How to Make a Comic Strip

This is how to draw your own personal comic strip. However, it could be used as a sketch for a comic strip idea.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• ability to draw a figure resembling a human being or other characters such as animals, aliens
• pencil
• paper
• ruler or specially printed out paper with boxes together that resembles a comic strip

1. 
   Four Panel Paper

   The first thing to do is make an amount of squares or panels the comic strip is to be. Most comic strips are 3 to 4 panels in length, but can be just 1 panel at times or some in the Sunday paper can be more. Also, common for some strips at times is a story line to be continued at a later date.
   The panels can be hand drawn with a ruler or made on the computer and printed out.

2. Decide what the strip is about or what is to be expressed in the strip--needed is an idea that can be expressed in about 3 to 4 panels or that can be continued at a later date. Most comic strips still are about humor, although some are not. a title can be added at this time, but may be changed later in the process if a better one is thought up later.

3. Decide what the characters are to look like. A good thing about comic strips is that art skills don't have to be perfect, just be able to draw a simple character. Take for example, the "Ziggy" strip--the main character has no hair and simple features. The humorous story line is more important to the strip.

4. Draw your characters and story line into the comic strip. The story lines are usually not narrated--although some strips have been. Most of the story takes place in talk or thought bubbles by the characters. Most funny strips kind of resemble an illustrated joke.

5. When staisfied the strip is what is desired to be expressed and the characters look as desired, the comic strip is done. It may be scanned and put on a blog or web page, shared with friends, or just kept for personal use. By any means, it's a fun way to express one's self!

Tips & Warnings

• A comic strip is usually toward the simpler side of art--don't overcomplicate it.
• Pictures are in the works to be added at a later date to this article.
• I recommend hand drawing--unless one has good computer software that allows drawing with a specialized input pen or stylus--it is near impossible to get decent drawings out of a computer--and highly time consuming if one does.

[duncan411]

on 8/7/2008 I LOVE comics!