How to Make Your Own Comic for Free

Making a comic from scratch

You've heard the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well, comics are the embodiment of complex thoughts in a single picture. Comics' two components, pictures and words, are a cartoonist's way of poking fun at the good and bad in life. Even if your goal is not to create a famous comic strip like Garfield or an unforgettable character like Batman, you can create a comic strip to share with family and friends. Creating a comic costs nothing but time, and with an array of free websites, like MakeBeliefsComix to choose from, drawing the cartoon is a cinch.

Instructions

Creating a Comic

1. Decide what type of style you want for your comic. Styles range from the classic one-row panel to freestyle panels of any size and shape.

2. Compose the story outline. Include the characters and setting. The outline summarizes your ideas for the cartoon panels.

3. Draw each cartoon panel. The most common type of comic style we recognize is found in the Sunday paper--two rows that are comprised of three to four panels each. If you don't know how to draw, take a few minutues to sign up with free websites like Sketch Star and Pixton; they help you draw and animate the cartoons for your comic.

4. Add dialogue balloons. You can create conversation between characters or show a thought a character is having. If you don't want to add dialogue balloons, the common practice is to write a clever line in each cartoon panel to describe what is going on.

5. Add color to your comic. Black and white comics are all right, but color brings each cartoon to life, thereby making the comic more enjoyable.

6. Write your title. The title is the first thing a reader will notice about your comic. Experiment with fonts that make your title as vivid as each cartoon.

Sharing Your Comic

1. Scan your comic and save it as a JPEG file.

2. Print as many copies as you want to hand out to family and friends.

3. Email the comic to distant family and friends; you can post a copy of your comic on your favorite social networking page to share with more friends around the world.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you sign your comic. Professional comic strip creators make their signature a recognizable part of the background.

• Learn about copyright laws if you plan to publish your comic or enter it in a contest.

References

• "Cartoon America--Comic Art in the Library of Congress"; Harry Katz (editor); 2006
• Make Beliefs Comix

Resources

• "The New Yorker--Cartoon Caption Contest Book"; Robert Mankoff (editor); 2008
• Sketch Star
• Pixton