2/24 - The comic process

When someone complains about the price of a comic page I will show him/her this little post 😜

 ✅ Step 1: I have to read the story and understand the background and know the characters. Sometimes I have to make previous designs because there are characters that are not designed. And other times I have to make some research if it's a fanfiction and I'm not familiar with the show.

✅ Step 2: I plan each page, making some quick doodles and taking notes. I estimate the total amount of pages, the panels on every page and the dialogues in them based on the text. Sometimes the text doesn't have dialogues and I have to create them.

✅Step 3: The drawing stage starts here. It's the slowest part for me. I have to think about making it look dynamic, using different angles and poses. I prefer to work in small sets of pages because this stage can be very time and mind consuming.

✅ Step 4: If the client approves the sketches it's time to clean the lineart. But before that, I have to draw the text bubbles properly on Illustrator. Then I start making the lineart, only for the characters.

✅ Step 5: I add flat colors to the previous lines. If the characters have lots of details stages 4 and 5 are slower.

✅ Step 6: I add shading to the previous colors. I use cell shading to color, if I use other kind of shading I would spend double the time.

✅ Step 7: When the main characters are done it's time to make the lineart for the backgrounds.

✅ Step 8: I add flat colors to the backgrounds.

✅ Step 9: I shade the backgrounds.

✅ Step 10: I add some lighting effects or other details if needed. Page finished.

Now try to estimate the amount of hours I need for a single page. And consider that I have to discount the taxes to the price. It's an arduous work.