Graphic Novel Creation

Some comic strip rules

           

There are a few different ways to approach writing and drawing a comic. In the end product we have a combination of the written word or text and the visuals or drawings.

You should develop your script along with your characters and backgrounds.

Then put all the action down in the panels.

This is what a comic book script looks like:

It’s divided in to pages then panels.

Under each panel heading there is the Narrative section which is the content for the top of the panel and usually tells the reader the time of day or the location. Often says “Meanwhile”

The Dialogue comes next, each character’s name is in capitals and the actual dialogue is in inverted comas.

The last section is called Scene; this describes what is happening for the artist.

All this stuff is information communicated between the writer and the artist. They have to work closely, it’s a team effort.

This flow chart shows the thinking process and the steps in development from the script to the pencil stage ready for inking or clean up.

Opinions differ, Stan Lee who invented Spiderman never drew the comic and Steve Ditko the artist who drew the original Spiderman claims that he is the creator. It caused a lot of trouble.

I think the artist should own the rights, he has the option to take dialogue or text out of the script if it helps the end product as you can see by this example of omission of text.

Some terminology:

panel- box which contains a given scene.

border- the outline of a panel

gutters- the space in between the panels.

tier- a row of panels (left to right) on a page.

Task 1: Create a storyboard with the following questions on and save it as Comic 1_(Your Name)

Name:

What is your story about?

Where is your story set? (Place, time, circumstances.)

What does the protagonist want?

What lesson does the protagonist learn at the end?

Who are the main characters?

Protagonist: Name, age, gender, type of character.

Antagonist: Name, age, gender, type of character.

What does the antagonist do to cause problems for the protagonist?

What style do you suggest for your comic?

Collage, drawn, photocomic, Manga.

Research the work of Raymond Briggs

Research the work of Dave McKean

Research the photo comic work of Colin Whittlow

http://drawerdrawer.blogspot.co.uk/2005/04/colin-whitlow-new-art-across-bridge.html

In the creation of a successful panel, one of the most important aspects is body language.
Work out the best solution using silhouettes the way Will Eisner did in these examples.

Scripting for comics

Planning for comics

Do we need the text?