight to my page layout program, InDesign, then off to the printer. But, for this
page | want to add more blacks and some gray tone to the characters, so | conv the art
to grayscale (Image Mode — Grayscale) and downsize the dpi to 600. This is higher than
printers recommend but it keeps my line art crisper in the final print. Printer recommenda-
tions are for photos, paintings and text. Line art needs high resolution

Getting the magic out of Photoshop requires another “How To” altogether:|highly recom-
mend Brian Miller's books. He has not only colored many of my comics over the years, he
is a true Jedi master of the graphic embellishment world. His books explain everything you
need to know about comic book coloring, digital graphics and getting your files print ready.
When | have a question, | call Brian. You can do the same by using his books. Brian also
includes his time-saving templates and shortcuts in his manuals.

So without getting into a nine hour Photoshop class, let me continue by noting that once
my art is in grayscale | add blacks, invert selections (like the dialogue for the demon
possessed characters) and add gray touches here and there. Here is the final page.

| save my layered Photoshop files in their own folder. Now | have two folders, one with
all the pages as bitmap scans, another with all the pages as layered Photoshop files. Then |
rge the layers and save the art as L7W compressed TIFFs in a third folder labeled Final
s, Repeat this entire chapter for every page until your issue is comp! inless they ask
for PDFs (which Photoshop can also make) send the Final Pages folder to your publisher
and your job as artist is done. If you want to self-publish read one more page...
157
Because | publish my own
comics, something very few
working artists do, |assemble
my Final Pages into a print
ready layout. For this | use
Adobe InDesign.

I'll admit that using InDesign

is a little complex but it is an
intuitive program that also
integrates seamlessly with
Photoshop. There are other
layout programs available but
every printer takes Adobe files
and that's important.

My settings are simple: a 24 page document with pages made to 6.625" X 10.25" plus an
additional .|25” bleed all around. My Photoshop file drops in perfectly with the bleed al-
ready built into the final page. The settings are the same for covers.

When I've made enough art to fill the book, plus a few ads for my other titles in the back,
| build my InDesign layout and export a copy of the final book as hi-res PDFs for Print.
One click and it's done. This is the file that I,and most publishers, send to the printer. It may
surprise you to learn this is also the file you will send to a digital publisher Even the digital
publishers use hi-res files now as computers rapidly convert to HD.

One word ofcaution here, before you send that file to the printer, get another set of eyes
to proof your work. It's surprisingly hard to catch your own typoes and mustakes!

Shortly after turning the book in, usually within 2-24 hours, the printer sends me a low-res
PDF proof of the book. |check the pagination and look for any sign of problems with black
levels and such. If all is well | email my approval and they go to press.

The printed books are trucked to our distributor; Diamond Comic Distributors, who ships
and delivers the books to stores all over the country. This takes a couple of weeks to ac-
complish. On a date coordinated with the distributor all the stores from coast to coast put
the book on the shelves on the same day and hope somebody buys it.

And that's all there is to it.

Of course, whether or not anybody actually buys your comic depends on what you draw
in the first place and that takes us right back to the very first chapter in this series. You can
draw. Whether or not anybody cares depends on what you draw, how you draw and why
you draw. Get your mind in the right place every time you pick up a pencil and what hap-
pens after that will be art.

158
Every time | start a new comic issue or a new page, | think about every-
thing we've looked at in these chapters. Drawing a comic can be very
simple, but the craft of making a great book is not a simple thing. Maybe
that's why it’s kept my attention for so long. | have this life long quest to
make a great comic book and |always think my next one will be the best
one yet. It keeps me running.

Okay so, that’s how | do it. From pencil to Photoshop and everything
in between, these are my routines, my observations and my templates.
| hope they can be of some use to you with your own work, because
the world needs more comics.

akey |lo?
 Other Books By Terry Moore =

STRANGERS IN PARADISE
SIP KIDS /£=
= PARADISE TOO j
ECHO
al RACHEL RISING
MOTOR GIRL
STRANGERS IN PARADISE XXV
FIVEYEARS
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SERIAL

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—_—
 Lessous For The Serious Comte Aertiot
Terry Moore’s How To Draw is a treasure trove of answers and —- \
insights into the challenges facing today’s comic artist. With a
focus on information not found in other “How To” books, these fy,
chapters cover the secrets of drawing the female form, expres- XY a
sions, beauty, funny, body language and timing, plus how to pre- Hf)
pare your book for print or digital publishing. From pencils to va
Photoshop, print to digital, Moore shares his own observations, |
techniques, and templates developed during the creation of his
award-winning comics!

ABSTRACT STUDIO