Create a Manga Page in Ten Steps

In the video below, I will show you how to create a manga page in ten steps. I based my comic page off my fish Hanabi Baka Sake. 

1. Write the Story
2. Layout the Story
3. Draw Guidelines
4. Sketch the Page
5. Ink the Page
6. Erase Pencil Marks
7. Scan
8. Art Program
9. Add Text
10. Add Screentones (Color)

© 2013 Jenna Bastian

© 2013 Jenna Bastian

Comic Book: Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing

There are two options to publish your comic book: through a company or by yourself. There are pros and cons to both choices. Traditional publishing provides your comic more exposure, gets you credibility, and a wider distribution. Some cons are they have power over how your art and title will look like, give you low royalty rates, are very hard to break into because you are competing with many others, and you may lose some rights of your comic book. [1] Here is a list of comic book publishing companies:

• DC Comics 
• Marvel 
• TokyoPop 
• DarkHorse 

Self publishing allows you to work on your own pace, you control the price and cover, can easily make changes, great royalty rates, and every decision is yours. But you will have to do all the work: “establish a publishing company, purchase an ISBN, get the cover created, lay out the text, get listed with distributors…” so you will need a lawyer or a publishing assistant. [2]

Another option is publishing your comic book online using e-books with Amazon’s Kindle.  You can also publish your comic books through online comic sites like DigitalManga or ComiXology. Some on demand publishers, like Kablam, have their own website for self-publishers to promote their comics. Since people are buying online more often in these times, it will be a good idea to have your comic book in a digital format and sell those through your own website.

Sources:

[1] Klems, Brian A. (2012, June 11). The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing (& Traditional Publishing). Writersdigest. Retrieved from http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-pros-and-cons-of-self-publishing-traditional-publishing.

[2] Chandler, Stephanie. (2011, October 19). The Pros and Cons of Traditional vs. Self Publishing. Retrieved from http://authoritypublishing.com/book-publishing/the-pros-and-cons-of-traditional-vs-self-publishing/.

Character Traits and Personalities

Characters need traits and personalities which the reader can relate to. To make a character memorable, Glen Strathy says to make each character unique by giving them “tags” which are basically physical traits the reader will recognize them by. “Tags can include physical traits, clothing preferences, hairstyles, habitual mannerisms, facial expressions, speech habits, noises the character makes, or even scents – anything, in fact, that a person interacting with the character would notice about him.” [1] Lee Masterson creates a name that is easy for the reader to remember the character by and give the character a set of problems/dilemmas and how they solve them. His or her choices will show the reader what he or she is like as a person based on the decisions made. [2]

Creating a character profile form will help organize your character’s information. You can also answer these 10 questions to create a believable character [3]: 

1. Where does your character live?
2. Where is your character from?
3. How old is your character?
4. What is your character called?
5. What does your character look like?
6. What kind of childhood did he or she have?
7. What does your character do for a living?
8. How does your character deal with conflict or change?
9. Who else is in your character’s life?
10. What is your character’s goal or motivation in this story or scene?

Make a personality quiz for your characters. You’ll be able to tell which of your characters are more distinct and interesting, and then choose them to be the main characters. This also will show you if two of your characters act too similar. Furthermore, by giving this personality quiz to friends or family, you can base the character off the person who acts more like him or her.

Sources:

[1] Strathy, Glen C. (2011). How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable. Retrieved from http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/create-characters.html.

[2] Masterson, Lee. (2001). Creating Memorable Characters. Retrieved from http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/characters.shtml.

[3] Wiehardt, Ginny. (2013). Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters. Retrieved from http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/createcharacter.htm.

Forming Characters

A character’s appearance plays a significant role in a comic book. Their face expressions, body language, dress, and customs make them more real to the readers. The genres and comic book style affect what the character will dress and look like. Learning how to draw human, or even animal, poses will help your comic.  Depending on your style, character face expressions could be drawn somewhat in a realistic or cartoon manner. [1][2] Draw various poses of your character that show movement so he or she won’t be as static as the comic page. [3] There are many YouTubers with excellent tutorials. [4][5][6] Here is a list of a few:

• Mark Crilley - an American manga artist
• DrawWithJazza - weekly tutorials and speedpaintings
• LighterNoteProd - drawing tips, tricks, and techniques

Genres and comic styles affect how character will look like. In this infographic, I drew Hanabi Baka Sake in the diverse ways of drawing a character. The characters line-art can be as clean or messy as you want it to be, what is most important is your story and how your character acts in it. 

Sources:

[1] Njay. (2010, June 30). Expressions. Retrieved from http://www.deviantart.com/art/Expressions-169617254

[2] Lorenz, Nancy. (2007, July 4). 25 expressions challenge – Eriu. Retrieved from http://ravietta.deviantart.com/art/25-expressions-challenge-Eriu-382841573

[3] Athena King, Shamine. (2011, February 14). Body Frame Doodles. Retrieved from http://canadian-rainwater.deviantart.com/art/Body-Frame-Doodles-197390182

[4] Crilley, Mark. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilley/videos

[5] Jazza. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/DrawWithJazza/videos

[6] Dunn, Alphonso. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/LighterNoteProd/videos

Materials for Comic Books

Just like any art piece, novel, or project, comic books require a set of materials. Mark Crilley goes over what materials he uses as a comic artist in his video. Here is a basic list, though of course you don’t need all of these:

• Sketchbook: to draw/write ideas
• Strathmore smooth surface Bristol: cardstock paper for comic book pages
• Pencils and Sharpeners
• Prismacolor Kneaded Eraser
• Black Prismacolor Pencil
• Artist Ink Pens of various thickness: Pigma Micron, Copic, Faber Castiel
• Watercolors: Grumbacher, Winsor & Newton
• Color Pastels
• Color Pencils: Prismacolor (Verithin and Ordinary)
• Color Markers: Copic, Touch
• India Ink
• White Designers Gouache, White Acrylic, White-Out
• Different size brushes

With the traditional materials, you may need a scanner and an art program to edit, color, or add text to the comic page. A good site for text is Blambot which has free dialogue, sound fx, design, and symbol fonts for comic book artists to use. The two most prominent art programs used for comic books are Adobe Photoshop and Manga Studio. Paul Holden lists the pros and cons for both programs in his article. [2] This is a list of other digital art programs:

• Krita 
• MyPaint 
• ArtRage 
• GIMP 
• SAI
• SmoothDraw 

Though expensive, Wacom Tablets are helpful with art programs and are a faster than drawing with a mouse. Encyclopedias or other reference books are also useful, especially if your internet is not working. Get books of landscapes, cultures, clothing, anatomy, weapons, architecture, vehicles, or anything that will be of great help for your comic book.

Sources:

[1] Crilley, Mark. (2013, August 9). Mark Crilley’s Art Supplies: Everything I Use and Why. [Youtube]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBzCr_kNns.

[2] Holden, Paul. (2009, December 10). Manga Studio vs. Photoshop Part 1. Retrieved from http://www.pauljholden.com/blog/2009/12/10/manga-studio-vs-photoshop-part-1/.

Writing the Story

Writing the story before creating the comic book provides a solid plan for you to follow, and make it easier on you when you are laying out what parts of the story go on which page. When writing the story, you need to organize what is going to happen. There are many ways to organize your writing. J.K. Rowling used a chart to outline the chapters, their titles, a summary of each one and how it relates to the plot, and the subplots within. [1] Using 3 by 5 cards is another way of creating and organizing ideas for your story.  You write an event on each card and lay them out on the ground. Then you set them up in chronological order, fill in the gaps with content that will make your reader want to turn the page, plan where the chapter breaks are going to be, include cliffhangers, and write down your outline (or number the cards). [2] You can find other tactics like these on WritersDigest.

You can also improve your writing by reading books (and not just comic books) and analyzing what makes it so successful. Writing reviews or reading what other people write about a book is also helpful. This way you will learn what a reader expects from a good book and then apply those principles in your own work. Deb Aoki provides some reviewing tips on her article on how to review manga. [3] Also, write about your life experiences in a story format and email it to a friend or relative (maybe even draw it in comic page style). It’s good practice and I find that I use some of my life experiences when I work on my comic book.

Know how much writing is needed for the reader to understand what is going on in the story and include that in the comic book page. For me, successful comic books have an interesting hook, memorable plot and characters, and a strong ending.

Sources:

[1] Doland, Erin. (2010, October 12). Organize your writing, J.K. Rowling Style. Unclutterer. Retrieved from http://unclutterer.com/2010/10/12/organize-your-writing-j-k-rowling-style/

[2] Whitcomb, Laura. (2011, April 28). How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel. WritersDigest. Retrieved from http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/how-to-organize-and-develop-ideas-for-your-novel

[3] Aoki, Deb. (2010, January 22). Top 10 Manga Reviewing Tips – Simple Strategies and Helpful Tips for Writing Online Reviews. Retrieved from http://manga.about.com/od/readingcollectingmanga/tp/MangaReviewTips.htm

Self-Publishing your Comic Book

Self-publishing takes a lot of time and effort if you really want to make a name for yourself.  Steven Forbes says that when you’re self-publishing you may not reach to the level of DC and Marvel comics. You need to research on how other comics are doing, such as how many chapters other artists are releasing each week, what genres they are in, which audience they are directed to etc. Come up with a name that is memorable for your company, and save money for a lawyer. Hiring a lawyer will save you time and catch on things you miss regarding copyright or trademarks. “A trademark ™ is something that protects the intellectual property of your concept, name, and logo. A copyright © protects the intellectual properties of your story, script, and visual representation.” [1] Another form of copyright is the poorman’s copyright. It does not necessarily work because of the many loopholes, so it is better to save the money and get a copyright.

Advertise yourself and put your ideas on shirts, pins, stickers, etc. on websites like ThreadBird. Lull Mengesha shows how to self publish a book in his video in three simple steps: get a copyright, an ISBN number or barcode, and a print on demand publisher. [2] An example of a print on demand publisher is Kablam. A comic artist will have to use one of the various template provided by the website and make sure their work is within the boundaries. They can then send the files to Kablam and order as many copies as they want after they check that the first copy came out well. Kablam also has another site called IndyPlanet where comic artists can share and sell their comics. Some artists sell their comics digitally as well on sites such as CreateSpace, Lulu, or ones specifically made for comics like DigitalManga. 

Sources:

[1] Forbes, Steven. (2009, February 24). Week 24 – Self-Publishing. Retrieved from http://forums.projectfanboy.com/archive/index.php/t-2578.html

[2] Mengasha, Lull. (2010, February 20). Self Publishing a Book Explained in One Minute. [Youtube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL6KiC7i0Mk&feature=BFa&list=WLA61C50F1B715E315

Advice on Branding, Networking, Self-Promoting, and Motivation

Interview with Indra Balaratnam

Indra Balaratnam has a Masters in Law and is a Mitigation Investigator. She is a second cousin of mine from Britain and she recently gave me some helpful tips regarding my comic. I interviewed her for more information on small businesses, branding, blogging, etc. Below is the audio of the interview.

©2013 Jenna Bastian

Summary:

Indra talks about her friend from the Caribbean who has a clothing company and how he started it. By wearing his designs over the course of several months he was able to build a hype that spread across the university, so when he started to sell his shirts, his friends were willing to buy it. Indra says “It’s all about branding and how you put label out there…and making connections, networking is the biggest thing.” It’s good to make contacts in your field and expand on that. Always be nice to people in your field: Keep your friends close and enemies closer. 

Also be persistent, do what you can to be recognized. When blogging write about current events or whatever is trending. Write about something in a unique stance and send them to influential people.  “Some people are afraid to self promote. If you don’t do it no one will know it’s there.”  When you post your content online you’re saying “you have to courage to put your own stuff out there and it says a lot about you.”

Visit Indra’s two blogs Indrani and Shoot all the Bluejays, and her Caribbean friend’s successful Bayside Clothing Company. 

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Manga

Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a successful manga for several reasons. Among these reasons is Miyazaki’s portrayal of his female characters.

Similar to the female protagonist of most in Miyazaki’s films, Nausicaa demonstrates a masculine type of strength. Her father, Jhil – the headperson in the Valley of the Wind – is mortally sick. Because of this, Nausicaa is expected to partake in the war occurring during the beginning of the manga. Miyazaki, however, does not present her with the qualities normally associated with female protagonists. Miyazaki completely avoids presenting Nausicaa within any sexual context. The closest that he ever comes to this occurs during the final volume where, on only one page, she is shown naked in a bath. In context of the story though, this scene does not draw particular interest or distract from the story.

Nausicaa also demonstrates incredible physical skill. Compared to the physically pathetic female characters common in American media, Nausicaa clearly demonstrates that she has the ability to be entirely dependent. A seen that presents this clearly occurs during the first volume when Nausicaa faces off against a heavily armored soldier. The soldier swings his sword, but, in one motion, Nausicaa leaps over the soldier’s attack, pulls out her dagger, plunges it through an opening in the soldier’s armor around his neck, and kills him.

Nausicaa proves to be an excellent protagonist for reasons other than her incredible strength and independence. She also proves to be benevolent in ways that most societies applaud. When the final God soldier is awakened and attempting to destroy whoever happens to be nearby, Nausicaa shows motherly compassion towards the God soldier, however. She makes the incredible attempt to transform the God soldier into a weapon that does not kill. Through her compassion, she does succeed in doing this. Nausicaa’s ability to portray motherly aspects while never being impaired due to the stigmas that society has paired with female characters makes her, and the entire manga, successful.

Post written by Jeffrey Seebachan

Comic Styles: Comic Books

Comic book artists, similar to webcomics/comic strip illustrators, have their own recognizable style by the way they draw their characters, background, and how they use the font, panels, and placement. They are typically longer and have an ongoing plot with multiple characters. Comic book styles also differ in many countries due to the differences in culture and reader expectations.

European Comics
European comics have an old, cartoony style compared to the American and Japanese comics. The characters also are not over muscly nor have gravity-defying hair like American/Japanese comics and the plots are more realistic.  

The Adventures of Tintin

Tintin is one the most successful comics in Europe and was about a young reporter named Tintin, and his dog Snowy, solving dangerous cases. The story was created by a Belgian cartoonist by the name of Georges Remi, or pen name Hergé. Hergé started the use of ligne claire drawing style by using bold, clear lines in his comic books. [1]

The Adventures of Asterix
Asterisk is a French comic book written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. The story follows the protagonist Asterisk, his dumb large friend Obelix, and his dog Dogmatix on their adventures and fight against Julius Caesar.  [2]

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher 

This comic strip is published in the British children’s comic The Beano. The story is about two troublemakers Dennis and his pet dog Gnasher. The art style is more "cartoony" than Tintin. [3]

American Comics

Superhero comic books are the most popular in America. The main characters typically have superhuman abilities and bodies which exaggerate their power and strength (sometimes along with capes). Some examples include Superman, Spiderman, X-men, and Batman. Click here for more examples of American comics. [4] [5]

Because the art style is quite similar for each story, using color was a big part of American comics. Not only did it make the story lively, but the combination of colors also help identify the main character. [6] [7] 

• Superman - red, blue, yellow
• Hulk - green, purple
• Iron Man - red, yellow
• Batman - gray, black, dark blue, yellow
• Spiderman - red, blue

Japanese Comics

Japanese comics are also known as manga. Since manga does not usually have color, the artist relies on screentones and crosshatching to bring out the story. [8] [9]

A page does not necessarily have to be covered with panels, nor does it have to be super detailed. How pages are laid out depends on the comic artist and how he/she wants the story to be told. Because of the lack of color, the artist needs to define his or her drawing style so it can be recognizable among other manga. [10]

There are two types of mangas: shoujo and shounen. Shoujo is geared towards girls and usually of romance and drama genres. Similarly, shounen is aimed towards guys and genres are usually action, adventure, and martial arts. [11] [12]

  

America vs Japan?

Because of the huge publishing companies and vast number of readers, America and Japan are the most successful when it comes to comic books. People question if either American or Japanese comics are the best but since they are so different, you cannot really compare the two. 

Manga is written and illustrated by one person, sometimes along with and assistant or two to help with inking and other minor tasks. For America, even though they have the advantage of color, different artists work on the comic over time which leads to inconsistency in the artwork. The comic books are also affected by what the readers or publishers want, cost of printing, the time the artist has available, etc. The pros and cons for American and Japanese comics even each other out; in the end, both are awesome in their own way, as illustrated by Miguel Mendonca. [13] 

Once you studied the different comic book styles out there, you start forming your own. In the next blog post I will discuss how to create the art and story for a comic book.

Sources 

[1] Remi, Georges. (1929). The Adventures of Tintin. Retrieved from 
           http://andrehistoryofediting.blogspot.com/2012/05/graphic-narrative-research-comic-strips.html
[2] Uderzo and Goscinny. (2013). The Adventures of Asterix. Retrieved from http://www.asterix.com/
[3] Parkinson, Nigel. (2011). Dennis and Gnasher at Powis Castle. Retrieved from 
           http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/dennis_the_menace_at_powis_castle
[4] Lee and Kirby. (2010, February 28). Hulk. Retrieved from 
           http://www.comicvine.com/profile/hulkisawsome/blog/hulk-vs-superman-hulks-low-intellect-is-hilarious-/48156/

[5] Lee, Stan. (1979). Iron Man. Retrieved from http://ifanboy.com/articles/great-pages-iron-man-128/
[6] Siegel and Shuster. (2009, March 21). Superman. Retrieved from  
           http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/03/21/a-year-of-cool-comic-book-moments-day-80/

[7] Kane, Bob. (1968 January). Batgirl's Costume Cut Ups. Retrieved from 

           http://dccomicsartists.com/batman/NewLook.htm
[8] Kubo, Tite. (2002, January 5). Bleach. Retrieved from 
           http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/bleach-manga-     and-tv/images/13977297/title/fav-pages-photo

[9] Odo, Eiichiro. (1997, August 4). One Piece. Chapter 300, p. 16. Retrieved from 
           http://www.mangapanda.com/103-2407-16/one-piece/chapter-300.html
[10] Mochizuki, Jun. (2006 June). Pandora Hearts. Chapter 35, p. 36. Retrieved from 
           http://www.mangareader.net/pandora-hearts/55/36
[11] Natsumi, Mukai. (2000). +Anima. Chapter 14, p. 1. Retrieved from
           http://www.mangareader.net/224-16172-1/anima/chapter-14.html
[12] Toriyama, Akira. (1985, November 10). Dragon Ball. Chapter 10, p. 10. Retrieved from  

           http://www.mangapanda.com/105-2659-10/dragon-ball/chapter-10.html
[13] Mendonca, Miguel. (2008, March 22). Superman VS Goku. Retrieved from  

           http://www.deviantart.com/art/Superman-VS-Goku-80679445

Comic Styles: Comic Strips and Webcomics

The first step to becoming a comic book artist is to explore the many genres and styles. Comic books aren't necessarily humorous; they have many genres: action, adventure, comedy, romance, horror, slice of life, mystery, fantasy, etc. The genres also have affect on what the art in the comic book will look like. This video covers a brief history of American comic books and how the events during the time formed the main characters. It also goes into some detail about Japanese comics. [1]

I split the types of comic books into five categories: Editorial, Web, Newspaper Comic Strips, American, European, and Japanese comics. In this blog post I will focus on comic strips and webcomics. 

Editorial Comics
Editorial comics are cartoons found in newspapers and contain political satire by caricaturing political leaders or issues. They don’t have a particular story going on because their purpose is to question anything political. Editorial comics have evolved through time to exaggerate and mock a person’s features and ideas. [2][3] Examples can be found on the website of AAEC (The Association of American Editorial Cartoonist).

WebComics
Web comics are typically video game, slice of life, or science genres. Because there is no publisher telling what the artist should do they are very diverse.

Wondermark: 

David Malki’s comic panels rely heavily on irony for humor. They are similar to old European comics because of the Victorian etchings style. [4]

Penny-Arcade: 

Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins focus on video game comics. The story follows two main characters but there is little continuity. [5] 

XKCD:  

XKCD has a set of very random and simple comics. Randall Munroe uses stick figures as people. [6]

Comic Strips

These also appeared in newspapers but the purpose is to tell small humorous stories.

Calvin and Hobbes 

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip illustrated by Bill Watterson. It is of a smart, adventuresome boy named Calvin and his relationship with his friend stuffed animal tiger, Hobbes. [7]

Garfield

Garfield is written by Jim Davis. The comic is of a fat, lazy cat named Garfield and his owner Jon Arbuckle and owner's dog, Odie. Garfield holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip. [8]

Peanuts 

Peanuts was written and illustrated by Charles Schulz from 1950-2000. They are stories of Charlie Brown, his pet dog Snoopy, and his friends. [9]

Comic strips, and most webcomics, tend to be short. They each have their own recognizable style by the comic artist's choice of colors (or no color), way characters are drawn, type of font, speech bubbles, background, panels, and how complex or simple the art is. 

In the next post, I will blog about comic books which are longer, have an ongoing plot that connects the comic strips, and multiple characters.

Sources
[1] Williams, Wadsworth. (2011, May 29). The History of Comic Books. [YouTube]. Retrieved
            from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqvJ0UHFaug
[2] Baker, Joseph. (1865). The Rail Splitter at Work Repairing the Union. Retrieved  
            from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661827/
[3] Anderson, Nick. (2009, September 4). Right-Wing Thinking on Presidents Addressing School Students.
            Retrieved from http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090904/OPINION/90904008/
[4] Malki, David. (2013, October 25). The Extreme Measure of Absolute Last Resort. 
            Retrieved from http://wondermark.com/976/

[5] Krahulik and Holkins (2013). Tall Grass, Big Stakes. Retrieved from  http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/10/18

[6] Munroe, Randall. (2013). Turn Signals. Retrieved from http://xkcd.com/165/. 
[7] Watterson, Bill. (2013). Calvin Needs This Kind of Push. Retrieved from
            http://www.heavy.com/entertainment/2013/03/the-10-best-calvin-hobbes-comic-strips/
[8] Davis, Jim. (2012, May 17). Garfield. Retrieved from http://garfield.com/

[9] Schulz, Charles. (2002). Peanuts. Retrieved from http://www.pvpixels.com/7-awesome-newspaper-comic-strips-childhood/

Introduction

About Me
Welcome to my blog. My name is Jenna Bastian and I am a junior attending University of Texas at Dallas. I am currently majoring in Arts and Technology (ATEC) and focusing on modeling and rigging for the animation industry. My hobbies include photography, drawing, longboarding, traveling, and eating. I am a very curious person and like to experiment new ideas, foods, places, and such. I am also working on a manga (a Japanese style of comic books) which is why I am creating this blog.


More about this Comic Book blog:
I spent a lot of time researching on how to be a comic artist. Creating a simple pencil and paper one at home is quite rewarding. Going professional, however, is where it becomes complicated. So far I have not found many sites that gave clear step-by-step instructions that made the process easy, so I decided to organize what sources I have found so far and put it into one nice, pretty blog.

To make this blog interesting I will:

• interview people for some helpful tips
• explore different styles and genres
• discuss different ways to get work published and how to get a copyright
• show information how to form an exciting plot/characters
• provide helpful links for all aspects

Furthermore, my Betta fish, Hanabi Baka Sake, will be used to show examples on the steps to create your own comic book (he will be drawn as a character of course).