Comic Book Cover Tutorial
A dynamic and well-designed comic book cover will jump out at and attract potential readers. An effective cover will also give readers strong clues about the subject matter and content. When making a comic book cover, there is a lot of room for creative liberty, however if you are creating your first comic book, knowing some industry standards that will help you create a professional-looking, first-rate cover.
Instructions
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Determine the dimensions of your cover. The dimensions can be whatever you want, however standard comic book dimensions are 6 5/8 inches by 10 1/4 inches.
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Cut a piece of cardstock paper based on the dimensions using a paper cutter. If you like to work large, the dimensions can be adjusted digitally after it is scanned. In this case, the dimension ratio should still equal what the final dimensions will be so the imagery does not get squished or stretched when it is printed.
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Sketch out the imagery and text using a pencil. The imagery is typically of the main character (or characters) in a characteristic pose or performing a characteristic action and should effectively communicate what the comic book is about. The imagery fills the page and the comic book title is typically placed at the top of the page. The title should be well integrated with the imagery and should not obstruct any necessary elements. If you plan on making more comic books, include the issue number and month. This is often placed at the top left corner, but any other corner is also acceptable. Include a subtitle below the main title or at the bottom of the page, if there is one.
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4
Ink the outlines with a black ink pen and color in the imagery with artist’s markers. You may want to scan the black and white version before coloring for your archives.
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Scan your image and create an image file with a high-quality resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI). Adjust the image size to your pre-determined dimensions. To avoid image cropping during the printing process, subtract a half an inch from the width and height.
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