How to Draw a Comic Book

Comic books originally became popular in the mid-1930's. Kids loved to follow the stories of their favorite superheroes, often saving up their allowance just to spend it all when a new issue of their favorite comic book came out. A lot has changed since then. Comic books have become a bit edgier, and they are not always about superheroes or mega-villains, though those are still the most popular. Read on for things to keep in mind while drawing your own comic book.

Things You'll Need

• 2H pencil
• HB pencil
• Waterproof India ink
• Ruler
• Bristol paper
• White out

Instructions

1. Set up your work space. You will want to gather all of your materials, and set up a work space where you can be creative. Whether it is your dining room table or a desk in the basement, you will want to get yourself situated in an area where you can feel comfortable writing and drawing your comic.

2. Know your materials. You will need to have the right pencils to start drawing your comic. For lighter lines, you will need to use a 2H pencil. For darker lines, use an HB pencil. India ink can be used to ink and color your comic panels. Of course, you will need Bristol paper to draw your comics on.

3. Sketch a rough draft of your comic. Doing this will help you keep the correct pace of your comic book and determine how you write the script. Also, it will be easier to reference later when working on your final product. Use cheap pens and paper during this step, you will probably discard a lot of this material.

4. Determine your panel size. You can use any size paper you desire, but keep the proportions to scale so they can be sized down to fit your page when printing. A general rule of thumb is to keep your proportions at two units wide by every three units high. Also, keep in mind you will want to leave a 1/2-inch border around each panel.

5. Use your ruler to draw your panels. Straight lines will go a long way in making your comic book look professional. Also, use your ruler to determine horizon lines and perspective within your panels.

6. Draw your comic! Use your rough draft comic as a guide. Do not rush through this process because it is the most important. Depending on the length of your comic book, this can take days, weeks or even months.

7. Ink your comic. Now that the pencil part is out of the way, you will need to go over your lines in India ink to make your panels look vivid. Trace all of your lines and color as desired. Using the ink pens may take some getting used to, but the end result will be much more rewarding than using a marker.

8. Erase stray pencil lines once the ink has dried. Be sure not to erase before the ink is fully dry so to be sure you do not smudge the ink.

9. Letter your comic book. This means adding any text to your comic. Hand lettering is more expressive, but if you do not trust your own handwriting, there are computer programs available or devices you can use. Both of these are most likely available at your local craft or hobby shop.

10. Make it perfect. Do not be afraid to use white out to fix mistakes as needed!

Tips & Warnings

• The materials list noted above is a simply a suggestion to the types of things you will want to have when creating your comic. If these are simply out of your budget, do not let not having the right materials stand in your way of creating your comic book. You will just have to be extra creative to make the comic book you have always dreamed of.