A Comic Page from Start to Finish, Part 2

At the end of A Comic Page from Start to Finish, Part 1, I had finished inking the page from my webcomic Teach English in Japan. Now I move on to the next step:

Part 6: Scanning it to the Computer

My page is larger than my scanner so I usually need to scan it in 3 or 4 sections, once it’s all scanned I will use the Photomerge function to get Photoshop to stitch all the pieces together. File -> Automate -> Photomerge… I’ve found this tool works really well.

I usually scan my work at 300dpi at 100% because I plan to print my work some day.

I love to get caught up on all my podcasts while I do my computer work.

Once I have the merge I check for errors and if it looks good I flatten the image and run levels to boost my inks and lighten my paper. Once that’s done, I drag guides to mark off all my panels. Then using the guides I drag selection boxes over all my panels using shift to make multiple selections. I usually inverse my selections and delete any marks outside the panel areas. Once that’s done, I reset the selection and convert the selections into work paths. Then I set a 3-5pt black pencil and stroke the work path.

I do this because I find it gives a nice straight and consistent line that I just can’t create by hand. Now this is where the art is at:

Part 7: Convert to Grayscale

Now is the fun part, which is the toning. I will usually convert to Grayscale so I can focus on the grays. I will duplicate my layer and set it as a multiply layer so I can paint on it while retaining my black lines. I generally use a small bamboo tablet with the pencil tool; it works really well.

I will try to outline an object and then flood the rest with the paint bucket.

Eventually I get it toned to a point I like; I try to use the tones to add depth to the work without going overboard.

Part 8: Signs

I also add some extra effects to the artwork by creating signage for the train station.

I make all my signs in Illustrator because it lets me make flat 2D designs with type quite quickly. In this case, I designed the sign for the train station:

 

Once I have this created, I can select all the elements and copy and paste them into Photoshop as smart objects. For this image, I can leave it flat as is and just scale it to size, but I did have to use the skew and distort tools to put it on angles and in perspective.

Here we go, ready to letter now!

Part 9: Lettering

I like to keep a copy in layers in case I need to make changes and I save a flattened copy as a 300dpi grayscale tiff using LZW compression. This file can be used when I print my comic in the future.

I decided to add some text to this page. The train arrival wouldn’t be complete without the conductor loudly announcing the stop. So I will add some lettering using Illustrator.

I use Illustrator to letter for a few reasons. One is that Illustrator is what professional letterers at companies such as Marvel and DC use. Another is that Illustrator makes the letters as vectors so they stay much crisper and cleaner than in Photoshop. Lastly, I am much more comfortable working with Illustrator.

I will place my flattened tiff in Illustrator and lock that layer. Then I will create a second layer to do my lettering. I’ll start my drawing an oval with a 3pt black stroke and a white fill using the oval tool.

Then I will use the crystallize tool to make it a spikey oval:

Next I will draw another oval inside this shape. I will use this oval as area type to keep my letters inside the shape. In this case I will have the added challenge of typing in Japanese and adding the English “subtitles” underneath in gray.

Once that is done my page is ready to publish.

Part 10: The Final Copy

I just use the “Export for Web” function in Illustrator to make a JPG copy. Then I don’t have to worry about resetting the colours or the resolution.

I can upload my web optimized JPG to my Comicpress and that’s my web comic ready to roll!

Since I am planning to print my work I will save my high-res tiff and illustrator file in a special folder. Eventually I will delete the image from my Illustrator file and combine the letters file and the image file using InDesign which will make my finished book. But that’s a whole other blog post!

I hope this has been illuminating on my comic making process.