Today, Pitt Graff shows us that it's all in the wrist. The difference between a wrist and a tube with a hand on it is in defining the bones of the wrist.
Showing posts with label technique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technique. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Monthly Matinee June: So you Wanna Print a Comic? (Part One)
So, you've been working on your magnum
opus for a while now. You've got some pages under your belt, and the
response is good. Then comes the first well-meaning fan asking “So,
will we ever see this in print?” Your head spins, thoughts of fame
and glory as a published author flash through your mind. You dedicate
yourself to the mission – printing your first comic.
Now what?
There's a lot of things to think about
when considering printing a comic. From the layouts to the finish, to
funding and distribution. I'm here to parse through some of the
concerns of printing, and give advice to newbies and comic veterans
alike!
For the first part of this we will talk about considerations for before you start writing and drawing
What? I have to start thinking about
printing that early?! Well, it doesn't hurt! If you already have your
art done, you should still review these suggestions, your work may
already be following industry guidelines.
Size and bleed
This is the size you will be working
at. Usually, it is informed by industry standards. American comics
usually print at 6.63"x10.24 and it is common to draw them on 11”x17”
boards. European Bande Dessinee are usually 8.4"x11.6" and made on
slightly larger paper. Manga is often 5.04"x7.17" but sometimes larger... so many sizes to choose from!
In general, working to one of these
common sizes makes printing cheaper, and gives you more options of
printers. However, many printers can also trim to other sizes at no
additional costs! I've seen great comics printed square, printed to
the size of a 45” record, printed in long scrolls, and even printed
on a large sheet and folded up into the finished size. Don't let
yourself get too tied down!
The other consideration of size, is
bleed. A lot of modern comics use bleed to make full use of the
paper. I've attached a handful of good guideline templates, you will
notice that many of them have two bleed marks - “safe area” and
“full bleed”. When the printer is working there's an acceptable
wiggle room in the registration, and each page may not be perfectly
centered. Thus, the safe area is the space which will never get cut
off. All your word bubbles and important action need to remain in
that space! The full bleed is the area which needs to be colored in,
so that while trimming there are no slivers of unprinted space.
 |
| That white strip at the top? In my first book I failed to account for bleed on the chapter covers. |
To be clear – the bleed is ADDED to
the page, the safe area is SMALLER than the page area. It's common to
buy bond pages with bleed/safe guidelines printed on them in no-photo
blue. If you are working entirely within the page, with gutters the
whole way around, you only need to be concerned with safe areas. Even
then, there should be plenty of margin to prevent anything that's
within those panels getting cut off.
Layout for printing
(image of page plan)
You've got your page size decided, time
to thumbnail! Whole articles would be written about thumb-nailing,
but here's what's important for print.
You are looking at pages as two page
spreads. Our eyes often take in the entire spread before focusing in
on the upper left to begin to read. If you want to build suspense, or
have an interesting reveal – make it on a page turn.
 |
| My thumbnails - two pages side by side, just like they will be in the book! |
Also, if you are making a two page
spread, with or without outer bleeds, you have to consider the inner
bleed – the part of the page which descends into the fold of the
paper. Just like outer bleeds, you will want to have the image reach
all the way to the possible edge of the paper, and have important
bits within the safe area. It's no good for people to be breaking the
spine just the read that word bubble! When designing a two-page
spread it's a good idea to have some repetitive boring business in
the middle, just to fill it up.
 |
| This image from an InDesign file actually cuts the bleeds out of the middle, lots of extra room for safety! |
Color processes
Doing black and white? Too bad! You
still need to consider file types and color profiles!
Printing uses CMYK color. This is an
additive color process, with the inks layering and mixing to achieve
the correct colors. A CMYK file splits into four images, with the
necessary amount of each color kept separate.
All screens use RBG color. It's
subtractive color (kind of, there's some interesting physics going on
which you can read more on HERE). It splits down into three parts.
Almost all digital artist will work in
an RBG color file. It just makes sense. However, prior to printing it
needs to be converted to CMYK. This is best done when individual
pages are separate files, rather than converting an entire finished
PDF. Mostly, to ensure the color is still as intended! For scanned
files (colored analog, then digitized) there are rarely problems with
this conversion. In fact, many scanners can scan in CMYK if the image
is going to be sent directly to printing and not used online first.
BUT, for digital artist, that
conversion can cause strange things to happen to the colors. There
are certain parts of the spectrum that are unavailable in RBG, and
others that are difficult to reproduce in CMYK. Obviously, reviewing
it on a screen is imperfect, but it usually reveals color problems,
and allows them to be fixed!
(This is from a great article!)
Even if you are working in black and
white, you will still need files that are the correct output, and
CMYK is fine.
Rich Blacks
It is not uncommon for people to
convert the blacks of a comic to Rich Blacks for printing. This is
particularly important for very dark comics! If a black is coded as
just being the “K” part of CMYK, then it's actually only getting
one layer of ink. If there's anything being printed underneath it,
even just “artifacts” that are covered by it in the finished
image, they may show through. Rich Black is the layering of all four
colors of ink to make the darkest black (just like your art teacher
made you do in 1020...)This is recommended for all lettering and
bubbles, to make them very legible over the art.
In Conclusion - taking a moment to consider printing guidelines before you even start writing, drawing, and producing your comic will save you a lot of trouble in the long run!
In the next segment I'll talk about the language of printers, pricing your book, and funding. Stay tuned!
Note from the MC: this article is written courtesy of Pink Pitcher, Author of Root And Branch, which is currently on its third published volume. A tip of the hat to you Pink!
Note from the MC: this article is written courtesy of Pink Pitcher, Author of Root And Branch, which is currently on its third published volume. A tip of the hat to you Pink!
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Technique Tuesday May 8: Food In Comics
Today, the Etherington Brothers give us a guide on food in comics.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Sunday Revue May 6: Waste Of Time, The Comic
Sit Back And Reeeeelax This Sunday, It's Time For
Growing up, getting by, getting a date and getting the groceries. Millenial life distilled into a strip, that's Waste Of Time. Written by Mel Cormac, Waste Of Time can be read at this link. The story revolves around two brothers, Seth and Jon, and their attempts to navigate adulthood...with mixed results.
The Rating
Sorry lads. You've got a ways to go.
The Raves
There's a definite sense of snarky humor in this strip, fitting for a handful of young adults trying to figure out which end to hang onto life by. It's definitely worth a couple chuckles. Treated as a gag-a-day, I'd class it as a good college strip to read between classes with a sympathetic smile.
As a reader I was impressed with the sheer persistence of the creator. They've come a long way from the semi-stick figures of 2009, gaining a better sense of style and use of color. The characters live through many relatable situations with comedic and reflective takes on situations we've all been in.
As a reader I was impressed with the sheer persistence of the creator. They've come a long way from the semi-stick figures of 2009, gaining a better sense of style and use of color. The characters live through many relatable situations with comedic and reflective takes on situations we've all been in.
The Razzes
Unfortunately, that's where the comic's appeal starts to flag. There are a lot of things to improve. A few suggestions:
*Favicon
Even a rookie website ought to have a favicon, and a comic this old is long past due for this grace note. Adding one is simple. The html is <head profile="http://www.w3.org/2005/10/profile">
<link rel="icon"
type="image/png"
href="http://example.com/myicon.png">
For a little more detail, take a look at this site.
Style
There are a lot of comic styles. A very short list includes:
Western (European, American)
Basic Comic (Little Lulu, Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Garfield)
Superhero Comics (Marvel/DC)
Classic Cartoony (Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse)
90’s Retro Cartoony (Thick Black outlines, sharp edges, Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls)
Noir (Black and White, Detective, 1940’s themed)
Modern Cartoony (Thin Lines, Subdued colors, Steven Universe, Clarence)
Anime Inspired (Avatar, Legend of Korra, The Boondocks, Totally Spies)
East Asian (Japan, China, Korea)
Anime (Japanese animation, Naruto, One Piece, Dragonball)
Dong Hua Pian (Chinese cartoon, Kuibo)
Manhwa (Pucca, Hello Jadoo)
You get the idea. If I had to guess, Waste Of Time is trying to fall into the Basic Comic bin, but there's a difference between being stylistic and being in need of a little more work. For example, Ted Rall draws editorial cartoons that are quite rough, but they are saying something in their style. Rall states "To me a good political cartoon is something that makes you think about things in a new way. It’s not necessarily going to change your mind. But it might get you thinking, get you started along a line of thinking, that causes you to check things out more thoroughly. It might make you more able to articulate opinions that you already had." in his article. Like XKCD and The Oatmeal, they make definite statements that they're intending to be satirically funny with their style that is deceptively oversimplified.
Every artist should ask themselves what their style says to readers. Soft, bright colors and rounded shapes like Dennis the Menace or Calvin and Hobbes tell us that everything is safe and we can relax on a Sunday morning. Intentionally rough work like Rall's stuff, The Far Side and The Oatmeal tell us satire is in the offing.
Hard lines and harsh shadows tell us that a rough story is coming, a la Watchmen. Mixed media and watercolor aka Sandman tell us to expect the unexpected. But what does Waste Of Time tell us?
Well, the colors are there, but the bodies mainly tell us that the artist is aiming for realism and missing. If the creator likes the cartoon style, here's some great books and resources:
The Revue
Well, the comic named itself Waste Of Time. It's not quite that...but it's not the Mona Lisa.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Technique Tuesday: Varied Skintones
Working on getting varied skin tones right? Mary Winkler can help!
Re-blogged from https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/a-quick-lesson-on-using-different-skin-tones-in-portrait-illustration--vector-9075
Here's a quick theory lesson on choosing skin tones, shadows, blush colors, and adding to warm or cool palettes. A great jumping board for figurative pieces and creating your own skin palettes. Skin tones are often a challenge for some, but with a little insight into a variety of palettes, you'll find it a lot easier than you think.
Let's Start With an Ambiguous Base
Let's start with a fresh face. I chose some features that are a bit ambiguous in terms of ethnicity. For a real piece, more than just skin tone. would be changed from person to person.
Skin Tones for the Lighter Skinned
Starting with light/Caucasian skin, I've chosen a peach color with a yellow-orange undertone. It's light, but not really pink.
The shadows for this tone are darker with a more orange tint.
For blush tones, I went for an orange/pink. Think of sunsets and watermelon in terms of this hue.
An optional step is to make the top lip a pink or red tone instead of the shadow tone.
The bottom lip was set as a light pink instead of the main skin color.
All of the tones in this set are orange based. For highlights check out this light orange-pink hue.
I've set it as a gradient going from the highlight color at 100% to the same color at 0% Opacity.
Skin Tones for Olive Tinted Complexions
Moving on to a darker skin tone. This one is a bit more olive. It's a cooler tone.
I play with two different shadow colors for this tone. One is cooler than the other. You can mix a cool undertone with a warm shadow tone to make your person a bit more real. The shadow tones may also depend on your overall color scheme. The pink used for the blush is more of an orange-mauve.
The tone I chose for highlights on this olive-toned skin is a light tan. To subdue it, I've applied it as a gradient going from the highlight to the base skin color.
Here's the warmer shadow color I mentioned. It's like a pink-tan. The color on the lower lip is just a lighter version of it.
Skin Tones With a Peach Base
Next up is a peach skin tone. Unlike the other light skin color, this one stresses pink more than orange. The HEX number for this color is #F2B9A5.
The shadow for this one keeps true to the pink-red tone of the base color. It's a very warm tone. Changing it to something cooler alters the entire look of the skin color. The HEX number is #DC7F6E.
For the highlights, try a light, creamy version of the base peach.
The blush tone is very, very pink in comparison to the ones used before.
Skin Tones for Warm Cocoa Complexions
Let's warm things up with a light cocoa color. There's a lot of shades similar to this tone, so feel free to explore.
The shadow color is a neutral tone. You can make the choice to warm it up by pulling the green arrow to the left (if you want is darker) or the red arrow to the right (if you want it lighter). To cool it down, pull the blue arrow to the right and adjust. Too much blue will make the shadows look unnatural or like something blue is reflecting on your figure.
The highlight color is a creamy, peachy tan. Something whiter or more yellow would throw off the warmth of the skin tone.
The blush tone is a very dark rose.
Skin Tones With a Dark Cool Palette
The last skin tone. I'm covering this time is a variation on a very dark brown. I'm skewing this to a cool palette so it goes along with the dark purple I chose for the line work.
The shadow color is a bit cooler than the base tone. It's got a very blue undertone to it. You can choose something more red, brown, or purple, but it would alter the entire palette.
The highlight color is a warm, buttery beige. It will be subdued in the same manner the other highlights were (by applying a gradient to the shape and altering the opacity).
Some notes on how changing tones can alter the appearance of the colors around it. The blush tone shown here is cool. It comes off as a purple against the chosen skin tone.
The blush color chosen here is much, much warmer. It glows against the skin color. Notice how this blush color compliments the highlights better than the purple blush above.
Conclusion
The breakdown of skin tones above are just a starting point for creating realistic portraits and figurative pieces. Trying out different ethnicities in your portrait work will help you learn further variations and give you more insight into the contrasts of the skin. Until next time, happy creating!
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