Macmillan Academic: Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond Jessica Abel, Matt Madden: Books

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Drawing Words and Writing Pictures

Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond

Jessica Abel and Matt Madden

First Second, June 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59643-131-7, ISBN10: 1-59643-131-8,
12 x 9 inches, 304 pages,
Trade Paperback, $29.95

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See All Categories Art, Architecture, & Photography Art Technique Reference Reference - All Titles Writing Writing - All Titles Young Adult Literature Young Adult Nonfiction

An Eisner Award Nominee

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures is a course on comic creation—for the classroom or for independent study—that centers on storytelling and concludes with making a finished comic. With chapters on lettering, story structure, and panel layout, the fifteen lessons offered—each complete with homework, extra credit activities and supplementary reading suggestions—provide a solid introduction for people interested in making their own comics.

Additional resources, lessons, and after-class help are available on the accompanying website, www.dw-wp.com.

Table of Contents

PREFACE

The tsunami of comics: coming to a town near you

Comics education: the time is now

Enter Drawing Words & Writing Pictures

A note on the title

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION

Who is this book for?

Sidebar: Forming a Nomad group

Organization of the book

Special features

Companion website for students and instructors

1. BUILDING BLOCKS—A working definition of comics, with an introduction to the most frequently used comics terms.

1.1 Know 'em when you see 'em
Defining "comics"

     Will Eisner
     Scott McCloud
     David Kunzle
     What we talk about when we talk about comics
Sidebar: What's in a name?

1.2 Comics terminology
Frequently used terms

Sidebar: Emanata

Sidebar: Can't Draw? Read this
Activity: Drawing time

Homework: Drawing in action
Extra credit: Directed jam comic

2. EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY—A look at the single-panel comic and how it works.

2.1 Word and image
The juxtaposition of word and image

The single-panel comic

A closer look: Cartoons and beyond

Activity: Gag reflex

Sidebar: Putting pen to paper

Homework: Gag me

Extra credit: Sum of its parts

3. THE STRIP CLUB—A discussion of how multi-panel strips work to tell simple stories, plus an overview of thumbnails.

3.1 A comic a day

Creating a comic strip

Variations in rhythm and pacing

A closer look: Three strips in action

Bud Fisher's Mud and Jeff

Roy Crane's Wash Tubbs

Tony Millionaire's Maakies

Activity: The wrong planet

3.2 Thumbnails

Writing pictures

Creating thumbnails

Homework: Strip it down

Extra Credit: How to read Nancy

4. BRIDGING THE GAP—An introduction to what goes on between comics panels—in other words, panel transitions.

4.1 Reading between the lines

Transitions and closure

Seven types of panel transitions

Activity: Comic Jumble

Homework: Closure Comics

Extra credit: Five-card Nancy

5. PENCILING—An investigation of the pitfalls and strategies of penciling comics, plus a brief look at the basics of drawing the human figure.

5.1 Penciling comics

Ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your pencils!

Penciling pitfalls

Penciling strategies

Blue Pencil

Colored pencil

Map it

Photocopying or scanning up thumbs

Drawing outside the box

Preparatory drawings

Tracing

Sidebar: Penciling toolbox

Sidebar: A master cartoonist's penciling method

Activity: Pencil one panel three different ways

5.2 Figuring out the figure 1: sticking to the basics

Using "figurettes"

Homework: Penciling

Extra credit: Practice drawing figurettes

Extra credit: Drawing figurettes by tracing photos

6. GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE—An examination of one-page comics and composition at the page level, plus a tutorial in laying out pages, tiers, and panels.

6.1 Elbow room

The one-pager

A closer look: Two masters of the Sunday page

Segar: The page as story

Herriman: The page as design

Elements of page design

The grind

More approaches to page design

Reading order

Title design

6.2 Laying out pages, tiers, and panels

Laying out a page

Live area

Inside the live area

Original art size

Page ratio

Gutters

Tiers

Activity: Lay out your live area

Homework: "A month of Sundays" thumbnails

Extra credit: Comic book book report: Sunday page

7. LETTERING—A focus on lettering, both as an art form and as a technical skill, plus a lesson on using the photocopier effectively.

7.1 Hand lettering

Drawing words

Lettering is not handwriting

What's with the antique technology?

A case for upper- and lower-case lettering

Lettering styles

Other lettering concerns

Welcome to Ames

Activity: Make lettering guidelines and practice lettering

Sidebar: Making word balloons

Activity: A comic with no pictures

7.2 The photocopier

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Sidebar: Ruling a straight line: some tools that will help

Homework: "A month of Sundays" penciling and lettering

Extra credit: Lettering that speaks for itself

8. INKING THE DEAL—A look at inking with a nib pen, and making corrections to final artwork.

8.1 Inking with a nib pen

What is inking for?

What's a nib pen?

Why nib pens?

Selecting a nib

Two basic kinds of nibs

Bowl-pointed nibs

The thumbnail test

Nib characteristics

Buying nib sets

Handling a nib pen

Drawing with a nib pen

Troubleshooting nibs

Sidebar: Inking tools

Sidebar: A word on posture

Activity: Ink your own drawings with a nib

8.2 Making corrections

Basic corrections

Major corrections: Tracing and pasting

Tracing

Pasting

Sidebar: Making your corrections stick

Homework: "A month of Sundays" inking

Sidebar: More nib examples in this book

Extra credit: Line for line

9. STRUCTURING STORY—An introduction to the narrative arc, the most fundamental type of story structure.

9.1 The narrative arc

Uncovering story structure: Jessica's tale

The narrative arc

Why so traditional?

Why conflict?

Other narrative structures

9.2 The elements of a narrative arc

The five essential ingredients

1. The protagonist

2. The spark

3. The escalation

4. The climax

5. The denouement

The narrative arc: constructing a story worth the telling

The five ingredients in action: Cinderella

Activity: Analyze this

Activity: TV writer make believe

Homework: Thumbnails for a six-page story with a narrative arc

Extra credit: Thumbnail a three-page Chip and the Cookie Jar comic

10. GETTING INTO CHARACTER—A discussion of character types and motivations.

10.1 Developing your character

Which comes first—the character or the story?

What is a character?

Character types

Archetypal characters

Naturalistic characters

Intermediate characters

Character motivation

Conflict

Sidebar: Using drawing to help develop characters

The antagonist

Show, don't tell

Activity: Play your cards right

Homework: Character pin-ups for your short story

Homework: Finish your short story thumbs

Extra credit: Character mash-up

11. SETTING THE STAGE—A discussion of some of the many aspects of composition at the panel level, and a tutorial on title design.

11.1 Panel design

Building a better panel

Panel problem solving: Four basic considerations

Framing

Blocking

Acting

Mise-en-scène

60 panels that just might work

A few notes on the panels

Sidebar: Film terminology and comics

Panel composition

Asymmetry

Tonal balance

Diagonals

Reading path

Highlighting

Internal framing

Visual rhythm

Negative space

Silhouetting

Depth of field

Activity: Rethinking composition

11.2 Titles

The importance of title design

Planning your title design

Laying out and inking your title design

Sketch

Placement and composition

Letter measurement and drawing guidelines

Penciling

Double-checking

Inking straight letters

Inking curved letters

Touch-ups and corrections

Sidebar: Type terminology

Activity: Plan, lay out, and ink a title design for your six-page comic

Homework: Revise your six-page story thumbs and start penciling

Extra credit: Draw a folk tale

12. CONSTRUCTING A WORLD—A focus on creating a believable comics world, plus a brief look at drawing heads and hands.

12.1 Creating a sense of place

The importance of backgrounds

Approaches to world-building

Drawing from life

Sidebar: Drawing specifics

Using photo reference

Sidebar: Things to keep in mind when drawing from photos

Researching the real world

Inventing realities

Perspective

Using your imagination

Activity: No time like the present

12.2 Figuring out the figure 2: heads and hands

Heads and hands

Facial measurements

Variation

Rotation

Notes on drawing heads and facial expressions

Drawing hands

Heads and hands in action

Activity: The head's in your hands

Homework: Continue penciling your six-page story

Extra credit: On-location comics

13. BLACK GOLD—A lesson in inking with the brush, including techniques for softening blacks.

13.1 The liquid line

Introduction to inking with a brush

Basic brush handling

Charging your brush

Holding your brush

Checking your ink

Checking your brush quality

Practicing your technique

Don't "pencil" with ink

Sidebar: Know your brushes

Sidebar: Buying, protecting, and cleaning a brush

13.2 Softening the black

Techniques for softening blacks

Feathering

Using dry brush

Inking a panel from start to finish

Pencil

Linework

Finish inking

Corrections

Scanning

13.3 Notes on using a brush

Lines, spotting blacks, and other techniques

Sidebar: More examples of brush inking

Activity: Ink a panel in brush

Homework: Finish pencils of your six-page story and begin inking

Extra credit: Line for line II

14. COMICS IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION—An introduction to reproducing comics using a scanner and sizing artwork using a proportion wheel.

14.1 Producing reproductions

Scanning your art

Step 1: Plan ahead

Step 2: Scan

Step 3: Save

Step 4: Combine segments

Step 5: Size image

Step 6: Adjust the threshold level

Step 7: Make Photoshop® corrections

Sidebar: What is anti-aliasing?

Step 8: Convert to bitmap

Sidebar: Print history: film and "non-photo blue"

14.2 Olde-styley tools again

Using the proportion wheel

Sizing down and sizing up

Sizing down

Sizing up

Activity: Try the proportion wheel

Homework: Finish inking, make corrections, and reproduce your six-page comic

Extra credit: "It was an accident"

15. 24-HOUR COMIC—A final fun challenge to wrap up the book using all of the skills you've learned.

15.1 Marathon cartooning

The 24-hour comic

Activity: 24-hour comic (or 3-hour comic)

15.2 Onward and upward

The end (but also the beginning)

APPENDICES

A: Supplies

B: Homework critiques

C: Story cards

D: Comic book book report

E: Making minicomics

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Praise

"A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist. Highly recommended."—Scott McCloud

"Smartly designed and easy to understand, Abel and Madden’s text is an edifying course in creating comics. Comprised of 15 comprehensive lessons, readers are taught the basic elements necessary to conceptualize and produce their own comics. Assuming an audience range from individuals to a group, this pedagogical survey is written to serve a wide array of learners. The authors suggest everything from preferred brands of supplies to types of stretches to alleviate strain. Extensive backmatter, including helpful appendices on such topics as homework critiques, and a considerable bibliography round out the volume. This erudite study should leave its readers with a greater understanding and appreciation of the command one must possess to create graphic media. A valuable resource for all interested in the field and a natural companion to Scott McCloud’s quintessential texts Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics."—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author(s)

By Jessica Abel and Matt Madden

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures was created by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden and based on their classes at the School of Visual Arts. They are editors of the Best American Comics series and each has created a number of groundbreaking graphic novels, including Madden's 99 Ways to Tell a Story and Abel's La Perdida.