How do i draw comics digitally?
So i want to draw comics.
Where do i start? What are useful ressorcues to learn? What apps should i use? Are there special comic drawing apps or is any drawing app sufficient enough?
I have already an android tablet with a pen. I can also buy those graphic tablets for pc but my budget would be tight.
Everything depends on everything. Knowing absolutely nothing about your vision? The two digital art programs I'd start with are GIMP 3.0 and Krita.
One option is to draw the lines with pencil on paper, scan them, vectorize them in Inkscape, and then finish them in post. I've done it before, it's low tech and makes for a nice, organic look.
Hey hope I can help. I've personally never drawn on android but Krita is what I use on desktop and they do have an android app. Great tool I'd say.
As for starting out no matter what level you are in drawing getting used to a digital setup can be hard so I'd suggest the classic of "draw a fuck ton of circles, shit ton of triangles, holy load of rectangles and a butt ton of eggs. After that do it again but bend those boys up" method. After that go wild draw whatever and keep on drawing. Figure out what your greatest weaknesses are (or pick any weakness if like me they're all equally atrocious) and search up YouTube videos on fixing them
Now reading this you're asking about comics specifically. Sorry not going to be much help there. Hope you're able to find some good help though as I'd love to see more Lemmy comic artists
I am, and have always been, an untrained hobbyist. Back in the day I just used pencil and paper.
Nowadays I use GIMP and a Microsoft Surface tablet, but I still do most things pretty manually. I never really bothered to find fancy solutions for panels, speech bubbles, text, and so on. It suits my needs.
never really bothered to find fancy solutions for panels, speech bubbles, text, and so on.
So that means you do your own panels, speech bubbles etc.. Do you always them from scratch or do you have a own made template where you copy your bubbles?
I have a couple things templated, like a vertical page that fits on a phone screen with a few panels already outlined. Otherwise it's from scratch.
Templates are boring anyway. Part of the fun of comics is using different shapes, sizes, and positions for panels/bubbles in ways that help tell a story.
On that note I must also plug Scott McCloud's books, they really helped me see all the tools at my disposal.
Someone recommended Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, and I'd second that. It's an in-depth look at how comics work, stylistically & philosophically, and presented in comic form.
For actually drawing, any tools will work. I started drawing stick figure comics in spiral school notebooks. They were crude, but they helped me improve my storytelling, pacing, and layouts. I copied the drawing styles of my favourite artists. I found a "how to draw" book that worked with my brain (there are so many out there - take the time to read through a couple chapters to make sure their instruction style resonates with your learning style). YouTube is good for tips, but comics are a static medium, so I feel print is a better medium for learning.
Read all the comics. Break down what works in your favourite titles and what could be confusing or ineffective. Study their timing, which story elements they use (and what they leave out). Track how the pacing changes for dramatic or comedic effect. McCloud's book will give you the tools to analyse comics.
While you read and study comics, keep practising your art. There is no finish line - your art will change and evolve as you do, and you will probably never be satisfied with it. That's okay. Just keep moving forward. Try new things. Keep what works and move past what doesn't. Be proud of your achievements but not precious. You can always do better, but know when good is enough to move on.
Stuff I didn't listen to Back Then:
If you drew it once, you can draw it again. Don't be afraid to erase and try something else.
Draw everything, especially stuff you hate to draw (hands, props, cars, buildings, perspective). Eventually you'll have a better understanding of how things are constructed and how to simplify them in your art.
Reference is not cheating. Don't trace other people's work, but keep inspiration around as you draw. Poses, lighting, colour, perspective, facial expressions - all of it.
Don't chase perfection. Drawing a hundred imperfect things gives you more experience than trying to draw one perfect thing. It also helps you think faster as you create and recognise/avoid dead ends faster.
You can draw comics on anything with anything that will leave a mark. A friend of mine drew a comic with a stick dipped in ink and coloured it with scraps of fabric.
Back Then I went from notebooks to sketchbooks to Bristol paper (the classic comic paper). These days I use Procreate on an iPad Mini 6. Sometimes I sketch poses on receipts and sticky notes, take a photo with the iPad and import it into Procreate to finish. The more you create, the more you'll dial in your style and preferred media. You will find a workflow that works for you, the same way your style will evolve into its own thing.
TL;DR: Draw everything you can on anything you can. Try all of the tools to see what works. Read and study all the comics.
I appreciate your shared thoughts and experiences a lot. Thanks
(Sorry for writing a novel. And rambling.)
I never progressed beyond the complete beginner level. I also have an Android tablet with a stylus. I always looked Artflow app.
I tried learning in the tablet and never progressed much. Realised that fundamentals have to be learnt with pen and paper. If you don't get good without tech assisted tools, then you'll never be all that good. Although I do like scanning in the line drawing and then inking and colouring on the tablet.
Do you scan with a traditional scanner or just use the tablet or phone's camera?
I have a scanner.
Phone camera works well enough for a hobbyist like me, but if you want it to be good quality to publish then you should use a scanner (they're stupidly cheap secondhand).
If you're a complete beginner with drawing then DrawABox lessons helped me a lot and I would highly recommend these.
Originally i wanted to post this post into a art community but most of them are made for sharing their work and not questions. If someone know a community for asking (beginner) art questions let me know.
Do you have an understanding of drawing or comics? For learning resources I’ve heard Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud is good, they even have a copy on the internet archive!
Not at all. I mean i do so some quick doodles during while taking notes / phone calls but nothing serious.