If you enjoy expressing yourself creatively, creating your own comic or web series is a fun way to do it. Comics have come a long way in the 100 years or so they have been around, and there are endless variations in styles, narratives and genres represented. Here’s how to start the process of creating your own comic adventure.
Brainstorm Ideas
When you sit down to start your design, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, decide how you may want to use the character, since this will help you know what direction to go in. A children’s cartoon could be an animal with bright colors, while an old-fashioned style of character would have more muted colors and lines.
During this planning phase, consider if you want to create multiple stories involving your character. If so, think about how often you’d like to make a new entry into the series and the length of each.
Develop Features and Personality
Redec’s Sketchbook
After you have a basic plan, start sketching. A two-dimensional drawing is not as interesting as a character with lots of shading and realistic details, so use that creativity. When you design your character’s face, consider the features that convey emotion. Eyebrows and eyes can look happy or angry, sad or concerned, so use these to show how your character feels at certain times during the comic strip or episode. A mouth is a great indicator of emotion, so be creative and show teeth or create wrinkles around the mouth to look even more real.
Electronic Animation
Image via Flickr by vancouverfilmschool
With so many technological advances, you can create a sketch of your character by hand, then transfer him or her to the computer. This makes it easier to create thousands of images, which will then work together to create a graphic novel or even a full length animated episode. When you check out the options available in electronic animation, you can start to transform your character into a lively star of his or her own comic series.
Start Writing
Redec’s Sketchbook
Once you create your character, start thinking about clever storylines that would appeal to a broad range of audiences. Think about different outfits that your character will wear in these storylines, and start drawing them to see how they look. If your comic is for children, decide what age group you will write for. If you prefer an adult audience, start writing humorous jokes and concepts that will make people laugh.
Comics can appeal to a broad range of emotions, so feel free to experiment with a few different story angles and emotions in order to appeal to different people.
Organize a Portfolio
Art by Ken Pudiosaki
After you have a character and a storyline, create your first book. Use bright colors and show your new character in a lot of different situations, since this broadcasts your imagination and creativity. Creating a portfolio that shows off your talents, and include other characters and ideas that you might have.
From there, start looking for publishing companies, either hard copies or online publishers. Search the web often for the latest websites looking to publish graphic novels or comics.
If you offer a new and fresh idea and can find an interested party, your comic might just be the next breakout hit.
Featured image by Wayne Nichols.
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