My very first comic panel

Freelancer · Aug 11, 2010

Well, I wanted to do a comic novel someday and I've just started to outline my one and I did three test draws. I don't know this style or approach is acceptable at all (I never did comic novel before.). But I'd like to ask your honest opinion about it.

In my plans the colors are going to be white and black + their shades just as I use them now (It's easier to me to work on this way, plus this style would fit better to the story.).

Nightfall Test Panel

Miss Plum · Aug 11, 2010

I'm no art critic, but that looks pretty cool to me. Here are a few things I like about it:

The "inking." White/lite grey outlines, very cool. I'm not a big fan of inks, since they make the artwork too comic-booky. But this is nice.
The rendering.
Nice face in #1.
Poses are nice. They seem a little relaxed, could use a tad more muscle tension if you mean for them to be in action sequences, but it seems to me your anatomical skills are sweet.

orion_mk3 · Aug 11, 2010

I can't pretend to be any kind of an expert, but that panel really looks exceptional! The balance of light and dark gives the art a gritty style which reminds me a bit of Frank Miller, but the characters and their equipment have a much more realistic style. If your goal was to portray space as a dark, lonely, and dangerous place, you've succeeded admirably!

Freelancer · Aug 11, 2010

Thank you and I'm glad both of you like it.

If your goal was to portray space as a dark, lonely, and dangerous place

Yes. That would be the essence. I wanted to capture an exact atmosphere, which describes the world and the main conflict.

Freelancer · Aug 11, 2010

I've just finished an additional test panel, this time with some texts. I hope the order of the texts is correct.

Nightfall (Bellerophon) Test Panel

I'm gladly accepting any advice from experts, because I don't have a clue this is the correct order of the dialogues or not (i.e. I don't know how to present that the right dialogue is coming from the character's TV. Is there any way to show this with the right dialogue bubbles?).

Wolvel · Aug 11, 2010

Freelancer said:
I've just finished an additional test panel, this time with some texts. I hope the order of the texts is correct.

Nightfall (Bellerophon) Test Panel

I'm gladly accepting any advice from experts, because I don't have a clue this is the correct order of the dialogues or not (i.e. I don't know how to present that the right dialogue is coming from the character's TV. Is there any way to show this with the right dialogue bubbles?).

Well the first bit of advise I can give you is to go get some graphic novels so you can get an idea as to layout, flow, and dialogue.

Your art is great, I like the hard darks you have used good for lights and shadows.

Now the dialogue balloons, you need to make the spoken dialogue in round word balloons and texts in rectangle ones. What I mean is the two need to be in different shape balloons so the reader can tell them apart.

And if you wonder I have collected, studied, and read comics for over 30 years. I have also studied the behind the scenes making of to see what a typical book takes to make.

I also write and draw my own works as well.

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks for the advise. So I should use round balloon for the character's dialogue and rectangle for the TV announcer. Check!

I should study more comic novels, just as you suggested and as you did for your work. I entered to uncharted waters with comic books.

BTW. Where can I see and read your works?

Wolvel · Aug 12, 2010

Freelancer said:
Thanks for the advise. So I should use round balloon for the character's dialogue and rectangle for the TV announcer. Check!

I should study more comic novels, just as you suggested and as you did for your work. I entered to uncharted waters with comic books.

BTW. Where can I see and read your works?

I haven't published any of my work, my most recent works have been novel form only. My art suffered a blow back in the early 90's and I am just now getting back to speed(long story).

What I meant by rectangle boxes would be for naration.

Example: you may put in a box something like... Beta Centauri system, Gama district.
or: Midnight, slum sector eleven.

The box lets a narrative voice set up your scenes.

go here for free examples of what I mean http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/free/

Click on the Spider-man issues where he faces the Juggernaut for examples plus if you have more questions I own the original issue and can help you with it.

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

go here for free examples of what I mean http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/free/

Thanks! This is going to be very useful.
http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/free/

Wolvel · Aug 12, 2010

Freelancer said:
Thanks! This is going to be very useful.

Your welcome, like I said I read and studied comics for 30 years so the best way to learn how is to study the ones already printed to get the idea for flow and layouts.

The main thing about doing comics and full pages is you have to remember each little panel is a work of art that has to connect to the next panel in some way. The best comic storytellers can tell the story with art only no words, if you can do that the rest is easy.

Best example of art telling the story would be the 1980's Marvel Comics series of G.I. Joe issue #21 where Snake-Eyes has to rescue Scarlett and the whole story is done without any words whatsoever.

dpaterso · Aug 12, 2010

Nicely done, if anything I'd say the dialogue font and balloons aren't classy enough for the art, which looks good.

Handy reference-in-a-nutshell from pro artist/letterer Nate Piekos: http://www.blambot.com/grammar.shtml

-Derek

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks! At least I already know how to solve that radio / TV stuff.

May I ask what is the standard font which would be good for this style?

Wolvel · Aug 12, 2010

Freelancer said:
Thanks! At least I already know how to solve that radio / TV stuff.

May I ask what is the standard font which would be good for this style?

To be honest all of my word balloons and narrative boxes have been done by hand. I have seen different techniques used such as a old typewriter print look for a Conan series. You just need to find the style that suits what you want for the sreies and go from there.

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks. I'll try to choose a normal font in this case.

In the meantime I've created another Character Test and a Weather / Bubble Test.

So if I understand the link that dpaterso gave, an off screen dialogue between a character and a character who is speaking via a radio should look like on this way.

Axler · Aug 12, 2010

Well, if you lived within reasonable traveling distance to Cape Cod, you could attend the 48th Annual Cape Cod Writer's Conference and take our graphic novel writing course on the 19th and 20th of August.

http://www.capecodwriterscenter.com/index.html

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

I would gladly attend, but unfortunately I'm living far away from Cape Cod.

Bicyclefish · Aug 12, 2010

I agree the font doesn't suit the comic. Blambot has a lot of free fonts you can try out, but those are for non profit use only. Grab a paid one -- they're not that much -- if you plan to sell your graphic novel.

Freelancer said:
I would gladly attend, but unfortunately I'm living far away from Cape Cod.

You're in Hungary?

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

Well, I can buy one or I can make my own fonts too with a font editor. It's not that hard as I already did it in the past. But personally I would use some sort of standard comic font, which fits to a dark sci-fi and I can use it as a temporary while I'm finishing this stuff (Adding the final fonts, the final layout would be the final round so in the present it's really matter what I use. But I'm intending to use something which would fit to the world.). Any ideas?

Bicyclefish · Aug 12, 2010

Not sure if there's a standard comic font, but something like http://www.blambot.com/font_comicgeek.shtml is pretty typical in that most comics use all caps--with the exception that the letter "I" has an "upper case" version. But it's not a rule. Since you'll probably change it later, I suggest grabbing a a couple free fonts for now and trying out the general look, maybe Smack Attack or Crimefighter. Dafont.com also has a lot of free fonts to try out.

I personally have a hard time picking fonts. Give me too many choices and I'm like a kid in a candy store.

On a tangent, I took a look at your website. Is that all your own artwork? If so, do you work traditionally (pen, ink, pencil) or digitally (2d and/or 3d)? Just curious.

Freelancer · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks. Smack attack or Crimefighter. I'm going to check them.

On a tangent, I took a look at your website. Is that all your own artwork? If so, do you work traditionally (pen, ink, pencil) or digitally (2d and/or 3d)? Just curious.

Yes. All of them are my work. Maybe not the best, maybe someone could do them better... well, I never considered myself as a real pro, but I'm proud for them. Especially for the art of the winged lady. She is my personal favorite (She looks better in high resolution on the Crystal Shade: Angeni website.).

Actually I used to work on both way and if it's necessary I also used to make CGI animations, sometimes for promo purpose, sometimes for fun, sometimes for work (i.e. the eagle shaped craft has a nice CGI animation too. Or Nightfall has a short CGI teaser trailer. I did them for fun and also for promo purposes.). But it's always depending on my mood.

In the last years, especially since I started to make the arts for Crystal Shade (This is just a very small percentage of the concepts.) and the concepts of Nightfall, I prefer digital artwork. It's faster. But I design almost everything on paper first.

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